Last Updated on August 22, 2025 1:55 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: August 22, 2025

I wrote in last week’s intro that this time of year often shapes up as one in which high-upside reinforcements are more readily available than you’d expect, as teams on the edges of the Wild Card hunt are hitting the point where their desperation for additional help finally outweighs any service time concerns they may be harboring. Well, turns out I was about a week early on that call as this week has turned in a steady stream of intriguing promotions, three of which we’ll discuss below.

Of course, rookies are inherently harder to trust without a track record in the majors so always keep in mind that an adjustment period with some cold stretches is just as probable as them hitting the ground running. It’s an entirely different mindset in redraft formats too, as you often have to look past the pedigree and focus solely on the production – I think Chandler has an incredibly high ceiling but if a less-heralded pitcher is clearly outperforming him, I’m going to ride the hot hand instead of trusting in future performance to happen immediately.

In other words, these are the ultimate lottery tickets! Many more than you hope will end up in the trash heap but a few could land some serious value in your pockets.

Bubba Chandler – SP – PIT – 33% Yahoo, 0% CBS

Last 14 Days: 7.1 IP – 8.59 ERA/4.18 FIP/2.59 WHIP – 8:7 K:BB – 0 HR (AAA)

Could Chandler be any more ready?

Based off the lines from his two most recent starts, perhaps he actually could be. Still, “long-awaited” may sell the anticipation for Chandler’s MLB debut somewhat short as he was expected to be with the big league club months ago.

The 6’3″ righty boasts an arsenal consisting of a plus-plus change-up and a plus fastball paired with an above-average slider but his command is still a work in progress – a common refrain for any young pitcher. Nonetheless, the entirety of his package points to future #1 or #2 starter upside as his athleticism suggests his production will eventually matchup with projections.

That concern solely falls on managers in keeper formats though and we’re instead focusing on what he can provide us over the next handful of weeks. To figure that out, let’s first look at what he’s done over the last handful of weeks. Dating back to the start of June, Chandler has been far from dominant and if we’re being objective, you could almost say he’s been outright bad;

The issue is, when it comes to the development of top prospects, it can be hard to discern whether their current struggles are tied to adjustments hitters are making or whether it’s because the team itself has asked them to prioritize a particular pitch rather than leaning on their dominant offerings. Even with some experimentation mixed in though, things shouldn’t be this bad so approach Chandler with caution if you’re not willing to swallow some dud outings along the way.

To pour a little more cold water on his prospects, Chandler will reportedly pitch out of the bullpen to start his major league career, piggybacking with Braxton Ashcraft for the time being. That may give him the necessary runway to find his footing and take off as a late-season option – or it could essentially tank his 2025 value without an avenue to tally many wins – something the current Pirates rotation is all too familiar with already.

Like I said – many lottery tickets end up as nothing more than shredded pieces of paper. There’s value in investing but make sure you determine how much you’re willing to be burned as well!

Cam Schlittler – SP – NYY – 23% Yahoo, 52% CBS

Last 14 Days: 16.2 IP – 1.62 ERA/2.93 FIP/0.90 WHIP – 17:5 K:BB – 1 HR

Schlittler is a good reminder of how difficult it can still be to scout pitching. For as much information as we now have when it comes to spin rates, seam-shifted wake, tunneling and more, sometimes a seventh-round draft pick will still surprise us by bursting onto the scene as a valuable rotation piece less than two years after being selected.

Since he’s still far from being a household name, and as the only player in today’s article with major league Statcast data, let’s dig into some of his underlying metrics to see what’s made him successful so far.

His sinker and sweeper are quite clearly nothing more than change of pace options based off their results and Schlittler throws them only about 5% of the time accordingly – though it is interesting he’s been able to generate a 23.5% whiff rate on his sinker, a pitch that more often results in a groundout for your average pitcher. Instead, he relies on a three-pitch mix that focuses on his 95^th-percentile average fastball velocity (98mph), with his cutter and curve racking up the strikeouts for him as secondary offerings.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before though – as enticing as Schlittler’s weapons are, his struggles with command have led to a 10.5% walk rate that sits in the bottom quartet of starters. His overall loose command likely also contributes to his slightly elevated hard-hit rates because even though his offerings provide plenty of swing-and-miss, sometimes a lack of control will lead to more pitches than intended entering the heart of the strike zone, rather than simply missing outside and walking a batter to first base.

The Pitching+ numbers for Schlittler also hammer that type of profile home, as he owns a Stuff+ mark of 116 – which equals that of league-leader Tarik Skubal – but a Location+ mark of 96 drags him down to an overall Pitching+ grade of 110. A mark of 110 would still put him on par with someone like Garret Crochet, who himself has a 115 Stuff+ and 98 Location+, so that should give you an idea of the upside lingering here.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the Yankees hitting development pipeline is massively overrated but the pitching side may be equally underrated at this point.

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Jeff Clowers

• Working The Waiver Wire: August 22nd
• Working The Waiver Wire: August 15th
• "The Dynasty Diamond": August 12th