Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Saturday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Twitch.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) vs DET (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 91 pitches.
I’m so thrilled to lead with Randy Vásquez today, who looked marvelous in a Win against the Tigers: 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 91 pitches. He flexed increased velocity in the spring and I was holding my breath to see if it would stick once he stretched out to 90+ pitches. We didn’t see quite the same bump we saw earlier at 96/97 mph throughout, but we did get 97 mph in the first before it tailed off to as low as 91.4 mph in the sixth, with his final heater at 93.5 mph. I’m willing to bet it’ll settle in at 96 mph on average for the outing by the time May rolls around.
But this isn’t just about the fastball. His other offerings saw a 2+ mph tick, while his cutter still has its improved movement that helped him go kitchen sink and churns outs. His curveball is looking HOT at 83/84 mph and 11″ of sweep at 5″ of depth (63% strikes), while the sweeper’s extra deop, the changeup’s fantastic 2.5″ of vert, and his ability to locate sinkers inside to RHB with elevated four-seamers to LHB is everything I want. Just throw those cutters for strikes in the zone as a stabalizing offering (and better than a 57% strike rate…), then mix in the heaters and breakers with some of those changeups and you have yourself a legit QS arm.
There’s still some questions here. Will Vásquez locate well enough across the season? Can he sustain the velocity and whiff marks? I want to lean toward yes without getting too hyped. In 12-teamers, he’s a good spec-add, but may run into trouble @BOS before a lovely @SEA and Rockie Road pair of outings. In 15-teamers, he should be an instant grab if he’s still out there. The velocity is here to stay and his 14% SwStr rate won’t shrivel to sub 10% levels.
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Mitch Keller (PIT) @ NYM (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 77 pitches.
Well well well, Keller has done some major tweaking. Four of his five main offerings – four-seamer, sinker, curve, change – have added a signficant amount of horizontal break, while the sweeper had some brilliant ones and a few wasted offerings. He also added three inches of vert on his four-seamer at the cost of 1-2 ticks of velocity, and I approve of this change, especially with far better command upstairs with the pitch. He’s suddenly removed himself from the deadzone fastball range to legit vert and legit ride fastballs, pairing them against RHB/LHB effectively, and I love the wide range of pitch movement he’s offering. Whoa. This is the coolest version of Keller I’ve seen and what’s particularly wild is the lack of slider in the mis. Sure, there was one at 86 mph, but I’m so curious if we’ll get a better breaker in there in time. Am I suddenly becoming a Keller fan…? WHAT IS THIS NEW WORLD.
Michael Wacha (KCR) @ ATL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 80 pitches.
Ohhhhh baby. You see an outing like this from Wacha and go straight to “his changeup was dope.” Nope. I mean, yes, it was dope (4/15 whiffs), but everything was dope. He returned nine whiffs between his four-seamer and cutter, and outperformed the changeup with his curve and slider via 4/13 whiffs combined. Even his eight sinkers were helpful. Pretty dang cool and seeing Wacha with a ton of success with his full arsenal is rarely seen. Huh. Makes me a little tempted to give it a spin against the Brewers next.
Michael McGreevy (STL) vs TBR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 96 pitches.
I’m sure this turned many heads, but I have to warn you: McGreevy sat roughly two ticks down on everything, sometimes more (2.5 on his cutter, over three on his sweeper), and he lost a ton of horizontal ride, too. This was Koufax being kind with a collection of well-located changeups and fastballs for a handful of punchouts. Oh, and the highly suspect Rays offense.
David Peterson (NYM) vs PIT (ND) – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 76 pitches.
He’s throwing two ticks softer, but he’s gained legit drop on both his sinker and changeup, with the latter landing perfectly just under the zone to RHB. There’s a lot of movement variability at the moment, though, which is a sign that Peterson’s feel isn’t super locked in, but this is a lovely outing that would have been extended to six frames if not the first game of his season.
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) @ LAD (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 79 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! It’s no easy feat taking down the Dodgers and Rodriguez killed it with changeups teasing RHB down + effective cutters away to LHB. He massively reduced his four-seamer usage in favor slowballs to RHB, and sinkers + cutters to LHB, and I’m here for that. If he can continue spotting like this and leaning into fewer four-seamer that he can save as a surprise pitch upstairs, he’ll be a strong Toby arm once again.
Jacob Latz (TEX) @ PHI (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 68 pitches.
We expected Latz in this rotation, then Rocker swooped in for whatever reason. However, deGrom woke up with a stiff neck and was scratched (not sure if he’ll start this week), and Latz spun four lovely frames in his stead. The slider was fantastic to LHB and the heater had its stellar vert, though he was down to 92/93 mph (not 94/95) and his changeup went 1/7 strikes. He’s the obvious next arm if the Rangers need to fill a rotation spot, but I’d wait until he’s stretched out with a few starts in a locked spot before chasing him.
