Fantasy ?- who to draft

by rangersfan24 on Jan 7, 2026 12:14 PM EST

Our league has started our minors draft. Cole and Rendon were drafted 1&2(surprised to see rendon taken so fast), which leaves me to choose between trevor bauer, dylan bundy, and bubba starling. My team needs pitching and outfield equally. I'm really trying to decide between bauer and bundy, with starling still in the conversation. My question is, who has the higher ceiling, and who do you think has a higher chance of reaching that ceiling? Is there someone you'd take other than those 3? Thanks in advance.

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Who do you draft?

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Bundy and Bauer arent that far apart either way but Bauer will be in the majors this year

Take him

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by mathisrocks5 on Jan 7, 2026 12:16 PM EST reply actions

Bundy.

In three years he could be a true #1.

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by alskor on Jan 7, 2026 1:31 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

For those considering/voting Bauer, I would steer you towards this excellent write up by Mark Anderson

http://baseballprospectnation.com/2011/12/13/scouting-report-trevor-bauer-rhp/

The issues I have with Bauer basically come down to

-He’s more control than command with his whole “tunneling” approach, and that will be exposed against more advanced hitters
-Typically works lower velocities than stated by fans (and might go down from there switching to a pro/4 day rest schedule)
-He’s on the small side with unusual mechanics and some effort in his delivery, and that raises some durability issues (I do think this is grossly overstated much of the time by his detractors, but it isn’t a complete non-issue, either)
-Delivery and size also hurt his command, especially of his FB (which can also get pretty straight) and he tends to work up in the zone with it as well as leave it in bad places up in the zone.

Overall, I don’t think Bauer has Ace potential at all and I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see him “only” become a good 3, either. He still rates very highly for me, but I wouldn’t have to think too long about taking Bundy instead. I’d actually take Bradley and Hultzen over him, too, if they’re available. Bradley and Bundy both have real Ace/1 starter upside while Hultzen is similar to Bauer but is a more polished lefty and pitching in a much more fantasy pitcher friendly park.

Bauer wouldn’t be a terrible choice, though. I’m very comfortable projecting Bundy as the better major leaguer (and Bundy is going to move a heck of a lot faster than people assume, btw) but Bauer could very well be a high K fantasy asset later this upcoming season. I brought up the issues I stated above with a scout and he agreed with my assessment & that those were the negatives and that they were all real concerns, but his response was that Bauer is still going to miss a lot of bats… for what its worth.

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by alskor on Jan 7, 2026 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

good write up

but one concern i have with that reference is that he also doesnt think bundy to be a number 1 either, if you read his report on bundy. most reports ive read project both of them as “possible” number 1’s, but he doesn’t seemthink either of them is. and in his ARI rankings, he ranks bradley ahead of all the other arizona pitching prospects. i love bradley, but he’s more of a 2 pitch pitcher at the moment, so im confused on why he would rank bradley ahead of bauer, when bauer has more velocity and a wider repertoire. i think if the command were a serious issue, sickels would not have ranked bauer with a straight A

as for the size issue, both bundy and bauer are listed at 6’1. i would imagine both pitchers will add a little bulk as they continue their progress in the pros. if bundy had the repertoire bauer does, i wouldnt even hesitate to take bundy.

hultzen is available, though most feel his upside of the 2 variety. this draft certainly presents a ton of options, thats for sure

by rangersfan24 on Jan 7, 2026 2:24 PM EST up reply actions

I'd

take Bundy. Considering how uncomfortable you seem to be (no offense) it may be prudent to try and trade down. See if you can drop several spots (6 or 7) and take a guy like Lindor, who I think will do very well. People don’t realize how young he is. The dude just turned 18 in November. If that doesn’t sound like a good idea, maybe see if you can drop 2 spots, and take whoever is left of the three or drop 4 spots, and take whoever is left of Bundy, Bauer, Hultzen, or Bradley.

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by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jan 7, 2026 4:01 PM EST up reply actions

Well, I have Bradley as the best of the Arizona kids, too - though I disagree on Bundy not having #1 upside. I’ve been told Bradley actually got solid feel for a CU given his age. Regardless, his 2 pitches both project as real plus pitches. Bradley also probably throws harder of the two, if reports from instructs are to be believed, and I would wager he’ll end up throwing harder when he fills out either way. Bauer’s velo went up and down all year and he’s most often low 90’s IIRC.

