Fantasy Baseball Week That Was & Will Be: Tampa SP Factory

The next great Tampa hurler taking center stage highlight the Week That Was and Will Be.

Player Blurbs

Shane McClanahan:  Wow, go find some video on this guy.  His stuff is just plain old filth.  In his first outing of the year, his 100+ heater and 90+ slider were on display (as was a nasty pitch with screwball movement).  In the game, Shane went four innings, striking out five and walking none.  He was limited to just 59 pitches but my guess is that number will increase in the week to come – an increase that will give him shots at those all too elusive wins fantasy owners crave. 

For the Week That Will Be:I am willing to roll the dice on the two-step with a pitcher this nasty, especially given that his starts will be in pitchers’ parks in Oakland and Anaheim.

Nick Pivetta :  Yes, the Mets have not hit a lick but Pivetta still put up the numbers against the Metropolitans this week tossing five innings of one hit ball, striking out seven.  With that outing, Pivetta finishes the month of April with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  Yes, the FIP is almost a run higher but who here would sign up for a 3.75 ERA on the year for Pivetta?  Me, me, pick me!  Look, none of the numbers say Pivetta is going to be a star but if he keeps throwing more sliders, and can limit the home run ball, he will be a solid streamer. 

For the Week That Will Be: Anyone want to two-step against Detroit and Baltimore?  I do!

Sandy Alcantara :  While many avoid throwing pitchers in the hitter heaven that is Milwaukee, those who already knew Sandy is plug and play irrespective of matchup or location were rewarded with a seven inning, two run, five K no walk performance.  Sandy finishes April with a 3.19 ERA and WHIP under 1.00.  However, unlike Pivetta, FIP says Sandy’s success is right on (and indeed, his xERA says he should be even better).  A look at the sub-indicators tells the story:  velocity up to 97; swinging strike rate up over 30% from last year; and a ground ball rate in 2021 of over 45%.  Perhaps the increased change up use has something to do with the increased success?  Yep, the pitch has almost a 59% ground ball rate and almost a 19% swinging strike rate. Yep, that is a weapon and he is making good use of it!    

For the Week That Will Be: Alcantara’s next two starts are against the DBacks.Waiter, I will have that dish -- it looks tasty to me.

Adbert Alzolay :  AA earned an A grade Thursday night tossing six innings of two-run ball while striking out six.  On the year, AA has a pedestrian 4.71 ERA but a stellar .90 WHIP.  Which one of those numbers shows the real AA? Well, the real AA has the strong metrics of a pitcher on the rise so I side with the WHIP.  Specifically, take a look at the 14% swinging strike rate, 70% first pitch strike rate and xFIP which is over a run lower than his ERA.  Looking for a reason for these numbers – well it may be swapping out a curve in favor of a slider.        

For the Week That Will Be: As high as I am on AA, I sit him against the Dodgers next week.If he is on the waiver wire in your league, grab him now, sit him this week and fire him up for Cleveland next week.

Eric Lauer : Lauer outdueled Trevor Bauer (hey, that rhymes!).  Lauer tossed 5 shutout innings to get the win.  Do not get fooled. In his two relatively full MLB seasons, Lauer put up weak ERAs and bad WHIPs and below average swinging strike rates.  Oh, and pitching in Milwaukee is not ideal for a pitcher who pitches to contact.

For the Week That Will Be: Unless you are playing in 20 team NL-only, I would not risk starting Lauer in the bandbox in Philly.Pass.

What to do if your FAAB bids did not go as planned:

If you did not get the pitchers you want, consider these middle relievers on teams with weak or unsettled closing situations:Sam Coonrod in Phili who is getting swings and misses, strikes out more than a batter per 9 and keeps the ball on the ground; or Andrew Kittredge and his almost 70% ground ball rate?

If you are in the mood to gamble, how about Matt Duffy ? Don’t look know but Duffy is hitting in the middle of the Cubs’ order and has an OBP over .400.

And Last But Not Least:

The moment you have been waiting for (just play along) -- Schultz says: “About five years ago, Andrew Miller presented the roto-sports complex with one of their worst dilemmas. Moneyball may have exploded the myth about the true significance of many of the traditional roto-categories but, for the most part, the fantasy version of our National Pastime has strived to make value on the ballfield equal to value in our fictional facsimile. The ironic conundrum presented by Miller was that one of the most dominant and therefore valuable pitchers in baseball had quite little roto-value. Terry Francona’s refusal to slot Miller into any type of traditional role, deploying him whenever the game flow dictated, meant that Miller was not going to amass wins like a starter, saves like a closer or pitch long enough to make his ratios and strikeouts meaningful. The one saving grace – Francona was forthright about what he was doing.  

Tony La Russa’s honorary spot in the Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame (alongside Overlord Glenn Colton, a real-world inductee) is well-deserved. His decision that Dennis Eckersley should only pitch in “save situations” not only resuscitated Eckersley’s career (he was a veteran starter with fading durability), it gave birth to the modern day closer, a position that would soon have outsized roto-value. La Russa now holds the keys that are currently shackling Michael Kopech , who could be the next great fantasy force not named Buxton. From a real-world perspective, Kopech’s sparing usage has been prudent as he has not pitched in the previous two seasons, sitting out 2019 to recover from Tommy John surgery and 2020 due to the pandemic. From a fantasy perspective, his usage has been more frustrating than Miller Time in its prime. If it wasn’t frustrating enough that Kopech has been used as a spot starter and long reliever, La Russa has been cryptic, it not entirely mute, as to when and where Kopech will pitch and what the plans are moving forward.  

Since we here at The Week That Was are now looking at The Week That Will Be (cause grammar and syntax be damned), it is worth mentioning that for dynasty leagues, Kopech is not your White Whale, he is your Golden Goose. If you have him, put him in mylar to keep him in mint condition and hold onto him like you would any prized roto-possession. If patience is not your forte, leverage his value and don’t trade him for anything less than a sure-roto-title.”

Response:  Clever and informative.  Well-played sir.