Is titled 2021 fantasy baseball season, There was a lot of debate about how to draft pitching starts. Do you draft early and catch the aces, or can you wait and build a solid rotation with the pitcher from the third or fourth tier?
As it is today, both decisions were correct. Gerrit Cole and Jacob DeGrom have been phenomenal, while the likes of Carlos Rodan and John Means have already resorted to a no-hitter for their teams. There are, of course, exceptions, but for the most part, pitching has been strong across the board, and there are still many untouched starter sitting on your wire wire.
Remember when Kevin Gausman was working in Baltimore as a punching bag for Eli East? His move to Pittsburgh was a big failure, but landing in San Francisco, a 30-year-old right-hander, has been a revelation. Well, there must be something in the waters of the Bay Area, as Gausman has been included by Anthony Declafani as the latest success story in reinvention projects by the Giants.
Crafted by the Marlins in 2014, Disclafney spent the majority of his professional career slapping at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. He missed all in 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and appeared to be back on track until the 2020 season, when he split up and posted a 7.22 ERA in just 33 ₃ / ings. He signed with the Giants at Offsen and did not look back.
Veteran pitching coach Kurt Young helped DeKlafani change his pitch mix, increasing his use of both taxballs and changeups and demanding that veteran strikes pound to pound. Relying on a pitch-friendly home ballpark has certainly helped. Declafani is also throwing more pitch-strikes than ever before and overtaking the hitter in the count more often. The results speak for themselves, with more than six starts this season with his 2.00 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
DeSclafani is not the only person enjoying a strong start available on your waiver wire. Athletics leftie Cole Irwin made about two starts to start the season and everyone started ignoring him. In his last four overs, however, Irwin has not allowed more than two runs in a game and has a 29–3 strike-walk rate in that 25 over / ₃-inning period.
You have a lot of atomizer available right now. It is just a matter of doing some digging. Royals lefty Danny Duffy, Dylan Cage of the White Sox and JT Bruker of the Pirates are all waiting for you. Make moves and strengthen your rotation.
Howard Bender is VP of Operations and Head of Content FantasyAlmer.com. Follow her on twitter @rotobuzzguy And go to catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on SiriusXM fantasy sports channel from 6-8 pm FantasyAlmer.com For all your fantasy baseball advice.
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