Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Sunday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Max Meyer (MIA) vs PIT (ND) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 93 pitches.
After a spring of seeing all the data about Max Meyer throwing harder at a lower arm angle, it was awfully fun watching him flirt with a Quality Start against the Pirates on Sunday, leaving the game in the sixth with a 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 93 pitches final line (his sole walk should have been a strikeout, too!). He certainly looks promising, though there are some areas that cast a hint of doubt.
He was mostly as advertised with a heater sitting 96-98 mph early and falling toward 95 mph in the fifth and onward, with a new sweeper, a sinker to RHB, and a golden slider. This pitch has upgraded into a legit beast with 10/37 whiffs here at 92 mph and the Pirates couldn’t handle it. Fortunately, there is more around the pitch with sinkers, changeups, sweepers, and four-seamers, though they are all far inferior to the elite breaker, which is why Meyer featured the pitch 40% of the time. It’s so good.
I wish I did like the other offerings a touch more. Outside of the slider, he went 2/58 whiffs on four-seamers, sinkers, changeups, and sweepers. Yikes. The sinker worked well against RHB, though the four-seamer was hit far harder than we’d like, and the sweeper was clearly a step behind the slider. The changeup exists but isn’t demanding attention at the moment.
It feels a bit like the same place we were last year – dope slider, not much else – but with a tier upgrade across the board. Without something else to steer the ship, I’m not buying a huge breakout this season, but this version of Meyer should still be worthwhile in 12-teamers. That slider is just too good and everything else is fine instead of detrimental. Not quite the Huascar Rule getting broken, and I think we’ll get a much better idea once he faces Atlanta this week. I’d hold and see how it goes.
Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:
Nick Pivetta (SDP) vs ATL (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 82 pitches.
Yessss. Pivetta’s four-seamer carried an extra inch of vert at a whopping 21″, while the curve and sweeper easily earned strikes over the plate. I still wish I saw a better complement against RHB than sweepers (the four-seamer is easier to pick up based on his arm-angle shift to throw the sweeper), but who cares, he just took down a great lineup for seven shutout and a dub. Let’s hope he can replicate it against the Cubs up next.
Mitchell Parker (WSN) vs PHI (W) – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 93 pitches.
Ehhhh, I’m happy for him and his Gold Star, but he got out of jams and I don’t see a brand new Parker for us to get amped about. At least he’s leaning into the slider to LHB, but the pitch was pretty blegh all day long. Those heaters and splitters will get punished more often in the future.
Davis Martin (CHW) vs LAA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 91 pitches.
Pretty cool to see 34% changeups from Martin, but three whiffs on 91 pitches and the lack of a Win despite six shutout frames should be enough to let you step away with ease. At least he acknowledges that his four-seamer is highly questionable and he’s holding it to sub 25% usage. Smart man.
Tanner Bibee (CLE) @ KCR (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 84 pitches.
Wow, he really couldn’t locate his cutter, four-seamer, or slider here and the Royals bailed him out. I’m sure Bibee is thrilled to escape this one and get more rest after what I’m sure has been a rough week after missing his Opening Day start with food poisoning. Let’s move on.
Matthew Boyd (CHC) @ ARI (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 92 pitches.
This isn’t the Boyd I was hoping for and I’ll take this. The changeup and slider weren’t precise down low and went just 7/51 whiffs combined, though seeing him back at 93+ mph should help him continue to keep the ball in the yard a touch better. If that velocity holds as he assuredly gets a better feel for his secondaries, it’ll spell a possible low-end Holly for 12-teamers. For now, he’s a Toby in those leagues and an easy hold in 15-teamers.
Jacob deGrom (TEX) vs BOS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 73 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. It feels so good to watch the best pitcher on the planet return to the game and earn a Gallows Pole. Fastballs sat 97 mph and were thrown up to LHB, sliders were featured 62% of the time to RHB, and the changeup appeared as we saw in the spring for 3/11 whiffs. He’s unreal. Expect six frames moving forward as we knew he’d be limited in the beginning.
Chris Bassitt (TOR) vs BAL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 106 pitches.
