Gary Sheffield Jr. compared Cole Ragans to former pitching great Cliff Lee, labeling Ragans wise beyond his years. Sheffield positioned Ragans second overall on his top-five MLB starters list, stating that he nearly ranked him first due to his impressive maturity, poise, and outstanding early-season performances. Sheffield advocated strongly for betting and fantasy investment, expecting elite durability and consistency from Ragans moving forward.

Gary Sheffield Jr. enthusiastically recommended backing Kris Bubic after an impressive start, ranking him as one of the league's top pitchers. Calling his performances "incredible" with a "sensational arm," Sheffield strongly supports investing in Bubic in fantasy and betting given his standout ability this season.

Gary Sheffield Jr. highlighted Dodgers rookie pitcher Roki Sasaki as a promising candidate for NL Rookie of the Year. Despite Sasaki's admittedly rough start, where walks and control issues (13 walks in 13.1 innings) plagued him, Sheffield noted signs of improvement and saw encouraging strikeout ability (12 Ks). Given Sasaki's youth, elite prospect pedigree, and visible adjustments, Sheffield believes Sasaki will significantly progress this season, making him an appealing betting choice at plus 500 odds.

Gary Sheffield Jr. labeled the Boston Red Sox as MLB's biggest disappointment so far, strongly cautioning bettors. Despite adding productive Alex Bregman to a strong lineup with Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran, Boston's pitching woes threaten their betting value. Sheffield highlighted starter Tanner Houck's recent disastrous outing (12-13 runs allowed vs. Rays) as emblematic of their larger pitching crisis. While the Red Sox are only two games out in their division early on, their deeply problematic pitching makes them risky bets.

Gary Sheffield Jr. identified Garrett Crochet as a major bright spot for the struggling Red Sox, endorsing him as a top-five pitcher league-wide and praising Boston's foresight with the trade and subsequent contract. He highlighted Crochet's impressive bat-missing abilities and growing comfort on the mound, predicting sustained elite performance moving forward. Despite team struggles, Sheffield insisted acquiring and securing Crochet was a savvy and impactful decision for Boston, making him a pitcher worth backing in betting and season-long formats.

Gary Sheffield Jr. warned against betting on the New York Yankees citing severe rotation troubles as the key factor. He highlighted Marcus Stroman's recent struggles culminating in an injury, joining a rotation ranking 29th in ERA. Furthermore, $180 million pitcher Carlos Rodan's poor performance, including three consecutive starts being shelled, compounds these pitching woes. With a streaky lineup unable to compensate for volatile and injured starters, Sheffield Jr. sees no immediate resolution and advises caution regarding placing bets on Yankees games until these issues are addressed.

Gary Sheffield Jr. advised caution betting anyone other than the Cubs in the NL Central, despite mild praise for the Cincinnati Reds' rotation. Sheffield emphasized the Reds' profound lack of offensive firepower (62 runs scored compared to Chicago's 120). Milwaukee Brewers have shown typical early-season inconsistency despite expectations of offensive improvement around players like Devin Williams. Given these issues and inconsistent performances across the division, Sheffield finds elevated risk in betting on non-Cubs NL Central teams.

Gary Sheffield Jr. named Hunter Greene as MLB's top pitcher due to his current domination, highlighting Greene's phenomenal ERA of 0.98. Despite facing tremendous challenges from a weak Cincinnati offense providing minimal run support, Greene consistently dominates opponents. Sheffield stressed Greene's form makes him a must-watch pitcher and a highly attractive option for DFS and betting.

Gary Sheffield Jr. praised Spencer Schwellenbach for elite fastball command and the league's best slider, ranking him third among MLB starters. Sheffield emphasized how Schwellenbach's precise fastball command separates him from pitchers like Roki Sasaki who struggled with control. He described Schwellenbach's slider as "sensational" and called it the game's most dynamic breaking pitch, making Schwellenbach someone bettors and DFS players should confidently back.

Gary Sheffield Jr. affirmed confidence in the Chicago Cubs remaining favorites in the NL Central despite losing ace pitcher Justin Steele for the season. Steele's durability (102 starts since 2021) and 3.00 ERA will be greatly missed, but Sheffield pointed to the Cubs' strong offense, scoring significantly more runs than divisional rivals. Additionally, he claimed the Cubs are positioned well to seek pitching help near the trade deadline, therefore maintaining their value as betting favorites for the NL Central title.

Gary Sheffield Jr. anticipates regression from the New York Mets rotation despite their fast start where they ranked first in MLB ERA. Sheffield pointed out the surprising performances of Tyler Megill and converted starter Clay Holmes as unlikely to sustain. He also emphasized injury concerns around Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas as eventual factors stemming the strong early results. While regression in rotation seems inevitable, Sheffield suggested that slow-starters Juan Soto and Mark Vientos will improve significantly, partially offsetting this expected rotation decline.