Reynaldo López (ATL) vs KCR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 77 pitches.
Wow. ReyLó was featuring absurdly low velocity in spring and I guess he was saving bullets…? He left the game after throwing just one pitch in the seventh – a 92.1 mph fastball to Salvy who blasted it over the wall – for a Careful, Icarus and a little worry about the velo dip, but we often do see lower velocity in the first pitch of a frame. This is strange. I really don’t understand why he was in the mid-to-high 80s in spring. There’s ramping up and then there’s hiding an injury. Anyway, the actual quality of his arsenal isn’t giving me a ton of hype – it’s 94/95 mph with good vert and a generally flat attack angle, but the slider change and curve are mediocre and cannot find strikes. I’m still out.
Dylan Cease (TOR) vs ATH (ND) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 12 Ks – 24 Whiffs, 43% CSW, 90 pitches.
We didn’t know what we were going to get and hot dang, there are many fantasy managers out there who feel absurdly smart right now. That’s a Golden Goal for Cease with upped velocity and increased vert and more cut on his four-seamer, to absurd 20″ vert levels at 98/99 mph. He also somehow figured out how to perfectly spot his slider, and land his sinker inside to RHB. He’s also featuring a new changeup that confounds LHB when executed, but is likely going to frustrate.
Will Warren (NYY) @ SFG (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 83 pitches.
Ehhhhh. I’m super glad to see the velo up to 94/95 mph and more sinkers inside to RHB, but why is he still throwing over 70% fastballs? Because he didn’t get a single whiff on sixteen secondaries. How is that happening?! It blows my mind. Welp, at least the four-seamer still gets whiffs and the Marlins are next. We keep going.
Chad Patrick (MIL) vs CHW (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 74 pitches.
That looks like a proper Chaddy Paddy outing. Not super long, decent ERA, questionable WHIP, and a strikeout per inning. He’s essentially Rasmussen-lite.
Taj Bradley (MIN) @ BAL (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 92 pitches.
Of course Fast watched Bradley as he faced the Orioles and he could not stop texting me about Bradley’s stuff. I agree with him – the four-seamer was up a tick to 97/98 mph with an inch more vert + 2″ more cut, while the cutter is looking more like a proper gyro slider at 87 mph and the splitter has found more consistent depth. The problem? He needed 92 pitches to get bounced in the fifth. This was mostly a product of a messy first frame that required 33 pitches, and yet, that’s Bradley. He’s destined to have these glorious starts where he can locate at the corners with his fastball and find low splitters + get his curveball over the plate enough for strikes. I don’t believe he’s suddenly fixed everything, but sure, there are far worse spec-adds to make right now with a date against his former squad ahead vs. Tampa Bay.
Cade Horton (CHC) vs WSN (W) – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 75 pitches.
The heater was up, the changeup was down, and the sweeper got whiffs with sinkers landing inside. This is the Horton I wanted to see. Now with a 17″ vert, -1.5″ cut four-seamer! That’s actually really cool. I hope he can get just a touch further inside to lHB with that heater (currently the inside half not third).
Bryan Woo (SEA) vs CLE (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 83 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. A bit of Careful, Icarus with both runs scoring in the sixth, marking the only blemish on a gorgeous performance. The fact that this was mostly against LHB, which forced him to throw just ten sinkers and 71% four-seamers is kinda hilarious.
Tyler Glasnow (LAD) vs ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 90 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Of course he’s still getting Win burned, because we can’t have nice things. The slider is still a little off – 0/14 whiffs with 57% strikes – but that’ll come in time.
Joe Boyle (TBR) @ STL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 75 pitches.
Seriously?! That’s a Gold Star for Boyle, who not only went six with just two earned runs in his limited pitch count, but also returned zero walks. Whoa. You can thank the super high 73% strike rate on his slider, which came in two ticks slower as a likely sacrifice for better command and a little extra movement. He’s going to continue in this rotation now and I have to ask, are you cool with this? You didn’t get the overwhelming strikeout marks, which means you’re likely making this play banking on the strike rates staying high without a ton of damage against better offenses. I’m still very hesitant to chase this, but then again, it’s the Twins next. Welp, here I go starting Boyle again…
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) @ TOR (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches.
That’s good enough for sunshine and rainbows, where Springs flexed not only an improved fastball (a tick harder, more ride, and nearly 2″ extra vert) but also a heightened reliance on his cutter. The latter was far from effective, though the changeup did its job to RHB and the heater avoided a ton of damage. He faced mostly RHB (to his benefit) and I still would want him to have a sinker for LHB. There may be some value here on the road, but you know me. This isn’t a pickup I love.
Kyle Bradish (BAL) vs MIN (L) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 83 pitches.
