Key stats from every National League team that fantasy baseball players need to know

If readers have been following along with how I typically operate when researching team and player-level data, it usually leads us toward an unexpected path. To peek behind the curtain, often the research leads us toward questions that may or may not have data to support the hypothesis. Though the plan was to examine one stat from every MLB team for fantasy baseball purposes, it turned into a few stats for every team, especially since we examined some player-level information.

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As we mentioned in a previous article, fantasy baseball leagues or weeks (head-to-head formats) can be won or lost when finding those outliers. That said, most of these team-level stats were notable as high or low based on plate discipline, batted ball data, pull rates, bat speed and pitch usage across MLB.

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This is a beefy one, so it might take some time to digest. Here’s the National League.

Diamondbacks

Figuring out the Diamondbacks’ bullpen was one of the most frustrating attempts in 2025. Their saves leader had 10 in 2025, as one of three teams with 10 or fewer saves for the top reliever. The other two teams were the White Sox and Rangers. The White Sox had Jordan Leasure (7) and Grant Taylor (6) leading the pack, with Luke Jackson, Shawn Armstrong and Robert Garcia converting nine each for Texas. The Rockies barely missed the threshold of 10 saves with Seth Halvorsen (11) and Victor Vodnik (10) leading the way.

Kevin Ginkel (15), Paul Sewald (9) and Ryan Thompson (5) project for the most saves on the Diamondbacks. Ginkel dealt with a shoulder injury at the start of the 2025 season, was demoted in late May, returned in early June and recorded a couple of saves before heading back to the injured list (shoulder). Speaking of the shoulder, that’s what Sewald dealt with in 2025, causing him to land on the injured list twice for a total of 137 days. Thompson also dealt with a shoulder injury in 2025, missing nearly two months, so there’s injury concern and volatility throughout their bullpen.

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Fantasy managers won’t have to pay high prices (ADP past 300) to acquire a Diamondbacks’ closer option in deeper leagues. Meanwhile, they might be available on waivers in shallower formats. Nonetheless, be cautious when investing in the Diamondbacks’ closer carousel.

Braves

The Braves’ starting pitchers have the seventh-highest fastball (four-seam/sinker/cutter) velocity (94 mph), but allowed the second-highest wOBA (.369), tying them with the Cardinals and behind the Rockies (.428) in 2025. We highlight that because Spencer Strider’s four-seam velocity has been one of the talking points in spring training. Strider’s four-seam velocity averaged 95.5 mph while allowing a .369 wOBA (.392 xwOBA) in 2025.

However, Strider’s four-seam velocity has been over two mph slower at 93.1 mph in spring training across a small sample of 14 four-seamers.

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Strider threw 36.2% of his pitches at 97-100 mph and 24.7% within 94-97 mph in 2023. That significantly shifted in 2025, evidenced by Strider throwing 45.6% of his pitches within the 94-97 mph range and only 3.5% at 97-100 mph. Strider mentioned that he has been working on pitch shape instead of velocity. However, we know those two factors can be connected. The Braves have been hit with injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach (97 mph), Hurston Waldrep (95 mph) and AJ Smith-Shawver (95.7 mph). All of them threw fastballs 1 mph above their team average in 2025.

We saw Jacob deGrom thrive with lower velocity while staying healthy in 2025. Maybe Strider follows that path — or deGrom could be an outlier.

Cubs

The Cubs’ hitters have been leaning into a pull-heavy (43.8%, No. 1), flyball (40.9%, No. 5) approach in 2025. Among the 11 teams with a flyball rate at 40% or higher, the Cardinals were the only team with a pull percentage under 40%. When we filter by team-level pulled flyballs, the Cubs ranked ninth in barrel per plate appearance rate (39.7%), 10th in wOBA (.900), 25th in bat speed (73.3 mph) and fourth in home runs (134). The only other teams with more pulled home runs on flyballs are the Mariners (154), Diamondbacks (151) and Yankees (150).

Notable Cubs’ hitters with flyball and pull rates over 40% in 2025 include Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker, Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly, Michael Busch, Ian Happ and Matt Shaw. Tucker signed with the Dodgers, but the Cubs added Alex Bregman, who tends to fit the pull-heavy (45.2%), flyball (44.2%) approach throughout his career. Busch could push toward another season with 30 or more home runs, though Shaw loses playing time with the addition of Bregman. This seems like a team-level hitter approach for the Cubs.

