Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Saturday 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.
Paul Skenes (PIT) @ NYY (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 23 pitches.
Should Paul Skenes be the first pitcher off the board entering 2025? Skenes concluded his absurd rookie season with a brief 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 23 pitches outing against the Yankees, landing on a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 33% strikeout rate across 133 frames. We all know he’s stupid filthy with upper 90s heat, a phenomenal splinker, and a pair of breakers.
But #1 overall? I’m not sure yet. I can’t decide where I’m landing on “Every pitcher gets hurt” with Skenes’ high velocity reminding me of Strider’s early TJS in 2024, and it may be wise to anticipate a minor velocity drop next year with his breaking pitches oddly finding low strike rates this year. And yet, the skills are obviously very real and we should be setting high expectations for his performance per start.
Thing is, it doesn’t really matter in my book. SACRE BLEU! Rank Skenes at #1 or #3 or whatever you’d like, I heavily encourage you not to go chasing early for starters. The number of SP who pan out for a full year inside the top 100 SP are under 50 percent, mostly due to injury. Given the plethora of SP options in drafts next year and the difficulties of finding stable bats, you’re better off filling your lineup early. At least, that’s my philosophy. Don’t worry, I’ll be here to help you fill out the staff for your drafts and throughout the full year.
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Kyle Hendricks (CHC) vs CIN (ND) – 7.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 81 pitches.
You rascal! Four of your final five games came through for daring fantasy managers, here in their greatest time of need. So does this mean you’ll consider me for next season? Absolutely. Ya–Not. Oh. Let’s just appreciate the good times here.
MacKenzie Gore (WSN) vs PHI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 24 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 91 pitches.
Hot dang, look. At. YOU. A well-earned Golden Goal against a strong Philadelphia team as his Cherry Bomb nature thrived until the end. The heater was 95/96 mph (not 96/97) but the breakers, oh THE BREAKERS! 7/18 whiffs on the curve, 4/10 on the slider, and they set up the heater for a wonderful day at the park. Gore, I terribly want to be all in next year, but I just can’t believe you’ve found a tweak for your secondaries and it’ll carry into next year. Prove. Me. WRONG.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) @ ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 96 pitches.
The Gold Star goes to Randy for six shutout frames against a hungry Arizona offense. I don’t expect him to enter the season in the rotation and I’m not envisioning an arm to remember should he get the chance, but yes, he’s had his moments this year and for NL-Only leagues, he may provide once again.
Sean Burke (CHW) @ DET (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 84 pitches.
HE DID IT. That first inning was a doozy and he was incredibly lucky to find a double-play from a liner to mask his control issues. Burke settled in after, stole a Win, and makes me circle him as a fun sleeper for 2025. I don’t think I’d actually draft him right now with so many options out there, but in AL-Only leagues? Burke has a great four-seamer with legit iVB + two solid breakers to pair with it. That’s the fun stuff.
Rhett Lowder (CIN) @ CHC (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 91 pitches.
Nothing like a 1.17 ERA with a 90% LOB rate and a 17% strikeout rate to close out a rookie’s first month of the bigs. I’m weirded out by Lowder still and would be careful trusting him for next year. I don’t think there’s enough in the arsenal right now, though that could change by the time we see him in the spring.
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) vs SDP (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 62 pitches.
He did what he could. Eduardo is only considerable in deeper formats as he’s awfully replaceable in your 12-teamer squads.
Seth Lugo (KCR) @ ATL (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 36 pitches.
I was surprised Lugo started at all. We got Michael Lorenzen and Daniel Lynch IV shortly after, even with Sam Long in there too for a touch more SP experience coming out of the pen, and I’m sending a massive shrug to all of them. Looking forward to watching Lugo and PEW PEW PEW in the playoffs.
Matt Bowman (BAL) @ MIN (ND) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 19 pitches.
He opened for 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks of Tucker Davidson. Yep, that fella. We move on.
Jared Koenig (MIL) vs NYM (ND) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 19 pitches.
He opened for Tobias Myers, who concluded his rookie campaign with 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks and a Win, marking the books with a 3.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 138 IP. That’s great for the young arm and I wonder how he grows next year. I think he’ll be a bit underrated but not quite a star next year.
Reynaldo López (ATL) vs KCR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 73 pitches.
Wow. I didn’t expect six frames from ReyLó and he absolutely dominated, ending his season with a 2.00 ERA in 134.2 IP. I feel like not enough people appreciate HOW RIDICULOUS THAT IS. Yes, Skenes just did essentially the same thing, but this is ReyLó, that flier pick in your drafts who even hit the IL and returned to still bring it. What a wonderful time this was.
Xzavion Curry (MIA) @ TOR (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 65 pitches.
Hey, that’s pretty cool, even with a HAISTBMBWT?! Just two whiffs in 65 pitches tells you everything and let’s move along.
Tristan Beck (SFG) vs STL (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 72 pitches.
