Welcome to the Top 400 Starting Pitchers For 2024 Fantasy Baseball. This is an update to my Top 200 Starting Pitchers For 2024 from October last year.
After shoving all my strategies and write-ups of all 400 players + something close to 300 videos into one article, I quickly found out it crashed phones and browsers, and I felt like an idiot. I’m so sorry everyone, I really should have just done these individually spliced articles first.
Here’s what we’ve done:
- All ranks are now spliced into groups of 20, 25, and 50
- Rankings Philosophy article to read separately
- Left the main up for those who can handle it
Please read the Rankings Philosophy article before reading the rankings. I cannot express enough how it outlines my thoughts on drafting in 12-teamers and why I have ranked these players as I have.
Thanks for your passion and enthusiasm for this article – it pushes me more every year, and I already have new ideas for next year to make this easier a better presentation for all of you.
AGA,
-Nick
Tier 13 – The Only IL Stashes To Consider (Cont’d)
I’m not one to do IL stashes at all, but if you have IL spots and unlimited moves, you have nothing to lose. Shallower situations, I’d tell you it’s not worth it.
101. Dustin May (LAD, RHP)
Instead of traditional TJS, May underwent UCL revision last July with the hope he returns near the All-Star break. You can IL stash him if you like, I wonder if it’ll be too much of a hassle, though if he’s able to wrangle his cutter and sinker out of the gate, he’s sure to help in September when the Dodgers will want to ramp him up for the playoffs.
Tier 14 – GIVE THEM A JOB
These are mostly prospects who become pick-ups if they get confirmed for a starting gig. Some at the bottom are more suspect then others, and sadly, I don’t believe any of them have a positive chance of actually starting out of camp.
102. Paul Skenes (PIT, RHP)
Paul Skenes' Stuff from Tonight. pic.twitter.com/HzBaOD0tIn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 16, 2023
Skenes is an auto-pickup the moment he hits the majors. His four-seamer sits in the upper 90s and is complemented with a true sinker and a big sweeper that excels with his lower arm angle. I have some worry about his mechanical consistency that could return command questions upon entering the big leagues, but his build and obvious skill set make this a “pick up and find out” the moment he arrives. Drafted in 2023 and with two games in Double-A already, I imagine the Pirates could call him up as early as May – there’s little reason to rush his arbitration clock with a spot out of camp. You can stash if you like, just be aware the Pirates have many reasons to be patient here.
103. Cade Horton (CHC, RHP)
Cade Horton ranks 67th on @BaseballAmerica updated Top 100 Prospects list. Horton went 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K on Wednesday for South Bend. Primarily pairs a mid-90s FF w/ an extremely vertical spin axis (12:15) & a mid-80s sweeper. #NextStartsHere pic.twitter.com/uDTyzOliTu
— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) June 8, 2023
Here’s the Cubs prospect you should care about. As Geoff outlines below, Horton’s 94/95 mph four-seamer has great spin efficiency (12:15 is the time on which his fast-seamer spins, 12:00 = perfectly spinning in the direction of four-seamer = best for iVB), with a filthy slider he relies on plenty. There’s still room to grow with his curve and changeup, though these two pitches set a fantastic foundation that Cade is sure to build upon.
104. Sawyer Gipson-Long (DET, RHP)
I really like Gipson-Long… when he gets the chance to start. I see him as the clear #6 at the moment with Olson’s extended look in 2023, even if SGL was able to accumulate 119 frames across the minors and majors last season. He’s got a sinker he can land in the zone for strikes, a decent four-seamer that can be elevated, a fantastic jack-of-all-trades slider, and a changeup that can demolish batters when it’s working. Think a Logan Webb type without the same level of polish and less reliance on the changeup. He’s a possible stash out of the gate and a clear pick-up once he gets a gig.
