Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup: Dana Traction

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.

Caden Dana (LAA) vs SEA (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 95 pitches.

We had a pair of MLB debuts from the Angels this weekend with Caden Dana as the main attraction, noted as the top ranked pitching prospect in the organization. A start against the Mariners seemed like a soft landing for a quick escalation to the majors and the final line reflected the cushion – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 95 pitches – and yet, I’m not nearly as a excited as I wanted to be.

His four-seamer is average at 94 mph and standard shape, though I do appreciate Dana’s mechanics that keep him more north-south than missing east-west as much as his peers coming up through systems. That would make the focus on his slider to elevate him out of the masses and, unfortunately, it’s nothing special. Sliders are the best pitch in baseball and having an average one is an advantage, but I didn’t see much to suggest that Dana has a slider that can carry him more than a standard Dancing With The Disco approach.

There wasn’t a whole lot else in the mix. A few cutters, curves, and changeups that each had a moment or two, but not a profession of kitchen-sink to hide his pedestrian two-pitch mix. If he sticks around to face the Rangers next time out, I’d pass. He doesn’t do enough.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:

 

Sean Manaea (NYM) @ CHW (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 96 pitches.

There was a great Mike Petriello tweet catching something I didn’t notice about Manaea: his release point changed both vertically and horizontally and it’s obviously made all the difference, spotting everything upstairs and creating a strange mix of deception and consistency that batters can’t deal with. Works for me, I ain’t buying in next year, though. Has all the makings of a Baha Man to me.

Alex Cobb (CLE) vs PIT (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 80 pitches.

Hot dang, look at you! Today’s Gold Star goes to Cobb, who flirted with perfection until a grounder up back to Cobb that he couldn’t handle. The splitter was much more like the pitch it should be, however the Dodgers are next and we can sit back to see if the splitter looks great once again. Regardless of the bottom line, Cobb’s start against his former Rays squad should be determined by the splitter’s feel in that next start.

Ronel Blanco (HOU) vs KCR (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 101 pitches.

Okay, the line is fine, but the changeup is still lagging behind. Just nine thrown against the RHB-heavy lineup, though the curve and slider still saw plenty of volume instead in those at-bats. His slider feel is still a bit off, too, carrying less confidence with the pitch over the plate as we’ve seen in the past. His schedule is too good to do anything, really, but I do wonder if it changes my outlook for 2025. It’s easier to believe “He had a better change and slider than expected before they faded,” than “His elite secondary feel will return.”

Cooper Criswell (BOS) @ DET (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 52 pitches.

We got more of the Cooper + Hill tandem that everyone asked for…except Hill couldn’t keep the dream alive and was pulled after just two outs. As for Cooper, how could the Red Sox pull him after four perfect frames? HE DESERVES BETTER.

Yariel Rodríguez (TOR) @ MIN (ND) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 57 pitches.

The was looking like a super sneaky Fratty Pirate Win with seven outs of relief after Yariel until the bullpen ruined everything. As for yariel, y’all don’t need me.

Beau Brieske (DET) vs BOS (ND) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 23 pitches.

Once again, Brant Hurter came through, following Brieske for a gorgeous 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks line that defiantly told the Tigers to stop making him a true starter and use an opener indefinitely for the Toby southpaw. He isn’t an arm to target, but if you feel comfortable in O.Co with the man and need a chance at a vultured Win, that could work. It gets awfully tough after that.

Walter Pennington (TEX) vs OAK (ND) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 20 pitches.

He opened for 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks of José Ureña, which was good enough for a Win…until the pen arrived. So close for more Ureña magic, but you know the phrase. Don’t.

Zach Eflin (BAL) @ COL (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 85 pitches.

H’oh boy that curveball was cooking. 13/36 whiffs on the breaker as he kept it down, which is awfully strange for a Coors start, but don’t ask questions. Just start Eflin, who is seemingly fine after his IL stint. Good to have you back.

Bailey Ober (MIN) vs TOR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 94 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. You’re still dope and don’t let the detractors tell you differently. But those clunker starts are just so bad! It’s three games of the entire season. It happens to everyone and the fact they are more extreme with Ober is just chaos, not an actual trait of the pitcher. Seriously, the sample is far too small to base a true argument on it. His skills with a robust three-pitch mix are elite.

Jordan Wicks (CHC) @ WSN (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 0 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 14% CSW, 69 pitches.

