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Well, it’s not a full slate of games, but still we’ve got 12 on the docket and that means we’ve got a good number of pitchers to sift through. Fortunately, we’ve got a nice mix of aces and upside plays, so let’s just get to the numbers and from there, I’ll make my selections. Keep in mind, we are still using 2015 totals here as one or two starts at the beginning of the season still doesn’t tell the full story of a pitcher’s capabilities or, in some cases, deficiencies.
| vs L | vs R | |||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Team | Hand | H/A | Opp | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | AVG | ERA | xFIP | WHIP | GB% | FB% | GB/FB | wOBA | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
| Stephen Strasburg | WAS | R | H | ATL | 127.1 | 10.96 | 1.84 | 0.99 | 0.233 | 3.46 | 2.69 | 1.11 | 42.2% | 34.3% | 1.23 | 0.255 | 0.317 | $11,200 | $11,300 | $7,000 |
| Chris Archer | TB | R | H | CLE | 212.0 | 10.70 | 2.80 | 0.81 | 0.219 | 3.23 | 3.01 | 1.14 | 46.1% | 33.9% | 1.36 | 0.267 | 0.278 | $11,000 | $11,400 | $6,900 |
| Cole Hamels | TEX | L | H | BAL | 212.1 | 9.11 | 2.63 | 0.93 | 0.235 | 3.65 | 3.40 | 1.19 | 47.7% | 31.4% | 1.52 | 0.290 | 0.294 | $10,200 | $10,600 | $7,200 |
| Gerrit Cole | PIT | R | H | DET | 208.0 | 8.74 | 1.90 | 0.48 | 0.235 | 2.60 | 3.16 | 1.09 | 48.0% | 29.6% | 1.62 | 0.266 | 0.283 | $9,500 | $10,500 | $7,000 |
| Danny Salazar | CLE | R | A | TB | 185.0 | 9.49 | 2.58 | 1.12 | 0.224 | 3.45 | 3.48 | 1.13 | 43.9% | 37.4% | 1.17 | 0.310 | 0.279 | $9,200 | $11,000 | $6,550 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | NYY | R | A | TOR | 154.1 | 7.06 | 2.86 | 0.58 | 0.282 | 4.20 | 3.81 | 1.45 | 52.2% | 26.0% | 2.01 | 0.345 | 0.290 | $9,100 | $7,300 | $5,900 |
| Jordan Zimmermann | DET | R | A | PIT | 201.2 | 7.32 | 1.74 | 1.07 | 0.260 | 3.66 | 3.82 | 1.20 | 42.0% | 36.2% | 1.16 | 0.336 | 0.270 | $8,700 | $8,300 | $6,500 |
| Jaime Garcia | STL | L | H | MIL | 129.2 | 6.73 | 2.08 | 0.42 | 0.222 | 2.43 | 3.36 | 1.05 | 61.2% | 22.3% | 2.74 | 0.282 | 0.248 | $8,600 | $9,700 | $5,800 |
| Ian Kennedy | KC | R | A | HOU | 168.1 | 9.30 | 2.78 | 1.66 | 0.254 | 4.28 | 3.70 | 1.30 | 38.5% | 38.7% | 0.99 | 0.356 | 0.338 | $8,200 | $8,300 | $6,100 |
| Marcus Stroman | TOR | R | H | NYY | 27.0 | 6.00 | 2.00 | 0.67 | 0.208 | 1.67 | 3.34 | 0.96 | 64.1% | 17.9% | 3.57 | 0.235 | 0.280 | $8,100 | $9,000 | $6,250 |
| Raisel Iglesias | CIN | R | A | CHC | 95.1 | 9.82 | 2.64 | 1.04 | 0.225 | 4.15 | 3.28 | 1.14 | 47.2% | 31.9% | 1.48 | 0.332 | 0.271 | $8,100 | $8,700 | $6,400 |
| Jason Hammel | CHC | R | H | CIN | 170.2 | 9.07 | 2.11 | 1.21 | 0.238 | 3.74 | 3.47 | 1.16 | 38.3% | 37.2% | 1.03 | 0.301 | 0.309 | $7,900 | $7,900 | $6,000 |
| Julio Teheran | ATL | R | A | WAS | 200.2 | 7.67 | 3.27 | 1.21 | 0.248 | 4.04 | 4.19 | 1.31 | 39.5% | 36.2% | 1.09 | 0.386 | 0.257 | $7,800 | $8,800 | $6,250 |
| Ross Stripling | LAD | R | H | ARI | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7,600 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Vince Velasquez | PHI | R | H | SD | 55.2 | 9.38 | 3.40 | 0.81 | 0.240 | 4.37 | 4.15 | 1.28 | 31.3% | 46.7% | 0.67 | 0.287 | 0.349 | $7,400 | $7,300 | $5,400 |
| Chris Tillman | BAL | R | A | TEX | 173.0 | 6.24 | 3.33 | 1.04 | 0.262 | 4.99 | 4.58 | 1.39 | 43.5% | 35.4% | 1.23 | 0.309 | 0.353 | $7,000 | $6,800 | $6,050 |
| Ervin Santana | MIN | R | H | CHW | 108.0 | 6.83 | 3.00 | 1.00 | 0.249 | 4.00 | 4.42 | 1.30 | 40.9% | 37.6% | 1.09 | 0.346 | 0.286 | $6,900 | $8,100 | $6,000 |
| Doug Fister | HOU | R | H | KC | 103.0 | 5.50 | 2.10 | 1.22 | 0.286 | 4.19 | 4.46 | 1.40 | 44.6% | 34.1% | 1.31 | 0.317 | 0.368 | $6,700 | $5,700 | $5,250 |
| Mat Latos | CHW | R | A | MIN | 116.1 | 7.74 | 2.48 | 1.01 | 0.260 | 4.95 | 3.69 | 1.31 | 43.9% | 31.9% | 1.38 | 0.344 | 0.298 | $6,300 | $7,600 | $5,750 |
