MLB
Fantasy Baseball: 5 Under-the-Radar Pitchers to Target in 2017
Here's a look at some pitchers -- like Jon Gray -- who threw well in the second half and may be undervalued in 2017 drafts.

Eduardo Rodriguez, P, Boston Red Sox

ESPN Ownership: 34%

Eduardo Rodriguez quietly had a really great second half -- at least as quiet as any Boston Red Sox player can have -- as he was 15th in strikeout rate after the break (9.2 K/9) with an acceptable walk rate (3.2 BB/9) and solid 3.24 ERA.

One thing that might be a bit worrisome is that Rodriguez became extremely fly-ball reliant in a park where that might not fly -- um, pun unintended? -- for a left-hander. It didn’t bite him too badly this year as he had no discernible split (.318 wOBA for left-handed hitters, .312 for righties).

Rodriguez clearly has a plan in place here. This year he attacked lefties with sinkers and sliders, with righties seeing more four-seam fastballs and changeups. Not throwing same-side changeups can be a pretty typical thing for pitchers, but what’s important here is that he went through a fairly substantial sample size -- 107 innings this year -- and wasn’t ripped by righties. In fact for what it’s worth, righties have hit just .239/.306/.389 against him in his career (.302 wOBA), and that’s a span of nearly 230 innings -- a pretty significant amount.

Prev Next

Related News

MLB Betting Guide for Friday 8/11/23: The Wrong Team Is Favored at Fenway Park

Austin Swaim  --  Oct 13th, 2016

3 MLB Player Prop Bets to Target on Friday 8/11/23

Thomas Vecchio  --  Oct 13th, 2016

MLB Betting Guide for Thursday 8/10/23: 3 Unders on a Slate with Dodgy Weather

Austin Swaim  --  Oct 13th, 2016