It’s easy to enter your draft targeting aces such as Corbin Burnes, Gerrit Cole or Max Scherzer.

That doesn’t take much skill. Neither does aiming for the next tier of pitchers, like Zack Wheeler and Lucas Giolito, or mid-round gems such as Chris Bassitt or Charlie Morton.

What will set you apart from your competitors is identifying starting pitchers ready to take their production to a new level, like Roto Rage favorite Logan Webb did in 2021. Studying a players’ track record and pinpointing stats that exhibit the capability of keeping up with those no-brainer early-round selections will help you find that breakout potential and set your rotation up for success.

Among pitchers with a minimum of 80 innings pitched, the Angels’ Patrick Sandoval ranked 12th in swinging strikes (15.2 percent). To put that number in perspective, it was higher than Cole (14.5), and just a few percentage points behind Scherzer (15.9) and AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray (15.5).

Opponents had an average 85.4 mph exit velocity against the southpaw, the third-lowest mark in the majors (behind just Wheeler and Ryan Yarbrough). Opposing offenses hit just .214 against him, the 26th-best mark in the majors.

In 14 starts from May 17-Aug. 13, before a season-ending back injury, Sandoval was 3-6 with a 3.39 ERA, 86 strikeouts, .625 OPS, 1.18 WHIP and a .215 opponent average.

Sandoval has a fastball that can hit 96 mph, but that is not even his best pitch (or the one he uses most often).

Sandoval dominates with his changeup (arguably one of the best in the game). It is a pitch he threw 29.6 percent of the time, with opponents hitting .139 with 56 strikeouts and a .522 OPS. He had a ridiculous 28.7 percent swinging strike rate and 51.4 percent whiff rate with the pitch, which was also his putaway pitch 31.3 percent of the time.

Sandoval also had success with his slider, a pitch he used 17.2 percent of the time, with opponents hitting .188 against it with a .525 OPS and 38.3 percent whiff rate.

Are there issues with the 25-year-old Sandoval? Of course. He struggles with command, as evidenced by walking nearly 10 percent of the batters he has faced in his career, and though he has been deemed healthy, his 2021 season ended because of a left lumbar stress reaction. 

Back injuries do have a tendency of repeating (hello, Clayton Kershaw).

Are these issues that should scare you away from taking Sandoval? No, especially not with his 212.52 average draft position, according to Fantasy Alarm. This is the type of young player primed for a breakout, and he should be targeted in those later rounds.

Roto Rage’s other favorite breakout target is Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (164.72) — who was 6-5 with a 4.68 ERA, 128 strikeouts, 12.4 percent swinging strike rate and 1.173 WHIP in 24 starts as a rookie. He has elite command, walking just 5.6 percent of the batters he faced (mere percentage points behind Burnes, Scherzer, Wheeler and Aaron Nola). He also had a 3.73 FIP, which indicates he was unlucky.

Gilbert also has a dominant slider (opponents hit .211 against it with 47 strikeouts and just four walks), and a fastball that averages 95 mph but can hit 99.

Remember, this is a guy who went 23-3 with a 2.48 ERA with 11.2 strikeouts per nine over three years in college, and 11-5 with a 2.12 ERA, 10.9 strikeouts per nine and 2.1 walks per nine over two seasons in the minors. With an improved lineup backing him up, Gilbert should be in for a big season — and it won’t cost that much to have him as a part of your rotation.

TEAM NAME OF THE WEEK

The Braun Supremacy

STARTING PITCHERS

1. Corbin Burnes, Mil

2. Gerrit Cole, NYY

3. Max Scherzer, NYM

4. Walker Buehler, LAD

5. Brandon Woodruff, Mil

6. Lucas Giolito, CWS

7. Zack Wheeler, Phi

8. Julio Urias, LAD

9. Max Fried, Atl

10. Robbie Ray, Sea

11. Shane Bieber, Cle

12. Sandy Alcantara, Mia

13. Shohei Ohtani, LAA

14. Freddy Peralta, Mil

15. Aaron Nola, Phi

16. Logan Webb, SF

17. Jose Berrios, Tor

18. Trevor Rogers, Mia

19. Lance Lynn, CWS

20. Kevin Gausman, Tor

21. Yu Darvish, SD

22. Luis Castillo, Cin

23. Jack Flahery, StL

24. Charlie Morton, Atl

25. Alek Manoah, Tor

26. Joe Musgrove, SD

27. Chris Sale, Bos

28. Justin Verlander, Hou

29. Chris Bassitt, NYM

30. Luis Garcia, Hou

31. Carlos Rodon, SF

32. Joe Musgrove, SD

33. Dylan Cease, CWS

34. Shane McClanahan, TB

35. Framber Valdez, Hou

36. Ian Anderson, Atl

37. Frankie Montas, Oak

38. Blake Snell, SD

39. Jacob deGrom, NYM

40. Mike Clevinger, SD

41. Logan Gilbert, Sea

42. Nathan Eovaldi, Bos

43. Shane Baz, TB

44. Eduardo Rodriguez, Det

45. Lance McCullers Jr., Hou

46. Clayton Kershaw, LAD

47. Sonny Gray, Min

48. John Means, Bal

49. Casey Mize, Det

50. Zac Gallen, Ari

51. Pablo Lopez, Mia

52. Sean Manaea, Oak

53. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tor

54. Noah Syndergaard, LAA

55. Marcus Stroman, ChC

56. Tarik Skubal, Det

57. Michael Kopech, CWS

58. Anthony DeSclafani, SF

59. Patrick Sandoval, LAA

60. Triston McKenzie, Cle

61. Tanner Houck, Bos

62. German Marquez, Col

63. Jose Urquidy, Hou

64. Aaron Civale, Cle

65. Tony Gonsolin, LAD

66. Tyler Mahle, Cin

67. Zach Plesac, Cle

68. Huascar Ynoa, Atl

69. Kyle Hendricks, ChC

70. Adam Wainwright, StL

71. Alex Wood, SF

72. Ranger Suarez, Phi

73. Stephen Strasburg, Was

74. Josiah Gray, Was

75. Jon Gray, Tex

76. Marco Gonzales, Sea

77. Chris Paddack, SD

78. Yusei Kikuchi, Tor

79. Luis Severino, NYY

80. Steven Matz, StL

81. Taijuan Walker, NYM

82. Patrick Corbin, Was

83. Cristian Javier, Hou

84. Jameson Taillon, NYY

85. Carlos Carrasco, NYM

86. Jesus Luzardo, Mia

87. Zack Greinke, KC

88. Dinelson Lamet, SD

89. Sixto Sanchez, Mia

90. Luis Patino, TB

91. Brady Singer, KC

92. Dane Dunning, Tex

93. Adbert Alzolay, ChC

94. James Kaprielian, Oak

95. Zach Eflin, Phi

96. Bailey Ober, Min

97. Alex Cobb, SF

98. Wade Miley, ChC

99. Jordan Montgomery, NYY

100. Hunter Greene, Cin

101. Kenta Maeda, Min

102. Tyler Glasnow, TB

103. Chris Flexen, Sea

104. Mike Soroka, Atl

105. Daniel Lynch, KC

106. Griffin Canning, LAA

107. James Paxton, Bos

108. Dylan Bundy, Min

109. Antonio Senzatela, Col

110. Josh Fleming, TB

111. Elieser Hernandez, Mia

112. Tylor Megill, NYM

113. Drew Rasmussen, TB

114. Eric Lauer, SD

115. MacKenzie Gore, SD