In a surprise move, the Giants didn’t let Blake Snell get another start and gave Beck a shot. Remember him? One of the surprise potential starters at the beck back end of the Giants’ rotation in March? What silly times those were.
Beau Brieske (DET) vs CHW (L) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 13% CSW, 31 pitches.
We got some more Jackson Jobe for a moment and we haven’t quite seen him obliterate quite yet. Can’t wait for next year.
Zack Wheeler (PHI) @ WSN (ND) – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 11 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. If Sale doesn’t make a start tomorrow, it’s a super close Cy Young race in my view. 22.1 IP more frames than Sale across three more starts at 10 more ER allowed. Not saying it should be Wheeler, but it should be a proper discussion.
Shane Baz (TBR) @ BOS (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 86 pitches.
Yeaaaaah. I’m in for 2025. The curve is legit and the four-seamer is elite. The slider can get better. He’s really good. I hate short sentences.
Griffin Canning (LAA) vs TEX (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 89 pitches.
Hey, that’s not so bad. Thanks Canning. I hope you figure out how to be a little filthier with your secondaries before next season.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) @ COL (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 71 pitches.
Atta boy Yoshi. He recovered from his horrific time against Rockie Road to go 70+ pitches and snag a much needed Win. I wonder how fantasy managers will treat him entering drafts next year. Surely a more affordable ADP than this past season, right?
Jose Quintana (NYM) @ MIL (L) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 92 pitches.
Nine strikeouts! A poor WHIP and ERA with a Loss. But nine strikeouts! And honestly, my criticisms of Quintana was about his lack of pitch feel recently and the dude absolutely brought it. His change, sinker, four-seamer, and curve were all far better in this one. That’s Baseball, Suzyn. I wouldn’t be shocked if Quintana had a fun run at some point again next season.
Ben Lively (CLE) vs HOU (L) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 92 pitches.
Ah. This is what we’ve been expecting all year and I’m a little sad Lively couldn’t mask it for just one more game. Never forget the unbelievably boring 3.81 ERA and 1.25 WHIP of Mr. Lively’s 2024 campaign. It was.
Justin Verlander (HOU) @ CLE (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 95 pitches.
A PQS with a dub is a fantastic result for Verlander, who had been a major disappointment otherwise. It’s clear he’s running out of fuel in the tank and you have to wonder if this is the end of the line for the 41-year-old. It’s been one incredible ride, my friend.
Emerson Hancock (SEA) vs OAK (ND) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 93 pitches.
We got another look at Hancock and we’re still lacking any sort of electricity to keep his name bright throughout the winter. But what if they trade one of their starter?! Then they’ll sign or trade for someone else. It’s that simple.
Joey Estes (OAK) @ SEA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 79 pitches.
Blegh. He went just five frames in the end and gave you nothing to take home to show to your parents. And yes, they even gave you kind words when you brought home a cold. You must be making friends to carry this home! What lovely parents they are. If Estes finds some velocity over the winter (you know, hiding in a hole somewhere), he actually becomes kinda interesting, but it’s clearly not enough at 92/93 mph.
Andre Pallante (STL) @ SFG (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 74 pitches.
Blegh. We wanted a PQS or a dub here and we got neither. He’ll be a streaming option next year without any developments on his arsenal or velocity, sadly. I hope we can find a good run across the season at some point again.
Yariel Rodríguez (TOR) vs MIA (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 82 pitches.
So close. We got the first requirement with five frames, but nothing here really helped. Toronto, you could let him push 90 pitches just this one time, could ya?
Luis Gil (NYY) vs PIT (L) – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 89 pitches.
Ouch. We’re happy Gil was able to go nearly six, but he fell apart in the latter frames. I wonder where he’ll land in ADP next year and unless he’s in a land of Toby types, I’ll be passing on Gil given his Cherry Bomb tendencies. My instinct is that we’ll have other targets who are in a better position to provide stable value without making us question their volatility.
Kutter Crawford (BOS) vs TBR (L) – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 86 pitches.
Ouch. Maybe the most disappointing start of the day as Kutter let us down at the finish line. I think there’s too much Cherry Bomb in him (4.36 ERA?!) for me to jump back in next year, sadly, but if he’s getting completely ignored, Crawford is certainly better than your average streamer. I think. Probably.
Antonio Senzatela (COL) vs LAD (L) – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 78 pitches.
Senz-A, I look forward to tormenting each other for a full season. It’s good to have you back.
Zebby Matthews (MIN) vs BAL (L) – 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 80 pitches.
Sigh. Maybe next year Zebby will be the guy he flashed early in his career. I suggest we wait until mid-April to take a gander.
Andrew Heaney (TEX) @ LAA (ND) – 4.0 IP, 7 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 88 pitches.
He was given the gift of a golden schedule and squandered every chance. Sigh. Yes, there will be a moment to chase Heaney again next year, I’m sure.
Game of the Day
Baseball – We may get at least one more game tomorrow, though I’m going to appreciate baseball played across the league for one more day today. Thanks for following all year and I can’t wait to do it all again next season.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Photos by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)