105. Prelander Berroa (CHW, RHP)
Here I was, demoralized and resigned to my fate to watch Berroa turn into a relief arm for the Mariners in 2024. There’s no room. They said. Why would they let him start? They said. And then the light shone through. Suddenly hope appeared as Dipoto gave me a blessing I never anticipated. Berroa not only was traded, but he was dealt to a team in dire need of something electric in their rotation as they piece together a season, twiddling their thumbs until their front office actually does something good for the team. The Chicago White Sox.
Let me tell you all the good things first. When I watch Berroa, I see Cristian Javier with more velocity and a better slider. His heater comes in at around 96 mph (maybe 94/95 in the rotation?) with great iVB and a flat VAA with good extension (the FAN-tastic Four qualities that outline a potential four-seamer to elevate to fan batters) that forces me to emit noise when it blazes by bats, and then he mixes in a devastating slider in the upper 80s. Wait, did I say mixes in? My apologies, I mean wants to throw it more than 50% of the time. Hey, when it’s a filthy slider and you can land it in the zone decently well, you throw it a lot.
But, um, the dude walks guys a ton. We’re talking 14%+ traditionally in the minors and when we talk about prospect pitchers, a major red-flag is a high walk rate. But we’re also talking about 35%+ strikeout rates, too. It makes Berroa out to be a maddening Cherry Bomb type, AND YET I’M EXCITED. Look, I get it. You don’t want to chase Berroa because A) There’s no guarantee the White Sox even stick him in the rotaiton B) Berroa pitched few than 100 frames last year and C) That command is clearly suspect. That’s absolutely rational and fair and you’re likely right.
HOWEVER, I watch Berroa and see less mechanical disaster than expected with those walk rates and hot dang, he feels far closer than other mega-walk fellas I’ve seen to find a balance to get that heater upstairs while that slider is the stabalizer in and out of the zone. It’s possible and sitting here, outside the Top 100 SP, you have nothing to lose. Take the chance, make it happen. POP THAT CORK, FINGERS SNAPPING.
106. Tylor Megill (NYM, RHP)
I still wonder if Megill can turn into a Bailey Oberizzi type of arm with a heavy emphasis on his four-seamer upstairs and a decent slider and changeup underneath it. He gets such good extension that is unfortunately paired with a decline in both iVB and VAA from 2022 that his four-seamer featured ghastly marks on both, and that limited its effectiveness. That said, he was able to perform better with it down the stretch of 2023 and if he’s able to have a strong off-season and develop further entering 2024, we may see him force his way into the rotation early in the season. Don’t ignore Megill based on his horrific 2023 marks – if he’s painting the top of the zone red with heaters, there’s hope for a strong six-inning arm with a strikeout per inning.
107. Mick Abel (PHI, RHP)
Here’s a full inning of work from Phillies prospect Mick Abel. pic.twitter.com/zCfEhcH5tP
— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrown0914) March 3, 2023
He’s good, but not the kind of prospect that interrupts your evening to pick him up when he gets the call. His heavy reliance on a slider/cutter (it’s a filthy pitch) mixed with a 93/94 mph fastball can work (97/98 in the spring, but that was adrenaline), which suggests he can be more of a Toby to Holly arm as he mixes in changeups and cutters as well. That might work well for fantasy purposes when he arrives – I consider Abel the true 6th option for that – and I wouldn’t be surprised if it came with a fantastic start or two that inflates his value a little too much in the small sample. Keep your expectations tempered and hope he can handle the bigs decently enough when he gets his shot.
108. Max Meyer (MIA, RHP)
When I watched Meyer’s MLB debut in 2022, I wasn’t too impressed. His four-seamer came with cut action (yikes) and his approach of 50% sliders was good but not great. It’s not the kind of pitch that bowls you over, instead being used as a strike pitch, destined to be a decent whiff pitch that is more of a table-setter than a dominator. I am curious whether we see a new version of him now that he’s healthy again, and I have to imagine the Marlins will give him an early shot in the rotation once a spot opens up. Not a terrible spec add when that happens, but not someone I’m jumping over the mountain for when the time arrives, let alone stashing him in my drafts.