As for the size issue, Bundy isn’t an ideal size either - both guys are 6’1", but Bundy turned 19 in October and could still grow a bit, while Bauer is fully grown. Bauer is also a lithe, 170 something pound kid with a smaller frame while Bundy is a larger frame and has maybe 30 pounds on Bauer. Aside from body types, Bundy has a smooth, effortless delivery and stays on top of the ball with a good plane that keeps the ball down in the zone. Bauer has a reliever like delivery (complex, but he’s athletic and repeats it well) with some recoil and it causes command problems as well as leaving the ball up in the zone.

If it were me, I’d probably take Hultzen, who is a fast track guy as well and might even break camp in the rotation. Hultzen’s stuff is very underrated IMO. He’s a lefty front of the rotation type and very soon - though not an “Ace.” He’s in Seattle, a big park that forgives mistakes, while Bauer is in hitter friendly Arizona where flyballs often end up in the seats. For me, the decision would be Bundy vs. Hultzen. If you want the best player and don’t mind waiting I would take Bundy (though some scouts actually preferred Bradley, btw). If you want a fast track guy I would probably go Hultzen over Bauer.

Realistically, you really can’t go wrong with any of these guys and they probably all end up impact arms anyway… but that’s my two cents.

Starling shouldn’t be far out of the discussion, either… but I find in most formats its easier to fill in outfielders than it is to find frontline starters. I think this was a real special group of arms.

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by alskor on Jan 7, 2026 10:27 PM EST up reply actions

Really interesting comments

nice

by siddfynch on Jan 8, 2026 11:16 PM EST up reply actions

Bundy

I am bullish on Bundy being a legit ace and I think Bauer falls more on the #2 SP ceiling in my book. Bauer will beat Bundy by probably 2+ years to the majors which can be a factor. From a HS arm perspective I had Bundy in the conversation as the best HS ever taken at draft time. Some may disagree with my assessment but we all have our opinions.

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by JDizzidy on Jan 7, 2026 4:09 PM EST reply actions

Bundy

Bundy will move more quickly than most people are giving him credit for. He was considered extremely polished for a HS pitcher. The only way Bauer beats him by 2+ years is if Bauer breaks camp with AZ IMO.

Bundy’s ceiling makes him the EASY choice here.

by guru4u on Jan 8, 2026 6:30 PM EST up reply actions

Bauer

I am anticipating him either breaking camp or getting the call mid-year. I still see Bundy as 2.5-3 years away which is quite fast for a HS arm.

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by JDizzidy on Jan 8, 2026 9:44 PM EST up reply actions

High school pitchers are a complete crap shoot

Take Bauer. Bundy’s ceiling is not that much higher to take on the added risk.

My 2 cents.

by emoofb on Jan 7, 2026 4:22 PM EST reply actions

Yes

It’s simple, but in terms of rotisserie baseball or some similar fantasy game, you’ve almost got to go with the closer pitcher especially when considering that Trevor Bauer has some serious talent. Bird in the hand.

It wouldn’t even be a decision for me.

by Matt0330 on Jan 9, 2026 11:07 AM EST up reply actions

Bundy and Bauer

Both are overrated.

by Hank Aaron on Jan 7, 2026 4:22 PM EST reply actions

Yu Darvish

I would take Darvish if you are allowed to draft him.

by jaroche6 on Jan 7, 2026 4:48 PM EST reply actions

this

by JoelGuzman'sScout on Jan 8, 2026 1:01 AM EST up reply actions

Yup

That’s what I was going to say.

The wind is in the buffalo.

by journeymen on Jan 9, 2026 9:42 AM EST up reply actions

Bundy for the future

I love Bundy as the highest ceiling but also the most risk. Darvish, if available will help in 2012 and then Bauer after that. It’s tough in deep keeper leagues or Dynasty Leagues as you have to balance “WIN NOW” with win later. I would take Darvish if he’s been made available, but may not be given he has yet to sign a contract.

If you’re looking for a total home run call, it’s Archie Bradley. He might have the biggest risk/reward of everyone.

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by Rich Wilson on Jan 7, 2026 11:37 PM EST reply actions