Welcome back! And look at those ratios! A Win! And…zero strikeouts. 16″ of vert on the four-seamer isn’t exceptional, with just 1/23 whiffs on the pitch, though he did BSB the offering with low changeups, which allowed for outs in play as batters made contact. The slider did its best down-and-armside as well and I can squint to see how this could work, even if Koufax isn’t as kind moving forward. He’ll get the Yankees next, making for an easy wait-and-see until we get a proper Wicks outing to get us excited.

Garrett Crochet (CHW) vs NYM (L) – 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 57 pitches.

I’m struggling to rank Crochet for 2025. Part of me is such a believer in his four-seamer foundation, the other is terrified of the White Sox doing dumb things again next year. If he gets traded, Crochet is easily Top 10, if not higher. What about now?! I mean, that’s 8/10 outs via strikeouts, but also he won’t go more than four. Treat him like a great middle reliever…? He’ll still give you strikeouts, just not Wins and strong ratio impact.

Aaron Nola (PHI) vs ATL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 100 pitches.

Aces gonna ace and collect another Gallows Pole rooted in the best curve in baseball + a BSB approach with his four-seamer I thought was mere fantasy this time last season. It’s been a quiet year of consistent success for Nola, who has had his moments of turmoil, but still shows up and carries production across the season. It’s a 3.29 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 162 strikeouts so far, flirting with 200 strikeouts as he has five starts remaining. We’ll take that every year.

Tobias Myers (MIL) @ CIN (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 99 pitches.

He couldn’t land the slider effectively, but the changeup is getting more play and I’m here for that. Myers is an interesting one as his heater continues to be effective inside the zone, though it is getting beat up a little more than it used to. I wonder if he’ll have his secondaries step up fast enough to stop other teams from cheating a bit on the heater, though the curve and cutter were helpful as strike offerings, too, save for a few hanging curves. We have an easy play against Rockie Road next, though it’s a tough call against Arizona and the Phillies after, even with the solid one or two starts to close the season.

Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) @ PHI (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 82 pitches.

I wanted this to be Spencer’s AGA demanding outing, but he didn’t have his best command and was happy to leave this one with just 2 ER to his name. An extreme 13/4 Fouls-to-BIP ratio on his four-seamer absolutely helped Mr. Crescendo avoid more damage (lots of strikes without Balls In Play on the four-seamer is the ideal outcome!), and if the slider, curve, and cutter could have returned better than 2/33 whiffs, you’d have seen more than two strikeouts. Pretty simple.

Mitch Spence (OAK) @ TEX (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 87 pitches.

Wow. Spence keeps changing what he does each start and this time around, he moved his cutter to the bottom of the zone, joining all of its friends as he went Neckbeard with said cutter, slider, and curve, with the occasional sinker outside the zone to try for quick outs (it didn’t work with only one out returned and just 6/16 strikes). I’m still intrigued by Spence as I adore those cutters and sliders, making him a Rays pitcher outside of Tampa Bay. I’m cool streaming him against the Tigers.

Brandon Williamson (CIN) vs MIL (ND) – 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 66 pitches.

Oh hey! He split time with Jakob Junis and neither did enough to make me circle their names for future games. I definitely dig the cutter being a major focus for Williamson, though. That pitch with his change were the impetus for a strong month or so last summer and 53% usage cutters at 40% CSW is delightful. What isn’t sunshine & roses is a 5/16 strike rate on changeups. That’s not it, Brandon. Oh, and his overall command. Highly suspect and I’d wait on the sidelines, especially in concert with confusion on playing time moving forward.

Mitchell Parker (WSN) vs CHC (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 89 pitches.

A PQS with eight punchouts? Sure thing. It’s not enough for your standard leagues and I’d blame the heater pumped down the pipe, but I still do like Parker’s variety that allows him to find more outs than others with better stuff. But the slider! Ah, right! 7/11 whiffs is all kinds of lovely for a pitch we rarely perform so well. Now with the Pirates and Marlins ahead, I’m stoked.

Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) vs LAD (W) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 98 pitches.

Whoa whoa whoa, ten strikeouts?! After the Sneks gave him a sizeable lead, Pfaadt cruised and felt comfortable with his heater in the upper third of the zone more than I usually see. The sinker and change stayed down, and his sweeper did its normal work, leading to the extreme result, though it’s still the Dodgers, making this an out from a VVPQS, which isn’t an ideal evening. I’m still out on Pfaadt and feel he’s too Cherry Bomb in nature without that final piece in the arsenal to make me confident on a given night.