109. Robert Gasser (MIL, LHP)
Gasser?
That's about right.
No. 8 @Padres prospect Robert Gasser fanned eight over seven innings of no-hit ball for the @TinCaps. pic.twitter.com/tRaB4iG2QY
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 19, 2022
He’s a lefty with a low arm angle but without the slinging tendencies of someone like Heaney, Manaea, or Harrison. The highlight is a fantastic slider that debilitates left-handers, though he struggles with right-handers, who hit all 12 of his allowed longballs in 2023. The solution may be the four-seamer, which sits at just 92 mph but can explode at the top of the zone with Gasser’s low arm angle. It doesn’t get the ideal iVB, but the elite VAA may make it a pitch to bully batters. He’s working with a cutter as well that could develop into the nullifier to right-handers, though a changeup is likely the missing tool to complete Gasser’s approach. Hopefully, the walks stay low, comfortably under 10%, and with a touch of development with the heaters and secondaries, Gasser could earn a rotation spot early for the Brewers. There’s some intrigue, even with the Shag Rug ever-present.
110. Drew Thorpe (SDP, RHP)
Drew Thorpe highlights he has a nasty changeup pic.twitter.com/ilKqbNNxb9
— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) December 6, 2023
Thorpe is the fourth pitcher here who came over from the Yankees in the Soto deal (How will we replenish our rotation? Aha! Get all of them for Soto!) and after pitching Double-A this year, you may see him aggressively promoted by the Padres if he’s comfortable in Triple-A early in the season. As a command-focused, changeup-first pitcher, I generally avoid prospects like these in their rookie year – the heavy majority of impact arms in your 12-teamers carry either a dominant four-seamer that bullies batters or high-velocity breakers – though the reports on Thorpe are glowing, including Eric Logenhagen’s review, labeling the elite changeup as similar to those of Hellickson or Estrada. Even at the lower velocity, Thorpe may be a sneaky Toby play with the defense behind him, and if he develops another secondary to confidently get strikes (or dare I say whiffs against RHBs!), I can see how he earns your pick-up relying on low-90s sinkers instead of powerful four-seamers.
111. Connor Phillips (CIN, RHP)
Here’s the thing. Phillips’ four-seamer ranked just below Hunter Greene’s four-seamer in Stuff+ and ranked better with his slider. Why aren’t you using PLV instead? Because his locations were terrible. The four-seamer has brilliant pitch qualities – 96/97 mph velocity, elite VAA, elite iVB, solid extension – but the fella struggled to get the dang thing upstairs. If Connor can consistently elevate, it will demolish batters, while his slider’s shape is fantastic and – guess what – also wasn’t well commanded. The curve can help and fall into the zone at times and is a strong offering when it works, but you get the drill.
I included Phillips into the “Expected Starters” (along with Williamson) despite having five (Update, now SIX. Ugh.) arms already locked in because he’s a step up from the Fringe arms and will absolutely get playing time this year. When Phillips gets the chance, I hope we can throw away the small 20 IP sample we saw in favor of an improved approach and command (yes, approach. It didn’t seem like he embraced his four-seamers’ potential for elevation), turning him into a legit arm for fantasy managers everywhere overnight.
112. Joe Boyle (OAK, RHP)
Here’s the thing. You’ve seen the 98+ mph four-seamer and know that pitch is legit. It has the iVB, solid extension, and surprisingly decent VAA to go with it and yet…just an 11% SwStr rate in his small three start sample. Why? Because the fella can’t command consistently. His minor league walk numbers are laughable (we’re talking 19%+ y’all. That’s BANANAS) and watching him pitch his three games displayed incessant struggles to execute. If he can somehow find a way to make this fastball carry a 60%+ hiLoc, it’ll be a stupid overpowering pitch, especially paired with an 89 mph slider that falls off the table to make a phenomenal BSB that Tyler Glasnow dreams of.
