Pitch counts and innings limits are two terms that have frustrated fantasy owners as teams begin to become more aware of the strain on a pitchers arm thanks to the increase of Tommy John surgery on some of the games young pitchers. To protect their investments teams will impose innings limits and pitch counts on pitchers in an effort to “save” their arm from increased stress over the long season. Some of the league’s top pitchers such has Stephen Strasburg, Matt Harvey and now Jose Fernandez have had innings limits imposed on them over the past few seasons as they come back from injury while some of the young pitchers coming up through the minors will have their workload cut short once they hit what the organization feels is the maximum amount of innings for their current progression. The question however remains, just how much does and pitchers increased workload effect his performances over the next season. In the 2016 Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide Colby Conway pours over the statistics regarding a pitchers increased workload and how they performed over the following seasons.
Here is a sample of some of the content inside the BRAND NEW 2016 Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide that is available online RIGHT HERE.
2016 MLB Draft Guide: Hurler Workload Concerns
By: Colby Conway
As we all prep for the upcoming fantasy baseball season, unexpected injuries are something that every fantasy owner dreads and sometimes just can’t avoid. However, through this article, you might be able to point out some pitchers who are in fact more injury-prone than others. While some are coming off career-highs in innings pitched, others are continuing to throw sliders and curveballs at an unfathomable rate. Last year, 26 pitchers in Major League Baseball had to go under the knife and repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament (see this chart ). That total has increased in each of the past three years. Yikes.
Of the 29 pitchers profiled in last year’s edition of this article, 14 spent time on the disabled list. That’s 48 percent! Brandon McCarthy and Jason Vargas needed Tommy John surgery, while Tim Hudson served two DL stints due to a shoulder strain. A.J. Burnett dealt with elbow inflammation. Alex Cobb experienced forearm tendinitis. Strained hamstrings got the best of Mike Leake and Ian Kennedy, while achy backs shelved Jake Peavy and Phil Hughes. Despite being tabbed in last year’s list, big names such as Zack Greinke, Chris Archer and David Price were able to avoid the dreaded disabled list.
This year’s article will feature players who meet the following criteria: 1) Threw more than 120 innings in 2014, and 2) Saw an increase in pitch count by at least 15 percent from 2014 to 2015. The table below consists of the pitchers who met the following criteria.
You can read the rest of this article and much more by purchasing the Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide found HERE
Player News
Gabriel Moreno (side) is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the mets.
Moreno was scratched Tuesday due to soreness in his side, and the Diamondbacks will have him begin Wednesday’s contest on the bench again. He was available off the bench Tuesday, so there’s a chance he’ll be available for this one, as well. In the meantime, Jose Herrera gets the start behind the plate.
Aaron Civale (hamstring) will make a rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Nashville.
Civale suffered a setback from his strained hamstring in the middle of April, but the 29-year-old has progressed enough to get back on the mound. The right-hander will assuredly need multiple outings before coming back to the majors, but he should be ready for the rotation by the end of May if he doesn’t have another setback.
William Contreras is playing with a fractured middle finger on his catching hand.
Contreras had X-rays last night, which revealed the fracture. It is reportedly an old fracture that “has bothered him for some time.” Contreras has played through it and will continue to do so. However, his catching hand is also the lead hand for his swing, so the fracture may be impacting some of his quality of contact. His barrel rate is just 3.1 percent on the season, and his average exit velocity is down almost three mph while posting a career-low hard hit rate. His bat speed has also fallen, with him ranking in the 65th percentile with an average bat speed of 72.8 mph after posting a 74.7 mph mark last year.
Rangers signed RHP Cory Abbott to a minor league contract.
Abbott had a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings for los Tecos de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican Independent League, striking out 15 batters and walking eight in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. He’s the third player signed out of the Mexican Independent League this week, with the Rangers also signing Robert Dugger and the Dodgers signing Nick Senzel. Abbott figures to join the starting rotation for Triple-A Round Rock.
Yordan Alvarez (hand) was diagnosed with a muscle strain on the top of his right hand.
The injury was previously reported as “inflammation,” but now we know that the inflammation is the result of a strain. Astros manager Joe Espada said the diagnosis was “good news,” and the team still hopes Alvarez will have a minimum stint on the IL, but he’ll obviously need to wait for the strained muscle or tendon to heal, which might take more than a week depending on the severity of the strain.
Royals signed RHP Stephen Nogosek to a minor league contract.
The 30-year-old last appeared in an MLB game for the Mets back in 2023. He was in the Nationals organization last season, but was released in May after posting a 9.77 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. He has a 5.02 career ERA in 57 1/3 MLB innings and figures to serve as organizational depth for the Royals’ bullpen.