| Robbie Ray | ARI | L | A | LAD | 127.2 | 8.39 | 3.45 | 0.63 | 0.248 | 3.52 | 4.03 | 1.33 | 43.3% | 34.6% | 1.25 | 0.309 | 0.321 | $6,200 | $8,600 | $5,350 |
| Drew Pomeranz | SD | L | A | PHI | 86.0 | 8.58 | 3.24 | 0.84 | 0.220 | 3.66 | 3.89 | 1.19 | 42.2% | 36.3% | 1.16 | 0.200 | 0.326 | $6,000 | $6,700 | $5,400 |
| Jorge De La Rosa | COL | L | H | SF | 149.0 | 8.09 | 3.93 | 1.03 | 0.242 | 4.17 | 3.84 | 1.36 | 52.0% | 27.3% | 1.90 | 0.293 | 0.328 | $5,700 | $5,600 | $5,500 |
| Matt Cain | SF | R | A | COL | 60.2 | 6.08 | 2.97 | 1.78 | 0.287 | 5.79 | 4.94 | 1.50 | 35.8% | 40.3% | 0.89 | 0.404 | 0.357 | $5,700 | $6,000 | $5,450 |
| Wily Peralta | MIL | R | A | STL | 108.2 | 4.97 | 3.06 | 1.16 | 0.297 | 4.72 | 4.57 | 1.54 | 51.6% | 28.4% | 1.82 | 0.376 | 0.349 | $5,100 | $6,200 | $5,750 |
Stephen Strasburg, WAS – Well damn, if Tanner Roark can look like an ace against the Braves, why can’t Strasburg? Pushed off due to an illness does concern me that he won’t have his best stuff, but these Braves are bad.
Cole Hamels, TEX – Last season, Hamels posted a 1.52 GB/FB. This season, through his first two starts, it’s at 2.88. The Orioles have a 43.2-percent ground ball rate heading in and that total could jump significantly. Add to it the O’s 23.6-percent strikeout rate and this looks like a nice time to use Hamels.
Danny Salazar, CLE – Matching up Salazar’s strikeout rate to the Rays’ 25.3-percent fan rate is a big part of this match-up. The fact that the Rays have posted just a .284 wOBA against righties and don’t hit for a high amount of power. If the Tribe can get to Chris Archer early, Salazar may just shut the Rays down for the win.
Chris Archer, TB – Facing Salazar is going to make it tough to grab the win, but Archer’s strikeout potential against the Tribe’s near 30-percent K-rate is going to grab him some real nice points even if he doesn’t land the win. The Indians are not a reliable or strong-hitting team, so expect a low-scoring affair and hope the Ks are enough.
Ervin Santana, MIN – The White Sox may not be a high-strikeout team, but their .271 wOBA, their .092 ISO and their 24th-ranked 72 wRC+ indicate a team struggling to produce runs or hit for any real power. The home start should definitely benefit Santana, but the lack of run support is going to make it tough to grab the win.
Jason Hammel, CHC – The Reds offense is having some trouble getting consistent production as evidenced by John Lackey’s easy victory yesterday. They’ve got just a .284 wOBA against right-handers with an awful 68 wRC+ and 22.3-percent strikeout rate. Hammel should post solid numbers for a low-cost option in cash games.
Vince Velasquez, PHI – It’s going to be a battle as Velasquez squares off against a weak-hitting Padres lineup that sports a 26.4-percent strikeout rate and .264 wOBA versus right-handers but isn’t likely to see much in the way of run support. It’d be nice to grab the W, but his strikeout upside makes him a solid GPP play.
Drew Pomeranz, SD – If Pomeranz can just keep pounding that strike zone early, the Phillies are going to see their 33.3-percent K-rate against lefties exposed and he just might be able to go a little deeper in to the game this time. The Phillies are a weak-hitting team with a pitiful .215 wOBA versus southpaws, so look for Pomeranz to come out ahead of them.
Mat Latos, CHW – Time to throw a dart, huh? Well, the run support might not be great but he may not need much facing a questionable offense like the Twins. Their 31.7-percent strikeout rate makes Latos a possibility as he could punch out a few more than usual and potentially stymie a number of bats. I’m not in love with him, but his salary should make it easy for you to stockpile big bats.
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