Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup: Shogun Harris

Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Friday 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.

Hogan Harris (OAK) vs TOR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 91 pitches.

For the second straight start, Hogan Harris looked great. 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 91 pitches against the Jays worked in all formats (even if he didn’t escape with a Win) and if you remember him from 2023, Harris similarly came out hot with a pair of strong Toby starts (We now have previous year data in our game logs!) and is looking like a warrior on the mound.

The biggest shock to me was his first outing’s four-seamer with 17″ of iVB – two inches more than its mark last season. However, following the “Stuff” section of each game last year, Harris also had improved iVB early on, only for it to drop off as he continued on the mound. Harris’ heater did just that with an inch less in this start and it’s part of the reason why he returned just 3/59 four-seamer whiffs this time around.

That said, it still is a better heater and his curve + changeup are two strong weapons at his side. There is a legit Toby here and I’d keep my eye on Harris moving forward. It’s a bit of a toss-up against the Padres, but considering his team context and little fanfare around the name, I imagine you’ll be able to pick your spots effectively throughout the summer.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:

Tobias Myers (MIL) @ DET (W) – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 100 pitches.

Hot dang, look at you! There’s your Gold Star for the night as Myers went 75% strikes on his four-seamer without a whiff. A bit weird given its absurd iVB and shockingly above-average HAVAA to boot, but we’ll take it. There’s still a fair bit of polish left to add as I constantly watched him hurl pitches into the dirt, but the few changeups he executed well to Riley Greene were gorgeous and if he can keep that alive with better four-seamer command, then we’re playing with portals. This is most likely a Birthday Party with a Blame it on the Tigers, though. Consider him a Young Gun.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) @ NYY (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 106 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. His iVB has dropped to a poor 14″ mark, but it’s still flat and the adrenaline of New York pushed the heater to 97 mph. Oh, and he GOT THE THING UPSTAIRS. Seven whiffs with a 32% CSW makes me thrilled against an offense like the Yankees (even if Soto is laboring, Grisham got the sole hit off his heater!). Meanwhile, he featured a few more sliders this time around, hurling 12 down-and-gloveside. This. Works. Please continue this approach, k thx.

Mitch Keller (PIT) vs MIN (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 99 pitches.

He’s absurdly locked in at the moment and to see seven sweeper whiffs is a lovely surprise. The command fluctuates through the year and we’ve seen this before, making me skeptical he’ll be stellar in August, let alone July, but who cares right now. Just keep starting him.

Jake Irvin (WSN) vs ATL (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 96 pitches.

I’m truly in awe of Irvin right now. His fastballs stayed up and were consistently earning strikes while the curveball was glorious as it fell underneath. He’s upped the hook’s velocity to near 83 mph and it steamrolled for 9/36 whiffs, laughing en route to the plate, knowing destruction was coming. Can you imagine the Doppler effect of a cackling curveball rotating absurdly fast toward the plate. Terrifying. Now he gets the Tigers and we just keep on keepin’ on.

Michael King (SDP) vs ARI (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 98 pitches.

There goes my hero…WATCH HIM AS HE GOES. I wanted one more frame, but we should feel sturdy with King moving forward. Weird to see just 3/39 whiffs on changeups + sweepers, though. Get those dang things down, sir.

Cody Poteet (NYY) vs LAD (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 84 pitches.

Hey, props to Poteet for finding a way to go nearly five frames against such a tough lineup. It’s a HAISTBMBWT?! but that’s like looking for butter at a Gamestop.

Framber Valdez (HOU) @ LAA (W) – 9.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 106 pitches.

Bwhahaha. Of course you did. That’s a King Cole on the back of his curveball finally looking like the pitch of old at a 41% CSW and 10/32 whiffs, while his changeup returned a lovely 42% CSW of its own. Sure, I get scared with the sinker over the plate all day, but when you face the Angels, you have a better chance those heaters will find gloves. Gotta love it.

Chris Bassitt (TOR) @ OAK (ND) – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 102 pitches.

This is what happens when Bassitt actually spots sinkers and mixes in the breakers well. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS LARRY.

Nick Lodolo (CIN) vs CHC (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 99 pitches.

You love to see it. The curve only returned four whiffs, though, and he got a little fortunate with his heater, but any sign of not being a Cherry Bomb is a great thing. We keep rolling with Lodolo against the Guardians and stick with him for the Pirates after regardless of that one, of course.

Garrett Crochet (CHW) vs BOS (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 91 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Way to not fall victim to The List Curse. He’s still two-pitch heater/cutter and moreso just four-seamer dominance here and you know, that’s okay. Those two pitches are legit.

Joe Ryan (MIN) @ PIT (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 92 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Ryan’s four-seamer locations were a little lower than usual, but his arm angle was as flat as ever with a 2.1 HAVAA. That looks like gibberish, but recognize that I haven’t seen a pitcher with a 2.0 HAVAA all season, with the average sitting at 1.0 and 1.7 is elite. Whoa. Yeah. It explains the 44% CSW and I’m sad he allowed a longball to ruin the line. He’s dope and makes us feel dope.

