Matt Bishop | September 9, 2019
STREAMER OF THE WEEK
Mitch Keller, SP PIT
(37% CBS, 4% ESPN, 9% Yahoo)
9/10: @ San Francisco Giants (69-74) 3rd in NL West
9/15: @ Chicago Cubs (76-66) 2nd in NL Central
I know this is cheap and a bit lazy being that I used Mitch Keller last week, but he was hit on the hand by a line drive in his outing on 9/03 and was forced to leave the game after only 1,2 innings and striking out 3 batters. This forced him to miss most of his first start and all of his second, but he is slotted back into the rotation and on track for Tuesday 9/10 and Sunday 9/15, so why not?
Firmly solidified as the Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect and ranked as the 25th best prospect in baseball, Mitch Keller carries an electric skill set and an array of plus offerings. But since his callup on 5/27, the results have been lack-luster, pitching to a butt clenching 8.62 ERA 1.98 WHIP. While his 11.86 K/9 is encouraging, Keller has never really been known for his control, which is evident from his 3.45 BB/9. This is slightly higher than his 2.83 BB/9 minor league career mark, but not terrible for his first exposure to major league hitters.
While Keller’s fastball is clearly hot garbage, his slider is an elite pitch carrying a 28.3% swinging strike rate, which is the 8th best mark in baseball (3rd best among starting pitchers). In fact, his slider is currently carrying a 43.3% strikeout rate, with a 36.7% K-BB%. Pair this with a 15.2% swinging strike rate on this curveball and opposing batters hitting .133 against the curve, the sky is the limit if he can get his fastball in order. If you are desperate for pitching, Mitch Keller should provide some solid ratios this week.
MUST START
Shane Bieber, SP CLE (@LAA, MIN)
Jacob deGrom, SP NYM (ARI, LAD)
Zack Greinke, SP HOU (OAK, @KC)
Aaron Nola, SP PHI (ATL, BOS)
SAFE START
Kyle Hendricks, SP CHC (@SD, PIT)
Madison Bumgarner, SP SF (PIT, MIA)
James Paxton, SP NYY (@BOS, @TOR)
Jose Berrios, SP MIN (WAS, @CLE)
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP BOS (NYY, @PHI)
Mike Fiers, SP OAK (@HOU, @TEX)
Max Fried, SP ATL (@PHI, @WAS)
Jose Quintana, SP CHC (@SD, PIT)
Wade Miley, SP HOU (OAK, @KC)
Lance Lynn, SP TEX (TB, OAK)
Trevor Bauer, SP CIN (@SEA, @ARI)
Ryan Yarbrough, RP TB (@TEX, @LAA)
Zack Wheeler, SP NYM (ARI, LAD)
Zac Gallen, SP ARI (@NYM, CIN)
Jordan Lyles, RP MIL (@MIA, @STL)
Mike Foltynewicz, SP ATL (@PHI, @WAS)
RISKY START
Anibal Sanchez, SP WAS (@MIN, ATL)
Trevor Williams, SP PIT (@SF, @CHC)
Merrill Kelly, SP ARI (@NYM, CIN)
Chase Anderson, SP MIL (@MIA, @STL)
Jakob Junis, SP KC (@CHW, HOU)
Cal Quantrill, SP SD (CHC, @COL)
Ivan Nova, SP CHW (KC, @SEA)
DON’T START
Michael Wacha, SP STL (@COL, MIL)
Johnny Cueto, SP SF (PIT, MIA)
Justus Sheffield, RP SEA (CIN, CHW)
Elieser Hernandez, RP MIA (MIL, @SF)
Patrick Sandoval, SP LAA (CLE, TB)
Robert Dugger, SP MIA (MIL, @SF)
Edwin Jackson, SP DET (NYY, BAL)
Ty Blach, RP BAL (LAD, @DET)
Chi Chi Gonzalez, SP COL (STL, SD)
T.J. Zeuch, SP TOR (BOS, NYY)
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