There’s even a curveball in the mix in attempt for early called strikes as well, creating a package that is all ready to go if only the command could be relied upon. Put the Athletics as a team aside, if Boyle can execute reasonably well, this is a starter you want on your team. Do I believe he will? Sadly, no. He’s likely a HIPSTER at best for 12-teamers and a desperate dart throw for 15-teamers, where his low win chances are sure to keep him off many draft boards regardless of the potential.
Tier 15 – Grab Bag Of Intrigue
I can see all of these starters returning value in some way in 2024, though most of them are headaches where you can’t tell if it’s working out, or they have too many questions to answer that make it a low chance to come through to justify a draft pick.
113. Andrew Abbott (CIN, LHP)
I see how it can work. Abbott’s four-seamer isn’t an elite offering, but when he’s able to attack right-handers inside with it, the pitch opens up his deadly slider, while a developing changeup (31% putaway rate last year?!) can stabilize into a routine gavel to propel outs and send batters strolling back to the dugout.
The biggest worry is that heater. Even during his absurd start to his MLB career (1.90 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 28% K rate, 8% BB rate, 96% LOB rate lol), there were many moments of questionable fastball command that burned him in August and September. Is that fastball enough of a foundation in a poor home park to allow his slider and changeup to thrive? I think so…? I have seen far worse command in my day and while his heater doesn’t jump off the page with its shape, the four-seamer is still above-average enough that he can elevate it with two strikes effectively. Generally, rookies have better command in their second season and I wonder if Abbott comes into himself more in his sophomore campaign, making an intriguing late grab in leagues. This feels like a higher floor than other arms at this point in drafts.
114. Griffin Canning (LAA, RHP)
It’s rare to find a solid four-pitch mix late in drafts, especially paired with a 25%+ strikeout rate. Canning’s well-rounded arsenal pairs a 94 mph heater with a stellar low-80s curveball, a lateral 90 mph changeup, and an upper-80s gyro slider, all of which can earn whiffs when executed. There are a few warts, however. None of these pitches are exceptional mitigators of hard contact, a product of questionable command that has Canning fighting with his arsenal often, hoping to execute the right pitch but falling behind or allowing his heater to fall into the zone at inopportune times.
I love Canning’s reluctance to throw heaters and I hope it continues. He dropped the four-seamer to just 33% usage in 2023, though I was surprised to see his curveball fall to just 13% usage – I consider the big hook his best offering, as his favored breaker (his 29% usage slider) isn’t as sharp and held a near 40% ICR last year. At the very least, a more even split makes the most sense in my view.
All in all, there is a world where Canning gets into a rhythm with all four pitches for a long stretch, prompting solid ratios and strikeouts, though I worry that his propensity for the longball + inconsistent health will make it difficult to trust him outside of great matchups. If only there was a little more dependable electricity in his four-seamer or breaking balls.
115. MacKenzie Gore (WAS, LHP)
Hey look, another pitcher I’m awfully conflicted about! On paper, Gore has all the things of a sleeper: a four-seamer with excellent shape that can explode if he tweaks its approach (great extension and iVB, good VAA, 95/96 mph velocity) + a big hook that lands low + a slider that can be relied upon to find strikes and whiffs. However, there are two major problems in his way. First, there’s a touch more polish left to apply to his command which has him battling himself more than the batter in some games. It’s sure to make him more of a volatile pitcher than a true “breakout” pitcher if he were to come into his own. Second, he pitches for the Nationals. And this devastates me.
As I mentioned with Josiah Gray, I have a theory the Nationals encourage their starters against throwing high four-seamers. It means Gore held a ~50% hiLoc on his fastball when it should be 60%+, if not higher. This pitch was MADE to be elevated, especially with his slider and curveball falling underneath. And the Nationals aren’t letting him do it. IT’S MADDENING.