Chris Sale (ATL) @ WSN (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 102 pitches.

Aces gonna ace for a Gallows Pole. 15/51 slider whiffs y’all. Yes, I actually laughed in real life. Yes, it was cute as h*ck and absolutely not embarrassing as I rode the F train.

Logan Webb (SFG) @ TEX (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 94 pitches.

Aces gonna ace, but a 25% strike rate on the sweeper is bad. That changeup is such a dang hero.

Logan Allen (CLE) @ MIA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 83 pitches.

Allen’s worst asset is his four-seamer and earning 12 called strikes on the pitch allowed him to get through six frames. Blame it on the Marlins. So long and thanks for all the Fish.

Cole Irvin (BAL) @ TBR (W) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 85 pitches.

Four-seamers up, curveballs…around, and a solid offense behind him. This is everything we want from Irvin against a team like the Rays and I think I’m gonna pass against Atlanta next, even if they are looking a bit down without Acuña around + Olson/Riley not at their peaks.

Michael Lorenzen (TEX) vs SFG (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 89 pitches.

I debated between Criswell and Lorenzen as the streaming pick and Y’ALL BOTH LET ME DOWN. A HAISTBMBWT?! is acceptable if the PQS or Win come with it. This? This was nothing as we felt like we are being told to have a good day, sir. Don’t forget this when you consider streaming Lorenzen again – he needs it all to go his way even against the poor lineups.

Ryan Weathers (MIA) vs CLE (ND) – 2.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 40 pitches.

Weathers left this one early with “finger soreness” and I have no idea what that looks like for him moving forward. Let’s hope for the best and not hold on too tight as he was a Vargas Rule, not an arm we expected to be legit for the year.

Justin Steele (CHC) @ CIN (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 90 pitches.

Yep, that’s Steele. Don’t worry about the ERA, the command is great and to see 12 slider whiffs should get you all kinds of excited. Here’s to hoping a 25% strikeout rate is coming our way.

Griffin Canning (LAA) vs HOU (L) – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 13% CSW, 80 pitches.

It’s pretty much a VPQS against the Astros and for a game where the heater got too much of the plate and a 13% overall CSW, that has to feel like a Win. You got something in a QS league, unlike the rest of us. He gets the Sneks next and he’s a deep streamer there – I’d likely hold off in a 12-teamer and he’ll be in the Questionable Start tier then.

Cooper Criswell (BOS) @ CHW (L) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 88 pitches.

Womp womp. It looks like “Baby’s first pitching line” and he handed the White Sox their first Win since Walter Pierce was on the mound. Why do I always stream Criswell during his rare poor outings…? He gets the Yankees next, so please move on.

Austin Gomber (COL) @ STL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 90 pitches.

And now we wait for any sign of Gomber going on another “Vargas Rule.” The year is 2028. Any sign at all?

Aaron Civale (TBR) vs BAL (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 105 pitches.

We’re getting there, but it hasn’t fully clicked yet. I’m surprised Civale is going more sweeper than curve still, but at least both worked here, while the sinker may be overused as well, even if it hit the edges better than usual. Cutters were the biggest miss of the lot at 56% strikes (that may explain the sinker usage) and I’m still waiting for Civale to cruise with cutter/breakers once again. The Orioles have their effect too, of course.

Lance Lynn (STL) vs COL (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 91 pitches.

For a guy earning 10/56 whiffs on his four-seamer, he sure knows how to make it not matter. Please stop chasing Lynn, the command is getting worse and worse.

Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) @ SDP (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 94 pitches.

Hmmmm. The four-seamer is a little flatter these days, but he located it poorly in the middle of the plate and the sweeper didn’t overwhelm per usual. Meanwhile, he went more changeup than sweeper (weird, I know) and it went 6/16 strikes. WHY. Because he faced a fair number of LHB. SO THROW SOMETHNG ELSE. …he doesn’t have anything else. Oh.

Bryce Miller (SEA) @ KCR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 88 pitches.

Oh no. Too many waste pitches, a few fastballs got hit, the secondaries aren’t reliable…it was all the bad things coming together in one outing for Miller. We see these from time to time and then he rebounds and with the CrySox next, you’ll forget about this in no time.

Reese Olson (DET) vs MIL (L) – 4.0 IP, 8 ER, 12 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 89 pitches.

Ugggggggh. Olson got Singled Out, but that doesn’t mean to say he didn’t pitch terribly. His mistake changeups got smacked in the middle of the plate and his over-usage of the four-seamer inside the zone was punished. He gets the Nationals and you should not let this start affect your decision there. Start the man.

Daniel Lynch IV (KCR) vs SEA (ND) – 4.0 IP, 8 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 93 pitches.

Pinch me, I must be dreaming. Don’t worry, you didn’t start Daniel. PHEW. That heater just isn’t good and the secondaries don’t do enough.

Game of the Day

 

Brayan Bello vs. Nick Nastrini – I’m curious if Bello has all three pitches working in tandem + maybe this is the start Nastrini harnesses his four-seamer precision.

But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.

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