That fifth inning was rough. I’m a little worried about the giant velocity drop from 95 mph to 91/92 mph in the fifth frame, where he allowed a walk and two-run shot for his sole two earned runs (one unearned in the fourth). The slider was located well overall, but lacked the whiffability we normally see given its lower velocity (85/86, not 87/88), and the curve was the main whiff pitch to LHB, but didn’t carry over much to RHB. I should mention the cold weather yesterday that could have been a factor, too, and I’m going to hand-wave it for now.
Jack Flaherty (DET) @ SDP (L) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 89 pitches.
Blegh. I don’t see anything to latch onto here. At least the velo was up to 94 mph, but just 3/35 whiffs on his slider and curveball combined is not it. Especially not the 23% strike rate on curveballs. Yikes.
Tyler Mahle (SFG) vs NYY (L) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 80 pitches.
We didn’t expect this one to go well given the opponent, however, Mahle sat 92+ mph and that’s awesome. It’s a tough schedule early for the Giants (NYM, PHI, @CIN next for Mahle) and I wouldn’t suggest grabbing him for this stretch, but as long as that velocity is still there, I’ll be snatching him when the matchups get better.
Joey Cantillo (CLE) @ SEA (ND) – 3.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 91 pitches.
Womp womp. The bane of Cantillo has always been his command and the four-seamer + changeup could not get it done, each featuring a strike rate comfortably below 60%. The slider stepped up against LHB and sprinkled in against RHB for 43% CSW overall, and we should be happy the ERA wasn’t destroyed. Don’t forget about this volatility when considering Cantillo in the future.
Eury Pérez (MIA) vs COL (ND) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 93 pitches.
Tovar homered. It was a two-run shot and I still can’t believe that was the biggest stain of this game. Well, that and a 20% strike rate on his changeup (2/10 thrown) and a ghastly 39% clip across 18 sliders. Gotta get that in check, Eury.
Aaron Nola (PHI) vs TEX (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 91 pitches.
It’s as if Nola can’t decide if it’s an even year or not. Do I treat it like the year that we’re experiencing or the ones that have passed? I dunno man, just stop allowing HRs, which could have been prevented if you didn’t throw a fastball to Corey Seager in the location that spawned an entire stat named after him (SEAGER). Or doubling up on curveballs to Burger after getting away on a front-door hook for strike one. That second one was even meatier than the first. It’s the little things, y’all. Otherwise, we’re all good here, including a 20.4″ ride sinker and extra two-plane on his four-seamer. Yes, that’s dumb in the best way. No, he’s not jamming RHB inside with it. Is that dumb, too? YES IT IS.
Reid Detmers (LAA) @ HOU (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 95 pitches.
I wish I saw more than four-seamer/slider from Detmers – especially against a RHB-heavy Astros lineup – and we got 82% of the main combo, with scattered curves, splitters, and sinkers. Yes, he’ll get whiffs with the slider piece, and likely do better when getting the chance to feast on LHB, but I can’t endorse this without a stronger third pitch or a four-seamer at 93/94 mph (even if he added an extra inch of vert and goes upstairs constantly). The splitter is not the answer. You already knew that.
Michael Lorenzen (COL) @ MIA (ND) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 93 pitches.
He’s an innings eater. That means he has a shot to go 5-6 on any given night, with a decent chance of something salvageable against weak lineups. Tonight wasn’t one of those nights.
Sean Burke (CHW) @ MIL (L) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 91 pitches.
Nothing to write home about here. There’s always potential with Burke, but he needs to be 95/96, not 93/94, feature better command with his slider, and likely have a different #3 pitch than his giant 79 mph curve that is only good for some called strikes.
Brady Singer (CIN) vs BOS (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 74 pitches.
For those hoping for more from Singer, I beg you to find another hill. Like Rich? If only. He’s 1-2 ticks down (could be early rust) and doing the same sinker/sweeper thing of old. The cutter exists and isn’t what you want it to be. He’s so blegh.
Sonny Gray (BOS) @ CIN (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 80 pitches.
Bleeeegh. He was so locked in during his final tune-up and it was frustrating to watch him struggle to find the feel for his sweeper. You signed up for this, just get back on the horse and keep letting him fly.
Miles Mikolas (WSN) @ CHC (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 97 pitches.
Do not walk a mile in his shoes. It’ll be Miles.
Cristian Javier (HOU) vs LAA (ND) – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 74 pitches.
Oh look, it’s Javier having poor control. More at eleven. You’re best off avoiding him completely until we see something sustainable in the arsenal. I’ll let you know when that comes.
Game of the Day
Anthony Kay vs. Brandon Sproat – I have high hopes for both of these arms (Sproat moreso) and I’m excited to see if they can pull it off.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