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Reds

The Reds ranked in the top five in stolen bases in 2024 (207, No. 2) and 2025 (190, No. 1). They made a significant jump from 105 stolen bases in 2023. It helps when Elly De La Cruz goes from 35 steals in 2023 across 427 plate appearances to 67 in 2024 (696 plate appearances) and 37 in 2025 (699 plate appearances). De La Cruz leads the pack, but it looks like several hitters might have the green light on the base paths. Matt McLain (18), TJ Friedl (12) and Noelvi Marte (10) were the only other Reds’ hitters with double-digit stolen bases in 2025. Those same four hitters, plus Ke’Bryan Hayes, have been projected for 10 or more steals in 2026.

It’s worth highlighting that De La Cruz had a 47% stolen base opportunity rate in 2023 and 52% in 2024. However, De La Cruz’s stolen base chances dropped to 26% in 2025. There was a similar shift with McLain’s stolen base opportunity rate falling to 14% (2025) from 20% (2023), but not as drastic. However, McLain had a 90% stolen base conversion rate in 2025 after 73% in 2023. The Reds changed managers from David Bell through 2024 to Terry Francona in 2025. Maybe there was a slight mindset shift in stolen bases instead of running wild like in previous seasons.

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Besides De La Cruz, McLain, Sal Stewart and Friedl seem like middle-round value picks for their balanced power and speed profiles.

Rockies

The Rockies rank last in contact rate (73.1%), last in chase rate (34.7%) and last in swinging-strike rate (13.6%). They have a mixture of toolsy hitters like Michael Toglia (64.4%), Hunter Goodman (70.3%), Jordan Beck (70.9%) and Ezequiel Tovar (71.1%), who struggle to make contact. Thankfully, Goodman (12.8%), Toglia (10.2%), Beck (9.5%) and Tovar (9.3%) have above-average barrel rates, showing they hit the ball hard when making contact.

Don’t forget about Brenton Doyle, who averaged a 72.6% contact rate and 10.8% barrel rate. Doyle should bounce back from a 15/18 season with a .233 batting average in 2025 after losing his baby, which logically impacted him throughout the season. Tovar, Goodman, Beck and Doyle should be the primary targets in the Rockies’ lineup since they can hit for power while having risks via their contact rates.

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Dodgers

The Dodgers pitchers threw the third-highest percentage of splitters (7.1%), behind the Blue Jays (9.3%) and Orioles (7.9%), as the only teams throwing them 7% or more in 2025. That’s mainly because Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki often throw splitters. The Dodgers rank sixth in Stuff+ (108) for splitters behind the Mariners (128), Mets (123), Braves (118), Giants (113) and Angels (112). We know about Yamamoto’s elite splitter, eliciting a 20-21% swinging-strike rate, 2-3 percentage points above the league average. However, don’t sleep on Sasaki’s splitter. The splitter has the lowest spin rate among all right-handed pitchers with the second-most inches of downward movement (42.1 inches), tying him with Logan Gilbert.

Injuries have been an issue for Sasaki, but there should be more whiffs via the splitter in 2026.

Marlins

The Marlins ranked seventh in contact rate (78.1%), yet ranked 23rd in barrel rate (7.8%) and 18th in EV90 (104.9 mph). Unsurprisingly, the Marlins have these contact-oriented, light-hitting profiles from Xavier Edwards (89.2%), Nick Fortes (85.8%) and Otto Lopez (83%). Edwards had a barrel under 1%, with four barrels in 2025, with Fortes at 4.5% (5 barrels) and Lopez’s 7.1% barrel rate being around the league norm. Meanwhile, Kyle Stowers led the team with a 19% barrel rate, yet struggled to make contact (70.1%).

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Jakob Marsee possesses strong plate discipline (83% contact rate) and above-average power (8% barrel rate), though his speed might be the most intriguing skillset. There’s a reason Stowers (25) and Agustín Ramírez (18) are the only hitters projected for more than 15 home runs, though Connor Norby (13), Christopher Morel (13), Marsee (12) and Lopez (12) could luck into 15 with some variance. It doesn’t help that the Marlins’ home park ranks 25th in home run park factors.

