2014 Fantasy Baseball: 5 Surprising All-Star Pitchers

Ross has been one of the biggest surprises this fantasy season. The 27-year-old never pitched more than 125 innings in the bigs, but he has already racked up 122.2 innings this season to go along with 117 K’s and a nasty 2.93 ERA. Ross continues to throw gem after gem for fantasy owners and he has become the ultimate free agent pickup.

Everyone pegged Jim Henderson to run away with the closer role this season, but a poor spring showing allowed Rodriguez to take over the job. K-Rod has already racked up 27 saves on the year and currently owns a sizzling 2.28 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP. Rodriguez has even fanned 50 batters in 43.1 innings of work. His All-Star campaign has truly come out of nowhere this year.

Buehrle is another veteran to have a resurgent season in 2014. He has a 10-6 record, but has also added a nasty 2.60 ERA. He may not strikeout a ton of batters (5.19 K/9), but the veteran knows how to hit his targets. The mere fact that Buehrle is having a top-20 SP season is one of the biggest surprises at the turn.

Not many hurlers make a comeback at 30 years old, but Kazmir has proven to be the one exception of the rule. The aging starter is shockingly 11-3 on the year with a 2.38 ERA and spotless 0.98 WHIP. Kazmir has become the ace of the team’s rotation, while anchoring many fantasy lineups in the process. Not many fans expected to see the K-Man on the All-Star roster this fantasy season.

Cueto was a mess last year after suffering a midseason obloquie injury. Luckily, though, he has turned things around and has been absolutely dominant this season. He has a 9-6 record to go along with a 2.03 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Hardly anyone expected Cueto to even finish the first half of the season, let alone be in the mix to start the All-Star game for the National League.