Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers Primed to Improve Their Strikeout Rates

Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays

ERA: 5.01 (83rd)

Swinging-Strike Rate: 13.4% (16th)

The 2018 season has not been a fun one so far for Chris Archer.

Through 59 1/3 innings, Archer has kept his walks in check with a 7.5% walk rate, and his swinging-strike rate has been extremely healthy. The biggest culprit in Archer's inflated ERA is his 1.37 HR/9 rate, which if sustained over the course of a full season would be the highest mark of his career. He certainly isn't helping a ton of staffs from an ERA or WHIP (1.35) perspective either, as they both represent high-water marks for his career as well.

On top of the increase in home-run balls, Archer may be a little unlucky, too. He's dropped his fly-ball rate from 36.0% to 34.3%, resulting in a home run-to-fly-ball rate of 15.0%, nearly three points above his career average (12.1%).

Factoring in a 16.5% soft-contact mark -- up 3.2% points from last year -- Archer could be in for a rebound very soon.