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Brewers

The Brewers threw the third-most cutters (11.3%), behind the Rangers (12%) and Red Sox (11.5%). Unfortunately, their cutters allowed the fourth-highest wOBA (.379). Notable Brewers’ pitchers who threw cutters often include Chad Patrick (41.1%), Quinn Priester (20.5%), Tobias Myers (19.5%), Jared Koenig (17.4%), DL Hall (17.3%) and Brandon Woodruff (15.7%) among players with 150 or more cutters thrown in 2025.

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Priester is dealing with a wrist injury, so his sleeper appeal might be less exciting. However, Priester’s cutter was successful against right-handed hitters, allowing a .241 wOBA (.234 xwOBA).

Woodruff ended the 2025 season injured (lat), so there are some concerns about him ramping up in 2026. His cutter was silly, giving up a .126 wOBA (.118 xwOBA) against right-handed hitters in 2025. Myers was sent to the Mets, but Patrick warrants some intrigue as a backend rotation arm. Patrick relies heavily on the cutter (41.1%), specifically 43.5% to right-handed hitters (.332 wOBA, .297 xwOBA) and 38.5% to lefties (.330 wOBA, .352 xwOBA). If a Brewers’ pitcher starts throwing cutters, we’ll want to pay attention.

Mets

The Mets had the second-highest bat speed (72.5 mph) behind the Yankees (73.2 mph). That aligned with the Mets ranking third in barrel rate (10.6%) as one of five teams boasting a double-digit barrel rate, including the Yankees (11.8%), Angels (10.8%), Dodgers (10%) and Cubs (10%). The Mets lost Pete Alonso, who led the team with a 75.3 mph bat speed. However, they had a few under-the-radar hitters who had high bat speeds, including Brett Baty (74.8 mph), Francisco Alvarez (74 mph) and Ronny Mauricio (73.8 mph). Baty and Alvarez might be the most actionable from a draft standpoint since the Mets added Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr. in the offseason to beef up their lineup.

Phillies

The Phillies ranked first in Stuff+ and Location+. They were one of three teams with a 101 Stuff+ and 101 Location+ in 2025, including the Marlins and Tigers. Cristopher Sánchez (114 Stuff+, 101 Location+), Zack Wheeler (112 Stuff+, 107 Location+), Aaron Nola (105 Stuff+, 104 Location+) and Jesús Luzardo (102 Stuff+, 112 Location+) had a 101 Stuff+ and Location+ in 2025 for the Phillies. Sánchez has been drafted like an ace with Wheeler recovering from a significant injury. Meanwhile, Luzardo has been valued as a high-end starting pitcher after throwing the most innings (183.2) in his career, with Nola being undervalued after having a career-worst ERA (6.01). Nola maintained his 11.2% swinging-strike rate while still showing above-average skills with the lowest draft price in a while, going around pick 200.

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Pirates

The Pirates’ starting pitchers have been throwing the fifth-most four-seamers (22.9%), trailing the Cubs (26.6%), Nationals (24.9%), Rockies (24.1%) and Twins (23.6%). As starting pitchers, Bailey Falter (45%), Andrew Heaney (40.6%), Paul Skenes (38.9%), Johan Oviedo (37%) and Mike Burrows (35.3%) led the team in four-seam usage. Mitch Keller (34.8%) and Bubba Chandler (34.5%) were close behind in four-seam usage in 2025. We’ve seen Skenes and Keller use a diverse arsenal, so they’ll likely have a lower four-seam usage relative to the other starting pitchers.

Chandler’s four-seam averages over 17 inches of induced vertical break while coming with above-average extension (61st percentile). Since Chandler locates his four-seam up in the zone, we could see improved outcomes and whiffs in 2026. Don’t forget about Braxton Ashcraft, who throws sliders (39.3%), sinkers (24.4%) and four-seamers (24.2%) against right-handed hitters. However, Ashcraft pumps four-seamers (35.9%) to left-handed hitters to lead the arsenal, with curveballs (31.4%) and sliders (21.9%) rounding out the primary offerings. Skenes (45.8%), Keller (41.6%), Chandler (51.4%) and Ashcraft (35.9%) all rely significantly upon their four-seam most often to left-handed hitters. That’s something to monitor in 2026 as a team-level approach.

