DFS PLAYBOOK PRO – An exciting new offering from the Alarm is here! It’s the DFS Playbook Pro. I will be doing a daily breakdown of the hitters –Hitting Coach – while Howard Bender looks into the Pitchers (Pitching Coach). You can find the link to the Hitting and Pitching articles under the DFS Playbook pro tab at the top right of the screen.
OTHER LINKS TO BOOKMARK
Anthony DeSclafani is 5-4 with a 3.53 ERA. So ends the good. He has a league average 1.30 WHIP. His 6.06 K/9 mark is well below the league average. His 3.53 BB/9 is well above the league average saddling him with a terrible 1.71 K/BB ratio. His 1.09 GB/FB ratio is league average. His 70.1 percent left on base rate is league average. About the only number I’m impressed with is his 4.9 percent HR/F ratio. You can do better.
Roenis Elias has a 2.79 ERA and 1.29 WHIP through nine outings. He only has three wins but he’s pitching pretty darn well for the Mariners. Consistency has been his calling card. Only once in his nine starts has he allowed more than three earned runs (four in May 30th). He’s pretty much Mr. Quality Start in the AL right now. Much like DeSclafani though there isn’t a lot standing out though: 6.67 K/9, 2.95 BB.9, 2.26 K/BB, 1.09 HR/9, 1.19 GB/FB. Solid, safe, consistent. Not exciting though.
Mike Foltynewicz throws 96 mph. He’s got a huge heater that has helped him to an 8.50 K/9 mark. He’s walking slightly more than three batters per nine, league average stuff. His HR/9 rate is 1.13. He allows too many fly balls (45 percent right now), and that leave him susceptible to the big fly even though he has a mere 9.1 HR/F ratio. That 1.49 WHIP and 4.72 ERA paint Folty as what I said he would be when called up – a shot in the dark who is unlikely to be a fantasy force in 2015.
Carlos Frias has made eight starts out of 10 appearances this season for the Dodgers. There’s not much to like other than the 3.86 ERA… and given that such a number is really a league average rate, pretty clear he’s nothing more than a spot starter. Note that Frias has been particularly poor in six home starts with a 5.10 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 30 innings.
Kyle Gibson has a 3.24 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. That plays. He’s also striking out 5.40 batters per nine. That doesn’t play. He’s also allowed 10 runs, nine 
earned, over his last two outings. Get out from under him while you can. He’s not likely to maintain his current ratios and the lack of strikeouts are always an issue.
Dan Haren continues to get it done with his best turn back the clock effort. Haren has made 12 starts with a 3.12 ERA. That would be his lowest mark since 2007 as the ERA has been over four each of the past three seasons. Haren has a 1.01 WHIP. That would be his lowest mark ever, though he does own a 1.18 WHIP for his career, so he’s no stranger to solid WHIP marks. Part of that credit goes to the fact that he simply doesn’t walk guys. For each of the last four seasons Haren walked less than 1.95 batters per nine. This season the mark is 1.68. That’s stupendous and only slightly below the 1.86 per nine mark he owns for his career. That’s all great. I am concerned by the 6.36 K/9 mark though, especially since the mark has been at least 7.02 each of the last eight years. Part of the reason for that has to be the decreased heater speed. In 2013 the mark was 89 mph. Last year it was 87.7 mph. This season the mark is 86 mph. Don’t expect much of an uptick with the strikeouts. Also fair to point out that it’s virtually impossible to think he can hold on to his current .236 BABIP (.288 career) and 83.1 percent left on base rate (72.6 career). Solid depth arm thy name is Haren.
Francisco Liriano is 3-5 in his 12 starts. His ERA is 3.25. Not exciting. But there are a lot of skill points with Liriano. He has a 10.49 K/9 mark which would be his best mark since 2006 when he blew out his arm (he’s been over nine per nine each of the last three seasons and owns a 9.24 career mark). Punchouts are his game. A difference for him this year is his 3.13 walk rate. That’s a completely league average number but for Liriano it’s a good mark. I can say that when I note that his career mark is 3.82. Can he hold on to his current rate? Seems likely given that the mark the last three years is 4.33. Keep an eye on it. Huge key.
Carlos Rodon what do you know… he’s a pitcher. Walks can still be an issue, but he’s only issues five of them in his last three outings. Success has followed for the dazzling lefty. Over his last four outings he’s only allowed three earned runs (plus two unearned). The run has allowed him to lower his ERA to 2.66 but there are still concerns, including that horrible 5.31 season long BB/9 rate. Also been rather fortunate has he by allowing only one homer in 40.2 innings. Check out his xFIP which is 4.23, a run and a half above his raw ERA. Trending in a big way but I need more than four outings to believe he’s completely arrived.
Matt Shoemaker has a nice 1.17 WHIP. Going back to last season he’s thrown 199 innings with a 1.11 WHIP. Wow, right? Among hurlers who have thrown 195 innings since the start of last season that mark of 1.11 is 16th best even so slightly ahead of Corey Kluber and Max Scherzer. Shoemaker also has an 8.43 K/9 rate. Gotta like that. He doesn’t walk many batters with a 2.14 per nine mark. Lots to like there. The issue? The big fly. Last season he allowed 14 homers in 136 innings. This season he’s allowed 13 over 63 innings. His HR/F mark of 16.3 percent might be a bit elevated, but his career 0.97 GB/FB ratio pants him as a fly ball arm that might battle the big fly from time to time.
Masahiro Tanaka – I still think his arm flies off at some point. However, the guy is pitching his brains out right now. Through six starts check out the numbers: 9.66 K/9, 1.73 BB/9, 2.48 ERA, 0.80 WHIP. Gotta admit that his .213 BABIP is way too low, but pretty much everything is right in line with his 20 outings last season. Ticking time bomb, but he’s killing it right now.
Taijuan Walker has a 5.40 ERA and 1.49 WHIP over 12 starts. The numbers certainly are miles away from expectations that were placed on his shoulders after his dynamic spring training. His 3.60 walk rate per nine disappoints, as does his 68 percent left on base rate (the league average is 70 percent), and his 1.38 HR/9 mark is also higher than we would like to see. That’s the negative. Now the positive. Over his last three efforts he’s been sharp as his K/9 rate of 8.59 is impressive, but it’s the three walks in three games that gets me excited. It’s so simple but so obvious. Throw strikes. Success follows. If he’s on waivers now is a good time to add him. If another owns him, maybe you can still buy him at a discount before people realize he’s got his game back in order.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday at 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 7 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).