Open your window. You hear that? It’s just my neighborhood’s dogs howling at the moon. Nah, those are Bassitt hounds coming out of the woodwork. The cutter and curve combined for eight whiffs as the sinker did its tradition of strikes without allowing a ton of damage. But he allowed ten baserunners. Yeah, I know. The WHIP is still a bit of a problem. He’s pitching better, at least.
Bryan Woo (SEA) vs ATH (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 76 pitches.
The four-seamer dominated as per usual with sinkers cleaning up for outs and, such is tradition, the secondaries went 1/15 whiffs with abysmal strike rates. Sigh. ONE. DAY. Nick, he killed it. He could be so much more and not need the gift of The Tea (T-Mobile Park) to make it happen.
Andrew Heaney (PIT) @ MIA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 79 pitches.
It’s not the sexiest start we’ve ever seen from Heaney, but it’ll certainly do. The slider landed down-and-in constantly to RHB and that’s cool, while the fastball and changeup felt…off. The heater was simply down the pipe and the changeup went 1/16 whiffs with a low strike rate. Blame it on the Marlins. And no, there wasn’t a cutter to be found. Sigh.
Michael Wacha (KCR) vs CLE (L) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 87 pitches.
Blegh. Normally, a high strike game from his changeup is enough, but a sub 60% strike game from 47% usage four-seamers will spike the punch with Fireball and ruin everyone’s night. Don’t be the dude who forces Fireball onto everyone. Expect better moving forward, especially now that Wacha has over 19″ of vert on his four-seamer at seven feet of extension. That’s cool, just get that control in order, fella.
JP Sears (ATH) @ SEA (L) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 91 pitches.
Sears was served nearly exclusive RHB and earned all the free real estate with sweepers returning 11/24 called strikes. It opened up 80 mph sliders low (yes, 3-4 ticks harder than the sweeper) and four-seamers all around the plate to succeed and that’s cool, but not something I’d generally lean into. This was a good matchup and not one to base your season-long opinion on. I don’t think that new slider will continue to go 36% CSW.
Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) @ CHW (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 64 pitches.
The Jack of One Trade has expanded into splitting fastballs between sinkers and four-seamers and I get it. The four-seamer was able to go 8/26 whiffs simply because batters couldn’t tell the difference between the two offerings and that’s pretty rad. There’s a new slider in the mix as well at 88 mph that doesn’t do a whole lot and is still very much a work in progress at 46% strikes, so I can see how this eventually comes together to be a decent 15-teamer ‘Toby”. But for now, let’s Blame it on the White Sox.
Taj Bradley (TBR) vs COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 78 pitches.
Rockie Road is a real thing, but props to Bradley for spotting the cutter consistently to RHB. He was generally upstairs with his 97 mph fastball giving 18″ of vert too, and 12/16 strikes on the splitter is absolutely dandy, even if it resulted in just 19% CSW. Look, you get the Rockies, you just have to throw strikes. Atta boy Bradley. I hope to see the cutter still cooking in Texas.
Ryan Feltner (COL) @ TBR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 83 pitches.
This may have been the best start I’ve ever seen of Feltner’s changeup. He dotted that thing at the very bottom of the zone to LHB, returning 7/23 whiffs as he paired it with four-seamers above it. I detest that 94 mph four-seamer, but the changeup is helping it survive. At times. Welp, enjoy Colorado and much tougher offenses than what Tampa Bay is putting out there.
Andre Pallante (STL) vs MIN (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 78 pitches.
Wow. I’ve been super down on Pallante this spring for his diminished velocity, so of course he suddenly tosses 95.2 mph (+0.8 mph) and regained most of the cut-action he had last year. Still less drop and cut, but pretty dang close to last year, while pairing it with an effective slider to RHB. He’s a weird one, Pallante – his sinker has less drop than his four-seamer (because the four-seamer is actually a cutter dangit!) – and now that the velocity is normal (if not up!), I’m okay with him as a 15-teamer option.
AJ Smith-Shawver (ATL) @ SDP (L) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 77 pitches.
