Chris Bassitt, SP, TOR
Bassitt was superb against the Braves on Wednesday, striking out 10 across 5 shutout innings, surrendering just 3 hits and 2 BB's. It's been an otherworldly start to the season for the veteran who now owns a 0.77 ERA and 31:5 K:BB in 23.1 IP across his 4 starts. Bassitt is coming off a disappointing 2024 in which he posted an ERA north of 4.00 for the first time since 2016 when he only made 5 starts. At 36 years old, it was fair to wonder if he was going through the decline phase of his career, and he was understandably left undrafted in many fantasy leagues. Instead, Bassitt currently boasts what would be career bests in strikeout and walk rate (by a significant margin), and his 2.24 xFIP is also well beyond anything he's done in the past. It's unusual for a pitcher to have a career year in their late 30's, but Bassitt can at least be trusted as the reliable pitcher he's been for most of the past decade.
David Festa, SP, MIN
Festa had another strong showing against the Mets on Wednesday, striking out 6 in 4.1 shutout IP, allowing 5 hits and 1 BB. That makes two starts and two scoreless outings for Festa this season, although he hasn't completed 5 innings in either of those starts. He now owns a 10:2 K:BB across his 9 IP this season, and considering his success so far this season, one would expect Festa to remain a part of the Twins' rotation. Hopefully he will be able to get past 76 pitches in future starts, so he can become a source of wins and quality starts. Festa posted an impressive 10.77 K/9 and 3.58 xFIP across 64.1 IP as a rookie last season and should be a viable fantasy option once he starts going deeper into games.
Dylan Moore, IF, SEA
Moore had another productive day at the plate on Wednesday, going 2-4 with a double, a SB. and 2 runs scored against the Reds. He's at a whopping .325/.386/.650 for the season to go along with 4 HR's and 3 SB's through 15 games. He started the season without a clear path to everyday at bats, but he has been making his way into the lineup most days recently, likely because of how he has been playing. We've seen Moore go through hot stretches before, he just hasn't been able to maintain it for a whole season; he has never hit more than 12 HR's in a season, and he has finished with a BA below .225 in each of the past four seasons. It's noteworthy though that Moore has cut his K% to 20.5% in the early goings this season, as he has never finished a season with a K% below 27%. If that improvement is real, then he has an excellent shot at a career year.
Mitchell Parker, SP, WAS
Parker had another strong outing against the Pirates on Wednesday, allowing 1 ER on 4 hits and 1 BB in 6 IP, while striking out 6. It has been a great start to 2025 for Parker who owns a shiny 1.85 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 24.1 IP covering four starts. The underlying metrics all suggest that Parker has been getting extremely lucky so far, as he has benefitted from a .233 BABAIP, 83.3% LOB%, and 4.5% HR/FB. His 16:9 K:BB is subpar, and his xFIP sits at 4.36. Right now, this seems like nothing more than a hot start, as opposed to a breakout season, for Parker.
Aaron Nola, SP, PHI
Nola was torched for 7 runs (6 ER's) on 9 hits and 4 BB's in 5.1 IP against the Giants on Wednesday, while striking out 8. Nola's ERA for the season is up to an ugly 6.65, but the good news is that his xFIP is actually quite solid at 3.43. He has produced a strong 10.38 K/9 while getting groundballs at a 50% clip. The .377 BABIP will come down, as should the 20% HR/FB. Despite the rocky start, Nola should still be a solid play moving forward.
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