2026 Fantasy Baseball New Pitches: The Standouts So Far
Logan Gilbert
Gilbert has added a changeup that brings his total arsenal to six different pitches in terms of the looks he can present to different hitters. His vision for the pitch is to use it in conjunction with his splitter against left-handed hitters. Here is a look at their heat maps and Gilbert’s table.
The split-finger is already a nasty pitch with a velocity of 80.2 MPH and 46.7 inches of vertical drop. The addition of a changeup that comes in just a little quicker at 84.4 MPH with 16 inches of horizontal arm-side break makes these two pitches difficult to pick up and separate. Gilbert has only thrown 15 of these changeups so far, but the results have been dramatic. 57.1% of them have been thrown for strikes and batters have just one weak hit against them.
Jack Leiter
Leiter has added a 93.3 MPH cutter to his power pitcher arsenal to go with other high-velocity pitches like his 97.3 MPH four-seamer, 91 MPH changeup, and 87 MPH slider. He also throws a curveball at 82.1 MPH and a sinker at 96.5 MPH. Leiter is currently sitting in the 82nd percentile among all qualified pitchers in Pitching Run Value, a big jump from last year’s 68th percentile. His Statcast page has the appearance of an elite pitcher.
The addition gives him a pitch with glove-side run, moving in the opposite direction of his other high-velocity offerings. The cutter has a vertical drop of 21.5 inches that sneaks in lower than his four-seamer (11.1 in) and sinker (15.7), and above his changeup (31.1) and slider (37.9). The six pitches combined give Leiter a suite of pitches that he can drop in on both sides of the plate at different levels.
Dylan Cease
Cease has been tinkering with his changeup for years, and it has primarily been a “show me” pitch for him with mixed results. This year he added spin and speed to the pitch that has resulted in less vertical drop and more horizontal arm-side break than last year. He has been mixing the 85.2 MPH offering to left-handed batters 15% of the time. It appears difficult to distinguish between the changeup and his 96.8 MPH sinker.
The added pitch gives Cease a new tool to get left-handed hitters out, who have traditionally hit him better than right-handed batters. It also increases his overall arsenal to six pitches. It is a bit early to tell how much of a difference this offering will make, but he has been pitching as well or better than last season so far.
Roki Sasaki
Sasaki has a number of problems with his pitch arsenal. He throws a decent fastball-split combination, but struggles to find consistency with his command. He has also lacked a third pitch, which typically would profile him as a bullpen candidate, a role he has excelled in at times for the Dodgers. He has added an 86.5 MPH slider this season that he is throwing more than 30% of the time so far. The pitch comes in with 37.6 inches of vertical drop, very similar to his split-finger’s 37.6 inches.
Command may continue to be an issue, but the addition of this third pitch can only help Sasaki in the long run. It may take a while for him to harness all three pitches this season.
Are These New Pitches Producing Real Fantasy Results?
We are dealing with extremely small sample sizes here. It is too early to tell whether there will be a real impact from any of these pitches. The main point here is to show that these pitches should be watched as the season rolls on. That said, the early returns at least show how they are being used and some trends to consider.
Strikeouts, ERA, and Whiff Rate Impact
Gilbert is generating a 42.9% whiff rate on the changeup and only 40% on his splitter, which was at 50.4% in 2025. Also, his 26.9% strikeout rate is lower than his 32.3% rate in 2025. Still, you can expect Gilbert’s surface stats to improve as he integrates the changeup, which has a Stuff+ rating of 133.
Leiter’s cutter is generating a 37.5% whiff rate and a 91 Stuff+ rating. However, he has raised the whiff rates of all his pitches. His 38.6% strikeout rate is a phenomenal improvement over his league-average 22.9% rate last year. There could be a breakout coming, as Leiter’s 2.45 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and lower 4.5% walk rate are all improvements over 2025.
Cease’s 87.5% whiff rate on the changeup is encouraging, as is the 91 Stuff+. He has raised the whiff rate on all of his pitches to improve his overall strikeout rate to 38.8%. He was already pitching at an elite level. Does he really need to get better? Left-handed batters may likely say no.
Sasaki’s 22% strikeout rate is certainly an improvement over just 17.4% last year, and the slider has a 100 Stuff+ rating so far. The question is whether he can command all of his pitches and turn them into strikeout weapons inside the zone. The new ABS system will work against a pitcher who tries to generate swings outside the zone. The jury is out on whether this third pitch will be a difference maker for Sasaki.
2026 Fantasy Baseball Roster Strategy for New Pitch Additions
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images


Adds, Stashes, and Trade Targets
As elite pitchers, Cease and Gilbert are owned in all leagues. Swinging a trade for either pitcher may be difficult without giving up very good players in return. Still, both are worth trading for if the opportunity arises.
Leiter is owned in 69% and Sasaki in 40% of Yahoo leagues. If Leiter is on the waiver wire, he should be picked up and started until he proves otherwise. Sasaki can be stashed if you have the roster space. See if he evens out his command before starting him in anything but the most favorable matchups.
Long-Term Outlook for These 2026 New Pitch Additions
What to Monitor Through May
Trends for starting pitchers do not really kick in until at least 30-40 innings pitched, so it is too early to make any judgments about how effective these pitches are. What you are looking for as the innings increase is whether the pitchers continue to use these new pitches and whether they are generating whiffs and strikeouts. Improvements in ERA and WHIP will follow more strikeouts.
2026 Fantasy Baseball New Pitches: Questions Answered
Which pitchers have added new pitches early in 2026?
Logan Gilbert introduced a cutter and changeup, while Jack Leiter, Dylan Cease, and Roki Sasaki have also added or reintroduced pitches to their mix.
How effective is Logan Gilbert’s new changeup?
It has an impressive 133 Stuff+ score, but results have been mixed so far. The recap examines usage and impact.
Should fantasy managers add these pitchers with new pitches on waivers?
Some warrant immediate adds or stashes. The outlook provides specific recommendations based on early results.
Are these new pitches sustainable long-term in 2026?
The analysis looks at Stuff+, location, and historical patterns to assess whether the changes will hold.
How do new pitches affect 2026 fantasy baseball roster strategy?
They can create waiver-wire opportunities, trade targets, and streaming plays.