Ah, we finally have some new data on AJSS! And it is…very interesting. 18-19″ of vert on 95 mph heaters with 6.8 feet of extension and 1.6 HAVAA is pretty cool, while the splitter was disgusting against LHB for 10/27 whiffs. The problem? He can’t command his curve, slider, and four-seamer. The splitter was the most consistent offering to LHB (not at all to RHB), and with a 44% strike rate on 18 curveballs and a 50% rate on 22 fastballs, you can understand why I’m unfortunately hesitant to believe in AJSS. Sigh. I really wanted this to work. I was in for a spec add of this just in case he could take full advantage of the great situation, but I’m not confident he can for an extended period. HOWEVER, he gets the Marlins next. So fine, WE HOLD FOR NOW. Just one more. Probably.
Tomoyuki Sugano (BAL) @ TOR (L) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 73 pitches.
Ehhhhh, for Sugano to be a Toby, I need to see better command inside the zone. 1/15 splitter whiffs from the right side with strike rates around 60% across the board isn’t the guy we’re looking for.
Richard Fitts (BOS) @ TEX (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 71 pitches.
I’ll take a PQS from Fitts, and I’m a bit disappointed with this outing. His four-seamer’s vert wasn’t at 17″+, but rather 14.3″, which is far from the guy we were hyped about. The 7 feet of extension? 6.5 feet. 97+ mph? 95.5 mph. But at least it was a decent sweeper and slider with a whole lot of strikes? I’m happy he’ll get the Cardinals this week and we can get a second look to see if these numbers are actually what we can expect because hot dang, this is not the exciting arm I wanted him to be. Efficient, yes, but unlikely to do so regularly without more damage.
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) vs CHC (ND) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 85 pitches.
Hot dang, Erod loved his changeup more than White Lotus loves creating unlikeable characters. Sure, the Cubs served him plenty of RHB, but Rodriguez tossed them 50% changeups with four-seamers and cutters sprinkled in between. It had some success, but not quite as much as his affinity to the pitch would suggest, and maybe it’ll be better when he faces worse offenses. It’s all a bit boring for me and I’d generally chase other things in standard leagues. I guess he is fine in deeper formats, especially to chase Win and QS.
Robbie Ray (SFG) @ CIN (W) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 78 pitches.
Ray was cruising through five frames until destruction appeared in the sixth. He was pulling off the BSB with his four-seamers up, sliders and changeups down, but these secondaries let him down via a 45% strike rate slider and 20% strike rate changeup. Yuck. You can’t blame him for not trying to fix it, though. In fact, his lone walk came in the sixth on a 3-0 changeup in the dirt – the third changeup of the at-bat. Wat. I. Know. Ray is often a man susceptible to bouts of chaos and we should be happy this one was very salvageable. Just one ER too many.
Marcus Stroman (NYY) vs MIL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 81 pitches.
As predicted, Stroman didn’t make it through the full five, but Tim Hill snagged the Win, not The Fratty Pirate. Womp womp. Stroman is still under 90 mph and I’d hate to run with this. The ceiling is just too dang low.
Nick Martinez (CIN) vs SFG (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches.
After all the love for his changeup, Martinez left the pitch at the doorstep with just 12% usage and saving it mostly for LHB. The command of his other offerings wasn’t terrible, but he was hit relatively hard and that’s your ball game. I think he’s still a solid Toby, but you don’t need to hold onto him with the Brewers up next.
Aaron Nola (PHI) @ WSN (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 95 pitches.
His command to LHB was absurd (changeup included!) and I only disliked his RHB approach because he threw too many pitches down the pipe. All is just fine here, even if he’s nearly a tick down. That’s normal.
Aaron Civale (MIL) @ NYY (L) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 68 pitches.
Because the Brewers needed more problems with their rotation, Civale left this game with a hamstring injury. Oh dear. Alright Logan Henderson, good luck.
Bailey Ober (MIN) @ STL (L) – 2.2 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 77 pitches.
That’s two years in a row! Well, apparently Ober was absurdly sick and still recovering to pitch in this one. Let’s give him some slack for sitting 1.5 ticks down and having just a 48% strike rate on his changeup. This was a dude who shouldn’t have started in the first place.
Game of the Day
Jackson Jobe @ Seattle Mariners – Come on Jobe. Show us the man we want to see.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
