SPECULATOR: Avoiding this year's Nick Pivetta

The hype was real.

At this time last year, Nick Pivetta (RHP, PHI) was shooting up draft boards as a Top 150 pick despite a 4.77 ERA the previous season. Why? He was "everyone's favorite sleeper" thanks to some excellent underlying skills (3.53 xERA, 3.7 Cmd, 135 BPV). Pivetta and fellow helium-mate Shane Bieber (RHP, CLE) were in pretty rare company this time last year:

The answer to "??" in that tweet? A 3.28 ERA for Bieber, and a 5.38 for Pivetta.

In hindsight, it's laughable that...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

Reviewing the entire list of "UP:" batters with thoughts on those whose outlooks may have changed.
Jan 21 2026 3:02am
A look back at some early/mid-season Speculator calls to see how things shook out.
Sep 17 2025 3:08am
Our annual exercise of giving out second chances to those who, frankly, stunk up the joint in 2025.
Sep 10 2025 3:11am
Can we extract fantasy value from September auditions? Plus, a quick check on how team schedules shake out over the final month.
Aug 27 2025 3:06am
A mid-summer check on whose skills have improved or faded the most from the beginning of the season.
Aug 20 2025 3:06am

Tools