That could change on a dime, though. And if Gore embraces it, that 25% strikeout rate could turn into 30% overnight, while the walk rate could keep falling from 12% in 2022, 10% in 2023, and possibly 8% in 2024. The potential mixed with volume is there (well, the Wins that normally come with volume may not), it’s just a matter of that approach shift that I’m not sure we’ll see.
116. Casey Mize (DET, RHP)
Mize is an unknown as he returns from TJS and should earn a rotation gig out of camp. I’d be disappointed if he had the same skillset we saw in 2021: zero pitches above a 13% SwStr rate with his slider acting as an overall strike pitch, a middling 93 mph sinker, a four-seamer that was often saved to elevate in two-strike counts (inefficiently), and an occasional splitter that held a 20% CSW. It’s an exciting time in March when we get a first look at the new man after healing from TJS, though I’d temper expectations. He has a whole lot to change to become a stable fantasy arm – I don’t expect his .254 BABIP-driven 1.14 WHIP to get replicated with his sub-20% strikeout rates. Something has to make us move up in our chairs.
117. Jon Gray (TEX, RHP)
Gray breaks the Huascar Rule. It’s that simple. His four-seamer is simply not good enough, even at 96 mph, for us to believe it’ll avoid damage on a given night – near 50% ICR against right-handers – even if his slider is a legit offering. It performs better against left-handers as he elects to feature a changeup over 15% of the time, which keeps batters a little more honest on the heater.
That paragraph alone should make you terrified of drafting Gray, let alone all of the interruptions he’s had over the years that have stunted his mini-stretches of looking like an ace (you know, the times when he’s able to spot his fastball well enough to avoid punishment, allowing his slider to destroy). I can see myself jumping in when he’s sitting 96 mph and spotting the heater around the edges while the slider racks up whiffs, then dropping him once he falters or misses a start for whatever reason, and I’d avoid in my drafts as he’ll be a headache out the gate.
But the new slider! Ah, right. He did change its shape a month into the season, turning the slower sweeper into a tighter, 87-89 mph gyro. The thing is, it had similar results regardless of the shape and movement. Its new movement did increase grounders, which limited home runs but increased his overall hits allowed (that’s the trade-off of flyballs vs. groundballs, y’all), and it’s a wash in my book. I’m still out on this.
118. Reid Detmers (LAA, LHP)
I wish I still had the same enthusiasm for Detmers that I had in the spring. Unfortunately, I’ve become pessimistic that his four-seamer can be the dominant pitch we want it to be. Its shape is mediocre, which explains the drop of SwStr this year to 10% despite 87th percentile hiLoc% and an extra tick of velocity. His curveball does a great job of limiting hard contact (27% ICR!) with a 35% CSW, though he doesn’t command it incredibly, acting more like a surprise pitch than a big chase pitch (low 23% O-Swing rate). Meanwhile, the pitch that got me excited initially – a gyro slider that he featured 32% of the time in 2023 – simply isn’t reliable enough. Its 19% SwStr in 2023 showcases the pristine moments, but it gets pummeled constantly. We’re talking 11th percentile ICR at a whopping 46% rate paired with a scary sub-10% called strike rate. In other words, when the pitch is in the zone, batters are swinging aggressively at it and doing damage. Not a good combination.
There was some hope in September for Detmers. A new changeup was introduced, utilized over 20% of the time across four games where he returned just six runs in 24.2 IP. The offering gives some much-needed balance to Detmers’ approach, though it’s not enough for me to suggest he’s found the last missing piece to outline stable success. His command + questionable four-seamer make for too much worry to chase in drafts, unless there’s something new for us to latch onto in the spring. Nick, he had something to latch onto in the spring for two years. Okay that’s fair. Good luck.
