Soft Contact SPs Limit Damage – April 19, 2026
Jeffrey Springs SP ATH
Among qualified starting pitchers, Springs allows the lowest average exit velocity at 84.4 MPH. Over his first 25 IP, this has translated to a microscopic WHIP of 0.77 and a dazzling ERA of 1.46. Despite an average fastball velo of 91 MPH, Springs has suppressed hard contact at 25% Rate and even struck out just under 1 per 1 IP. Springs offers solid IP whilst minimizing damage. Perhaps his soft parade is worth joining. He pitches today vs. the White Sox…just sayin’.
J.T. Ginn SP ATH
Speaking of Athletic’s pitchers who rarely (if ever) excite, Ginn begins 2026 with some massive exit velocity suppression: 85.2 average MPH on hits against the unheralded RHP offers reason for some optimism. His K per 9 over 90 IP in 2025 was over 1, and so far in 2026, Ginn’s getting outs with a 0.96 WHIP. It’s hard to project this kind of success sustaining throughout the long haul, but then again, a Ginn offering such ratios can help your pitching staff weather the many injuries plaguing much more highly touted SPs. Ginn’s 51% Groundball Rate and low 28.9% Hard Hit Rate point to reasonable hope for a solid floor and decent ratios for now.
Landen Roupp SP SFG
23 IP and Roupp’s reaping rewards for fantasy owners willing to land on Landen. Perhaps Roupp’s ability to elicit soft contact, evidenced by an average of 85.4 MPH, along with his groovy ground ball rate of 52.6% is worth rolling out there for 2026. Bay area pitchers can often thank some weather impact suppressing ball travel and at age 27, maybe Landen’s landed on something with his mechanics and approach. A WHIP at 0.97 and ERA 2.38 means his pitching to soft contact is yielding good results. Only 4 starts in, but Roupp’s worth landing a spot on your team.
Paul Skenes SP PIT and Dylan Cease SP TOR
These two names are not currently actionable, but they are on this list to show that the SPs who allow the softest contact are not just soft-throwing west coast arms that typically bob on the waiver wire all year long. Both Cease and Skenes allow an average of 85 MPH on contact, and of course both pitchers represent some of the highest strikeout potential available. Cease in particular should be targeted for trades if he has a lackluster outing. Cease already has 32 Ks in just 20 IP, and despite his tendency to walk batters and inflate his WHIP (1.26), his ERA remains below 2 in part because he’s so difficult for hitters to square up. Skenes isn’t perfect either, but his expected ERA is 2.43 while his Pirate defense-harmed ERA resides at 3.27. Both of these pitchers represent the ideal in soft contact. If you have neither of these guys, consider getting all three of the pitchers listed above to form a Frankenstein pitching staff to ride to glory. Welcome to the Soft Parade.
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