As we head into the second half of the fantasy baseball season, securing reliable starting pitching is usually the difference between a deep playoff run and an early exit. While most managers are frantically overpaying for big names on the trade market, the real edge lies in identifying under-the-radar arms poised for a massive statistical correction. We're looking at three starting pitchers who are primed to take a massive leap down the stretch. Whether they are already putting up rock-solid numbers despite carrying some of the worst batted-ball luck in the majors, or they're the latest high-whiff beneficiaries of a legendary organizational pitching lab, these arms represent the perfect, high-upside targets to anchor your rotation for the fantasy playoffs. 

Before fully diving into the article, how about checking out the three position players poised for a second-half fantasy breakout!

Things Could Get WAY Better...They’re Already Good, too

Cade Cavalli (SP, WAS)

You would think a pitcher sporting Cade Cavalli’s numbers this year would be highly rostered at this point, and yet he’s available in over 60% of Yahoo! Fantasy leagues. Cavalli has good seasonal numbers, and yet he’s one of the league’s most unlucky pitchers. 

Cavalli has pitched to a 3.83 ERA and has a 10 K/9 this year while generating a 48% groundball rate. Despite all that, it could be better because he’s allowed a .343 BABIP, and the league average is around .300. Amongst all pitchers that have thrown at least 75 innings, Cavalli’s BABIP is the third worst in all of baseball.

We’re talking about a pitcher with eight quality starts, misses bats, gets a lot of ground ball outs, and has frankly been a little bit unlucky. It’s possible Cavalli could end up a front-line starter for your fantasy baseball team down the stretch of the season.

 

 

 

Invest in the Brewers Pitching Lab Before It’s Too Late

Logan Henderson (SP, MIL)

There’s a lot going on with the Milwaukee Brewers' pitching staff right about now, and we just do not have a lot of answers about how it’s going to impact things for the long term. Kyle Harrison has hit the injured list with an elbow issue, and Jacob Misiorowski is facing arm fatigue. Pour one out for Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder as well.

Henderson’s only pitched 28.1 innings at the big league level this year, but it’s been incredibly impressive, and with all of the injuries around him, he’s not going anywhere but to the mound every fifth day. Henderson sits at a 10.8 K/9 and just 2.2 BB/9. He has elite control and misses a boatload of bats as he’s currently sporting a robust 13.3% SwStr. That number leads me to believe the strikeouts aren’t going anywhere. 

Shane Drohan (SP, MIL)

The Brewers churn out plus starters like butter, and it looks like Shane Drohan is going to be another trophy on the mantle for Milwaukee. Drohan heads into the second half coming off two straight quality starts and was one out away from three, dating back to the Cincinnati start. Drohan sits at nearly 9 K/9 and a 23% K-rate on the year. That should continue to tick up, too, considering his 12.2% SwStr he’s notched this season.
 

The three notable things here are how much he gets opponents to chase, how many whiffs he gets, and how few strikeouts come from them. These three things typically correlate, and the chase and whiffs are a good sign for what’s to come! Go out and add Drohan where you can!