5/28/26 Lab Reports
Lot's of movement for starting pitchers happening right now. Let's talk about some notable names.
LAB REPORTS
Starting Pitchers Moving in LFX
By: The Lab | 05/28/26
Lot's of movement for starting pitchers happening right now. Let's talk about some notable names.
Jacob Misiorowski
Mostly unneccesary to mention him at this point, as he is just so dominant. But when someone new enters the the Top-2, I would like to mention it. The reason he is above Sale, Sanchez, and Schlittler is mainly because of the elite Strikeout rate. I like all of these guys and you can't go wrong in any order.
Season Line: 1.83 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 100 K in 64 IP
Zack Wheeler
He's back. And by that, I don't mean the velocity, which is also back. I mean he is back in the Top-10 in LFX. This is a league winner type of draft pick, and there were so many naysayers that never thought we'd see this version of Wheeler again. The K's and velocity are mostly in line with his old self, just a touch lower. He's not a Top-5 guy...yet.
Season Line: 1.67 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 36 K in 37.2 IP
Gavin Williams
Walks plagued him last year and he couldn't shake them. He's now got them mostly under control and that is huge for his value, which is in the Top-20 where he's always been destined to arrive. He's got the frame of an innings eater, the elite breaking pitches, the fastball, and now the improved command to tie it all together.
Season Line: 3.07 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 88 K in 76.1 IP
Kyle Harrison
One of the biggest surprises of the whole season, those who drafted him are sitting on easy street. The fastball has developed nicely into an elite pitch. And he just keeps getting better every 5 days. The Brewers have built yet another gem. I'm no longer worried about some impending pullback, although if you can get better than Top-15 value out of him in a trade, I would consider cashing in.
Season Line: 1.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 61 K in 51.2 IP
Bryce Miller
A smart draft and stash, Miller is rewarding his owners with great early results and significantly more velocity on his pitches. Let's rewind though. In 2024, Miller broke out to the tune of a 2.94 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 171 K in 180.1 IP as one of the best pitchers in the league. Throughout 2025 he wrestled with a bone spur in his elbow and it led to a 5.68 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 74 K in 90.1 IP in a lost season. That is not true Bryce.
Miller started 2026 on the IL yet again, this time for an oblique issue. His arm has proven to be healthy though and he is looking dominant once again as a Top-40 arm in LFX. Enter: The Mariners. Seemingly afraid to pull the plug too quickly on Luis Castillo, out of respect to his tenure. Bryce Miller is having to navigate a difficult balancing act of piggybacking with a veteran. I believe it is only a matter of time until a more permanent solution is decided upon, and I don't think it will be Bryce that is getting the boot.
Season Line: 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 14 K in 16 IP
Payton Tolle and Max Meyer
Two young arms entering the Top-30 in LFX. Both are helium guys I trust moving forward to give you more good than bad, but still retain some level of volatility. Tolle in particular is an absolute monster one night, and then a different pitcher altogether on another. I want him on every team I can, though. He is also easily the most fun guy in the league to root for after you see one of his famous K-struts.
Meyer has been a revelation this year. After seemingly a half-decade of "this is the year," he finally is breaking out. I drafted and recently flipped him for a superstar hitter, and you may be able to as well, so try it if you are so inclined. The slider and sweeper are insane pitches, and he's made enough changes to his previously pedestrian fastball that I think he can maintain this red-hot version for awhile longer. But i've also said that at other parts of his career, so I'm a little less bullish than I am on Tolle, for example. Either way, these two have been rocks in your lineup every 5 days.
Tolle Season Line: 2.27 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 40 K in 39.2 IP
Meyer Season Line: 2.52 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 68 K in 60.2 IP
Troy Melton and Ben Brown
Both of these guys are Top-75 in LFX and have some intrigue at the moment, but I feel they are on different tracks. Melton just made his debut and in my opinion, looked pretty great. I think there's a lot to work with here, but he is relatively unproven. Fighting through injuries and trying to get locked into a rotation spot each of the last 2 years, this could be his time to take off. He is a smart add now, ahead of a potential rise through the rankings into the Top-60 or even Top-50.
Ben Brown is a guy that his owners swear by. The belief is strong in him. And I will give him his flowers, he has looked great. I just don't generally like the arsenal as it is too curveball focused and that leads to volatility. I'm not necessarily expecting him to melt down, but what I'm saying is that you may not be the high man on him in your league. And if you sent out offers, you may find one of those Ben Brown believers, and get a huge return. I would try to see what you can get. No need to sell him off if you like him though, as he is looking like a playable arm.
Melton Season Line: 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 3 K in 5.2 IP
Brown Season Line: 2.01 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 47 K in 44.2 IP
Emerson Hancock and Framber Valdez
These guys have dropped out of the Top-40 in LFX and are showing signs of worry. Hancock has lost nearly all of his iVB on his fastball and that's a recipe for being hit around one of these next few starts. He is also part of the Mariners rotation depth issue, although he has clearly earned the right to hold onto his rotation spot. But how much does that change if he has a couple of blowups, along with the Luis Castillo situation getting worse in the clubhouse, if he starts pitching well. And of course the elephant in the room: what if Kade Anderson is banging the down the door ANY harder than he ALREADY is? Hancock has multiple paths to losing his value completely, and that shouldn't be much of a suprise considering how invisible he was in rankings during the preseason. See if you can still sell, coming off his last good start.
Framber Valdez is someone I keep getting asked about dropping. And no, you should not drop a guy like this when you likely could spam out offers and get someone to click yes. That will likely net you a better player than your waiver wire, so try it if you want to get out of the Framber business. Which it seems like a lot of people do.
Hancock Season Line: 2.78 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 63 K in 64.2 IP
Brown Season Line: 4.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 50 K in 61 IP