119. Chase Silseth (LAA, RHP)
If the Angels don’t add a fifth starter, I believe Silseth will start the season in the minors or as a long reliever now that Ohtani is gone, limiting their need for a six-man squad. Many of you recall early August, wondering whether Silseth had become a star after fanning ten Yankees, then twelve Mariners just two starts later. Sadly, he returned just fifteen strikeouts for the rest of the season, starting three games before a terrifying comebacker to the head had him on the sidelines until September 29th. 2023 aside, Silseth’s success comes from a slider and a splitter, the latter of which appeared in the 12-K game and rarely otherwise (12/29 whiffs came from that game alone), while his four-seamer and sinker lay a rough foundation to build a reliable starter. He’s a Cherry Bomb with the poor heater and over-reliance on two breakers to get it done and y’all know by now I hate relying on those for my rotations.
120. Matt Manning (DET, RHP)
I was fortunate to go on the Detroit Free Press podcast and Mark Darosh said something that didn’t sit right with me at the time. “I think of Zack Wheeler when I see Matt Manning.” It didn’t make sense – Wheeler’s four-seamer is one of the best in the game and Manning’s is…blegh? Well, I see it now, but in the end, we’re both right. Manning’s mechanics are similar to Wheeler’s, with similar elite extension and great VAA on his heater. The problem? It comes in 2-3 ticks slower than Wheeler’s while boasting a sub 40% hiLoc% – good for 5th percentile in the majors. Yikes. It does mean that if Manning can nail down an upstairs approach and find a little extra velo, then there is a legit ceiling to be had. That’s something, right?
The slider is arguably better than Wheeler’s, too. Its 99th percentile PLV isn’t rooted in its whiffability but its immense zone rate, along with a low 32% ICR that enabled Manning to get through more games than his currently pedestrian four-seamer would dictate for other pitchers. Sadly, the curve and change do little to affect the rest of the approach and you have a pitcher who had a massively fortunate season (98th percentile BABIP, 85th percentile HR/FB) with a 16% strikeout rate that requires a large shift in ability for growth. Oh, and he hasn’t started 20 games in the majors yet, almost forgot that one. If he’s sitting 95+ in the spring, he has my attention, but I doubt we’ll get there.
121. Clarke Schmidt (NYY, RHP)
Schmidt has all the tools he needs to have success as a starter and hold rates under a 4.00 ERA and 1.20 WHIP – a mark he held in the valley of the season from May to September across four months. Righties have trouble dealing with his cutter and sweepers over the zone, while they whiff often against the lateral breaker and a big curve that could improve with another season in the bigs. I wish he would save his sinker a bit more, turning away from the pitch over the plate and simply sitting inside as the only pitch that goes the opposite direction. Its 31% usage against righties last year is a touch too high and a cut to 20% for jamming batters would allow his secondaries to dominate more frequently, while amplifying his inside sinkers more than ever.
The real issue is against lefties and I hope Schmidt can take a step forward with his approach to fix it. Without a four-seamer or changeup (that 3% usage slowball doesn’t count y’all), Schmidt features away sinkers around 20% of the time (blegh) and his sweeper gets pummeled when it doesn’t get taken for a strike. That leaves his cutter to do most of the work getting strikes, while his curve is mostly saved for two-strike counts down-and-in, which wasn’t as successful as you’d like to see.
That said, he’ll certainly get another full year in the rotation, given the haze around Rodón and Cortes, unless both are healthy out of the gate and the Yankees add another starter. At the very least, he’s incredibly likely to get regular starts at some point before the end of May. I think this regular playing time can do Schmidt a ton of good to get into a groove with that curve and cutter, helping him dampen his biggest weakness. Maybe throw more curves outside two-strike counts and focus on them a little more toward the middle than hugging down-and-glove-side?
If we see Schmidt every five days with the Yankees, he’s a solid 15-teamer play, with Toby consideration for your 12-teamers given his 20-25% strikeout rate + solid Win chance with the Yankees. They’ll need him for at least five frames if not hoping to get six consistently. You could do far worse at the end of drafts than Schmidt.