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Padres

The Padres love their four-seam and slider combinations. Their starting pitchers threw the 11th-most four-seamers (34.2%) and the 10th-most sliders (16%). Dylan Cease probably skewed the data because he threw four-seamers 42.1% of the time, with sliders at 41%. Nick Pivetta loved throwing four-seamers 48.5% of the time, with Yu Darvish having a diverse arsenal. JP Sears threw four-seamers 40.2% of the time in 2025, primarily against right-handed hitters (41.6%). With Cease joining the Blue Jays, it’s murky in the Padres rotation with Michael King, Pivetta and Joe Musgrove having injury concerns at the top of their rotation. Be cautious investing in any Padres’ starting pitchers, though Pivetta projects as the best option, with some ratio regression.

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Giants

The Giants don’t run. They ranked 29th in stolen bases (68) in 2025, 29th (68) in 2024 and last (57) in 2023. They had managers Gabe Kapler, Kai Correa and Bob Melvin over the past handful of seasons. These low totals of stolen bases may reflect managerial tendencies related to personnel. Willy Adames (12) and Jung Hoo Lee (10) led the team with double-digit stolen bases in 2025. Tyler Fitzgerald (17) and Matt Chapman (15) were the Giants’ stolen base leaders in 2024, with Thairo Estrada (23) stealing the most in 2023.

The Giants hired Tony Vitello, formerly of the University of Tennessee. Vitello eventually led them to a National Championship in 2024 before Buster Posey hired him as the manager. There’s a chance Vitello follows the mold of not having players run often, since Tennessee had few players with double-digit stolen bases, including none reaching that mark in 2025. The only players with 10 or more steals in a season were Blake Burke with 11 (2024) and Christian Moore (16) of the Angels and Christian Scott (12) in 2023. Seth Stephenson (25) and Luc Lipcius (14) in 2022, then Max Ferguson (15) and Drew Gilbert (10) in 2021.

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Harrison Bader (13), Adames (11), Lee (9), Chapman (9) and Luis Arráez (8) project to lead the Giants in stolen bases in 2026. Be cautious when expecting high stolen base totals for the Giants’ hitters.

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Cardinals

The Cardinals’ starting pitchers ranked fifth in Location+ in 2025, suggesting they tend to rely upon their command and pitch location more than their stuff. That’s further evident by their starting pitchers ranking 29th in swinging-strike rate ahead of the Rockies. Among the pitchers with 75 or more innings, Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas led the way with an above-average Location+ in 2025. They have notable new additions to their pitching staff, including Dustin May, Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins.

May had a 105 Stuff+ mark, with Fitts close behind at 103, but Dobbins fit the Cardinals’ starting pitcher mold with a 98 Stuff+ and 106 Location+ with the Red Sox. The whiffs haven’t been there for May with an 8.7% swinging-strike rate, yet the Stuff models love him, given the velocity and pitch movement profiles. Fitts doesn’t project to begin in the Cardinals’ rotation, but he’ll be a name to remember when he earns a chance.

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Nationals

Will the Nationals run wild in 2026? They had quite a rollercoaster in stolen bases with 132 in 2023 (No. 12), 223 in 2024 (No. 1) and 127 in 2025 (No. 10). The major difference in 2025 involved the Nationals losing Lane Thomas’ 28 steals in 2024 while seeing Jacob Young’s 33 fall to 15 in 2025 due to injuries and playing time concerns. Meanwhile, CJ Abrams (31), James Wood (15) and Luis García Jr. (14) chipped in, with Dylan Crews struggling at the plate, yet stealing 17 across 322 plate appearances. The Nationals hired Blake Butera, the youngest manager in baseball.

Theoretically, the Nationals have the athletes to run wild again in 2026. That includes the additional stolen bases from Crews (25), Nasim Nuñez (21) and Daylen Lile (14) based on the projections, though there might be concerns with Nuñez’s playing time. If there’s consistent playing time for Nuñez, we could have a José Caballero-type season where there’s utility-value in real-life 30-40 stolen base upside. Crews, Lile and García look like cheaper sources of stolen bases, with Nuñez being a deep sleeper.