SP is typically the most complicated position to draft in Fantasy Baseball. Unlike with position players or RP, you need to take between seven and nine starters, rather than two or three players at any other position. Who you draft in the first 20 rounds is incredibly important, but many times it’s who you draft in the back third of your draft that can make or break your success. I gave you names to target in rounds 10-20 in my most recent article, and in this article, you will find targets for rounds 20-30 (in 15-team leagues). These players are your SP7-SP9 types, although some of them have upside for more.

Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Sleepers

SP Ross Stripling, San Francisco Giants

He has an ADP in the 310-320 range overall. Stripling is coming off a strong season with the Blue Jays in a tough AL East division and now heads to San Francisco which is arguably the best pitchers' ballpark in the National League, behind maybe only Miami. He threw a career-high 134 innings in 2022, which has me believing that he can reach 150 or more in 2023, especially if he is a full-time starter, which is the expectation. Although he isn’t a K/9 guy, he should provide good ratios as your team's SP7.

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SP Zach Eflin, Tampa Bay Rays

It was certainly surprising when Eflin got a three-year/45 million dollar contract this offseason from the Rays. Tampa is not known for spending in free agency, and certainly not on a guy who has only had one MLB season with a sub-4.00 ERA. Eflin has always had good “stuff” though, and the Rays believe that they can harness it and turn him into a number three caliber starter in their rotation. Considering the Rays are one of the smartest organizations in MLB, this is something that we fantasy baseball players should be paying attention to. You can draft Eflin in the 305-315 range overall and feel good about starting him at home in Tampa and in particular matchups against weaker opponents on the road.

SP Cal Quantrill, Cleveland Guardians

Quantrill is coming off his most complete season in the big leagues, logging a career-high 186.1 innings and picking up 15 big wins. He doesn’t miss many bats, which limits his upside, but in terms of getting quality innings with good ratios and double-digit wins, he is a really solid SP7 or SP8 in your 15-team leagues. Since the start of 2020, he hasn’t had an ERA above 3.38, and in two of those three years he’s posted a sub-3.00 ERA. The Guardians are one of the top “pitching factories” in MLB, and their pitchers are some of the most reliable arms around.

SP Carlos Carrasco, New York Mets

Carrasco comes with some durability concerns based on his injury history and his age. However, when pitching, he is a reliable veteran on a very good Mets team and has a great home ballpark. He will be around a K/9, should provide you with a sub-4.00 ERA and should also rack up 13-15 wins for you. He no longer comes with much upside, but you are drafting him for his floor at this point in drafts. He might go as early as 300 overall, but has gone in the 350-375 range at times as well.

SP Kenta Maeda, Minnesota Twins

This is one of the higher-upside late-round SP picks of the 2023 season. Maeda has had an excellent career with the Dodgers and Twins and is now nearly 18 months removed from Tommy John surgery. The only real concern with Maeda is that his workload will be monitored early, maybe even all season, due to his long layoff. But at this point in the draft (340 ADP), the rewards heavily outweigh the risks. He has been more than a K/9 pitcher his entire career, usually posting a sub-4.00 ERA and a strong WHIP as well. This spring, he has also looked pretty sharp, despite issuing six walks in 5.2 innings. If Maeda can regain his form from before his surgery, you will be getting an SP8 with SP5 upside.

SP Eduardo Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers

E-Rod is another late-round SP with big-time upside. Unlike Maeda, he is still at a prime age, will have no innings restrictions and is in an excellent pitching environment in Detroit. He was dealing with off-field issues in 2022 that directly affected his success on the field, however now those off-field issues are behind him and he is poised to turn in a terrific 2023 season. He is off to a fantastic start this spring, throwing 8.1 shutout innings with 10 Ks and a 0.96 WHIP. He has good swing-and-miss stuff, is very tough on lefties and can be drafted after pick 250 in 15-team leagues. This is an SP8 with SP3 upside if he can regain his form from his Red Sox days.