Mitch Keller (PIT) @ CLE (L) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 11 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 85 pitches.

It’s cool to see the sweeper come alive, but the rest is your standard Keller affair as despite getting Singled Out, I still see Keller as an elevated hit/nine arm. But a King Cole! Okay, that’s pretty cool. The sweeper’s 58% CSW across 19 thrown did the trick as everything else earned called strikes or was swatted easily into play.

Alec Marsh (KCR) @ HOU (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 73 pitches.

Hey, that’s pretty solid for a start with zero expectations. he managed to avoid a ton of damage off the heater, relying on sliders + curves, with the rare sweeper doing work at 4/7 whiffs. He stepped in for the hurt Michael Lorenzen and will likely do so for at least one more start if not multiple. If he steals the Pirates outing in two games, that could be worthwhile, but it’s too risky against the Twins.

Dylan Cease (SDP) @ TBR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 84 pitches.

Aces gonna cruise until the sixth, get the bases loaded without an out, and have all inherited runners score once giving up the pearl. I still think he needs a better LHB approach (WHERE THE CUTTER AT) and we move forward hoping the slider and heater can do more in the future.

Bryce Miller (SEA) @ LAA (L) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 91 pitches.

These Angels are messing up our young Seattle arms, y’all. Nah, they are just away from Seattle. YOU TAKE THAT BACK. Why are you booing, I’m right. Fine, with Bryce, that may be the case, but let’s encourage just 41% fastball usage as he continues to expand his secondary focus and look at this! 31 sliders + sweepers for 7/31 whiffs and 45% CSW! AMAZING. He didn’t locate them super well. WHATEVER. I’m going to celebrate Miller’s experimentation and tinkering as his final form of four-seamer dominance with secondaries to back it up feels like a matter of time, not a pipe dream.

Miles Mikolas (STL) @ NYY (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 90 pitches.

Womp womp. He couldn’t stick around for the rest of the fifth to secure the Win, sadly. Never walk in the shoes of Miles. That’s not how that phrase goes. I make my own phrases. Okay, you don’t do me. NICE.

Darren McCaughan (MIA) @ SFG (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 72 pitches.

He’s a 89mph sinkerballer with a mid sweeper and change. Those still exist? I guess…?

Ryan Pepiot (TBR) vs SDP (ND) – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 89 pitches.

Okay this one hurts. I’m such a believer in Pepiot’s four-seamer, but he normally has help from the rest f his arsenal and he simply didn’t get it. The cutter was fouled off (not outs in play), the slider was featured just four times, and the normally-reliable changeup went…uh…3/15 strikes. Yeah, that can’t happen. I’ll be back in on Pepiot in 2025 banking on development of his feel for his secondaries (sidenote: The Rays do a test to see if a pitcher has good feel for supinating (spin/sinker) or pronating (changeup). Pepiot was good at both. Taken from The Craft’s last episode) that would turn him into a legit ace. He’s right there.

Nestor Cortes (NYY) vs STL (ND) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 80 pitches.

Oh boy. Cortes, buddy. We were past the hard stuff, this was the easy schedule to coast to the finish line. Sigh. He’s a true Toby and I think he’s still worthwhile for Wins, but yeah, not fun.

Ty Blach (COL) vs BAL (L) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 63 pitches.

Blaaaach.

Logan Webb (SFG) vs MIA (L) – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 90 pitches.

Uhhhh, what. The Marlins were able to time their hits well as Webb did his normal thing and it didn’t go as planned. Whatareyagonnado. 

Justin Wrobleski (LAD) @ ARI (L) – 5.1 IP, 10 ER, 10 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 99 pitches.

Two fastballs down the pipe for home runs and many more hittable pitches led to Wrobleski’s terrible day at the park. I’m kinda amazed they kept him after the second frame of Eight Runs, and he was a bit better after that nightmarish frame, at the very least. But yeah, let’s not go after this against Cleveland and try to pick our spots later. I understand how one inning doesn’t eliminate a productive outing next time out, but why risk it? The ceiling isn’t high enough.

 

Game of the Day 

 

Corbin Burnes vs. Chicago White Sox – I really want to see if Burnes has five inches more drop on his cutter for another game. That was AWESOME.

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)