122. Nick Martinez (CIN, RHP)
JUST LET HIM START. I say it tongue-in-cheek, but Martinez’s final 22 frames as a “starter” came with goose eggs, led by a Marco Estrada tribute of a changeup that returned a near 50% O-Swing and flirted with a 30% SwStr rate. It’s stupid good, while the days when his curveball hit the bottom of the zone were bliss. His high 80% iLoc (inside location) on his sinker is what you want as he went either front-hip to LHB or jammed lefties, but sadly there’s one last piece missing. Those three offerings are solid, but he’s missing either a four-seamer or cutter/slider to dominate the zone. His cutter was atrocious with a 52% ICR (I didn’t know they went that high) while the four-seamer wasn’t much better.
If Martinez can unlock a mid-80s slider or find a way to steal effective strikes with fastballs, he could be gold. Maybe he goes Logan Webb and pushes the changeup to 50% usage, sporting rare sinkers and curves, and calls it a day. Just stop throwing the cutters and four-seamers, okay?
123. Jhony Brito (SDP, RHP)
Brito is an interesting one. His sinker does a great job living inside with 96 mph velocity and excellent arm-side run, and I adore his command to sit there consistently. He saves the four-seamer for two-strike counts, which doesn’t work since his delivery is incredibly over-the-top and the pitch has poor vertical break, leaving the changeup and curve as his only options as a putaway pitch. Sadly, the curve is a 12-6 without the depth you want to see, forcing his changeup to do all the work. If he can become more consistent with the slowball against RHBs, there’s some upside there, though it soars against LHBs and should continue to do so at 40% usage. In short, he’s a sinker/change guy who needs a cutter for LHBs and a sweeper for RHBs, neither of which I have faith in given his arm-side break on his four-seamer and high vertical release point that makes a sweeper difficult to get around properly. I wonder what development we’ll see on a breaking ball, though if he unlocks one, there’s legit upside to be had as an innings eater. The sinker and change are a solid foundation, he just needs that whiff pitch against righties and one more option against lefties.
124. Logan Allen (CLE, LHP)
If you’re looking for an innings eater at the end of your drafts, Allen could fit the bill. There are times when his 90/91 mph heater finds the edges, allowing him to set up an at-times devastating changeup and a big breaker, which allows him to earn about a strikeout per inning in the process. However, that heater can get tagged a fair amount, forcing him to lean more on a cutter halfway through the season, a pitch that few would write home about.
All in all, it’s just a bit boring. We don’t draft Toby types and I imagine Allen will be drafted in QS leagues, but his high hit rate merged with a likely dip in strikeouts will make for a frustrating experience unless he finds a rhythm early.
125. J.P. France (HOU, RHP)
The assumption is that France has the #5 SP spot above Urquidy entering the season, and if that holds, there’s value to be had. Despite France featuring four-seamers nearly 50% of the time and the pitch getting torched by batters on both sides of the plate, his secondaries make up plenty of the slack to keep his head afloat in a great situation for the Astros. RHBs are served cutters for a 70% strike rate that keep batters at bay, while sprinkling in a slider that carried a shockingly low 53% strike rate against those batters last season. Expect France to make the adjustment to not bounce as many slide pieces and get more out of the pitch to help stave off RHBs against his struggling heater.
LHBs get a different look of changeups and curveballs, each boasting a phenomenal sub 30% ICR. I adore France’s confidence in his changeup, frequently taking advantage of aggressive batters when behind in counts, while the curve’s sub 60% strike rate leaves me wanting a bit more from his best breaker.
France isn’t primed for a breakout campaign ahead of him. His four-seamer is far from a foundation to build upon, while his quartet of secondaries lacks the electricity needed to ascend the ranks, likely keeping his strikeout rate comfortably under 20%. However, the Astros provide all the benefits of potential Wins and solid defense that can turn France into a decent streaming play, if not a back-end option for 15-teamers in desperate need of volume.