The Scorecard: 5 starting pitchers making waves in fantasy baseball

Few fantasy analysts can take the heat – and deliver it – like Dalton Del Don. He’ll bring his incredible fantasy baseball takes here every week to help you keep the fire burning in your leagues. And speaking of fire…

Go get Ben Brown now

Ben Brown had a dominant performance on the road on Tuesday when he recorded 10 strikeouts while holding a top-three Brewers offense (114 wRC+) hitless in seven innings; Shota Imanaga allowed more earned runs (seven) in Milwaukee the next day than he had in the previous nine starts (five) to start his MLB career.

Brown has recorded impressive strikeout numbers in the minors and has emerged as one of baseball’s most intriguing pitching prospects.

Brown has a 1.80 ERA (2.49 FIP) and a 0.90 WHIP in 30.0 innings as a starter this season with the Cubs compared to a 4.41 ERA and 1.35 WHIP as a reliever. Brown’s 19.3 K-BB% as a starter would rank in the top 25 among qualified SPs, and his CSW would be in the top 10. Brown’s control needs work like most young pitchers, but your ball % has shown real improvementand he takes second place SwStr% in the last month.

Brown only throws two pitches, but the knuckle bend can legitimately be the best pitch in baseball right now. Induced a ridiculous 50.4 Whiff% and an impressive 27% SwStr% while limiting both right-handed and left-handed.

Brown remains available in 68% of Yahoo leagues, in part because there is no guarantee he will remain in Chicago’s rotation when Jordan Wicks returns from the IL. But Brown will have another chance to impress in a favorable start at home against the Reds over the weekend, and he would be worth rostering in every fantasy league if his stay in the rotation becomes permanent. The Cubs have a terrible defenseso a pitcher who misses bats is needed in Chicago.

Brown has far more fantasy upside than most pitchers available on waiver wires.

Don’t Lose Hope by Michael King

Michael King had a strange year taking over as the full-time starter. He posted a 5.06 ERA and 1.39 WHIP at home, compared to a 3.43 ERA and 1.19 WHIP on the road – including starts at Coors Field and Cincinnati and an appearance during a game in Korea which totaled 26 races. Petco Park remains highly favorable for pitchersand King’s K% jumped to 31.4 at home, so his splits seem especially random.

Clashes have also been unpredictable regardless of location, as King has become one of only three pitchers holding the MLB’s best Dodgers offense scoreless in seven dominant innings (10 Ks) while on many fantasy benches during a game earlier this month; he was hit for six runs against the Rockies’ offense at Petco in his next at-bat.

Putting this all together, King’s transition to starter looks like a success, even if his stats don’t fully reflect it. In fact, his ERA (2.40) improved dramatically when facing lineups for the third time this season compared to the first (3.94) and second (4.29). And although his K% and BB% have taken a hit with the move to the rotation, King’s CSW (31.4) ranks seventh among all qualified starters this season.

King was unlucky at Petco Park and remains an emerging candidate.

Hunter Brown’s resurgence feels real

Hunter Brown was ruled out of most fantasy leagues after finishing April with a 9.78 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP, but he met preseason expectations since introducing a sinker in May. Brown has posted a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 29 Ks in five starts (26.1 innings) this month, and your new field is getting more ground balls. Brown’s 6.39 ERA comes with an MLB-high .353 BABIP and a 3.96 SIERA, and his once-tenuous position in Houston’s rotation is secure with Christian Javier (forearm) on the IL.

Brown looks like a different pitcher in May and is available in two-thirds of Yahoo leagues.

Patience can be a virtue with Blake Snell

Blake Snell has been a fantasy disaster thus far, owning a 10.42 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP without a win in five starts. He is unquestionably fought without the benefit of spring training, posting a career-low CSW (25.7%). But Snell’s velocity has been good, and his bloated ERA is accompanied by a 4.04 SIERA and a .414 BABIP that is more than 60 points higher than any qualified starter this season. His career BABIP is .292, and the Giants field one of the best defenses in the league (including the game’s main pitch creator), so Snell has been particularly unlucky with balls in play.

Snell has always been erratic and should improve when he finally gets a regular routine — he spent time on the injured and paternity lists following his delayed signing in San Francisco. He induced a lot of persecution during his last start against an elite Phillies offense, but Snell could become an even better buy-low candidate after his next start against a Yankees team that leads MLB in wRC+ (122). Oracle Park is Absolutely destroying the power this seasondropping home runs by an MLB-record 34%, but Snell’s HR/FB% (15.0) has been above his career mark (11.6%).

Regression is coming and fantasy managers are probably fed up with it.

Snell may be a rollercoaster, but there is still early fantasy top-10 upside in the future.

MacKenzie Gore is increasingly becoming an ace

MacKenzie Gore has a 2.19 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP with a 30:6 K:BB ratio in his last four starts (24.2 innings). Three of those four exits took place in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Fenway Park, so his escape became official. Gore somehow has a 2.91 ERA despite having the highest BABIP (.353) among all qualified starters, and his 3.07 SIERA is in the top 15, ahead of Cole Ragans, Zack Wheeler and Shota Imanaga. Pitching for the Nationals won’t help Gore rack up wins, but the former top three is becoming an ace despite a tough schedule.

Gore is becoming a top fantasy starter but is somehow available in 45% of Yahoo leagues.

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