SOMETHING WRONG WITH deGROM?

I’ve previously written about my concerns with the young Mets arm a couple of times, most recently in this Daily Trends piece with a focus on Steven Matz (more on him below). In that piece I also noted that Jacob deGrom still wasn’t quite up to the level of the expected as he was sitting at two miles per hour below his fastball velocity from last season. deGrom voiced some concern about his arm Sunday. "I'm still not feeling very comfortable on the mound," deGrom said. My front side is still not getting up where I want it to. But I kept us in that ballgame. That was my main goal. They say this is a pretty tough place to pitch, but overall I felt decent. "When I go out there, I go out there with what I've got…”

I don’t like that last comment much at all. The velocity just isn’t there this season and eventually that is going to become an issue. Right now his fastball is down 2.3 mph from last year at 92.6 according to PITCHf/x data. That’s a scary fall for a 27 year old. We haven’t seen it reflected in his 2.50 ERA or his 2.00 BB/9 rate, but look at what’s happened to his strikeout mark. As a rookie he struck out 9.24 batters per nine innings. Last year the mark jumped to 9.66 batters per nine as he struck out 205 batters. This season the mark has plummeted down to 5.75. Folks, he’s lost four strikeouts per nine this season. It’s only been six starts but that precipitous decline, both in velocity and strikeouts, should send up warning flags. deGrom has also seen his better than 12 percent swinging strike rate fall to 10.8 percent this season, which I admit, isn’t as much of a dip as I was expecting to find.

Not suggesting that deGrom can’t be effective at this level, he’s proving he certainly can, but if he’s not able to significantly boost his strikeout total his odds of finishing the year as a top-20 starter pitcher shrink measurably.

Speaking of Matz… sounds like his UCL is clean after nothing significant was found during his medical check-up. You can breathe a sigh of relief if you own Matz.

DAILY DIVE VIDEO

Danny Valencia is smoking hot at the plate. Giancarlo Stanton has holes in his game and they are starting to show. Evan Gattis returns from the minors ready to catch for the Astros. What does that do for his fantasy value? Check out the video.

CARRASCO TAKES HILL

Carlos Carrasco threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Monday. Sounds like it went off without a hitch. The next thing on the calendar is a two inning simulated game that is set for Thursday. There is hope that Carrasco, out since late April with a hamstring issue, could return to the big leagues by the end of the month if he can avoid a setback. A potential ace, though yet again, he’s proven incapable of throwing 200-innings.

WOOD ROUNDING INTO FORM

Alex Wood has a 1-3 record, 4.17 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. It’s better than it looks though with the lefty. In three of his last four starts, including the last two, he’s allowed one earned run. Over his last four starts he’s walked a total of four batters. Rounding into form is the funky one.

BIG-3 VIDEO

Fernando Rodney is off to a great start closing games for the Friars. Masahiro Tanaka keeps giving up runs. Kevin Gausman is off a great start for the O’s. Check out the video.

LINECUM TO ANGELS?

Too early to know for certain, but it sounds like Tim Lincecum will sign a major league deal with the Angels. It makes all the sense in the world. Lincecum, who grew up in Seattle, has appeared in the big leagues only with the Giants. Wanting to stay on the left coast, Lincecum also wanted a chance to start, something many teams simply weren’t interest in doing with The Freak. The Angels laundry list of injured starting pitchers is immense at this point which is likely why Lincecum chose to sign there: Tyler Skaggs (biceps), C.J. Wilson (shoulder), Andrew Heaney (elbow, potential Tommy John surgery), Garrett Richards (elbow, likely Tommy John surgery). Lincecum should get a chance to start, or at least attempt to show the Angels that he can, with all those injuries. The last time Lincecum, who is working his way back from hip surgery, posted an ERA under 4.13 was back in 2011 so it’s been a long while since he’s been fantasy relevant… a long time.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 7 PM EDT and Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 6 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).