MLB
10 Fantasy Baseball Players to Buy and Sell for Week 8
Brandon Belt is red-hot and has 11 dingers already, but he's never hit more than 18 jacks in a season. How should you handle him in season-long leagues?

Sell Jeremy Hellickson

The Washington Nationals have gotten a much-needed boost from veteran right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. In six starts (32.2 innings), he has a 2.20 ERA, 2.80 FIP and a 3.29 xFIP -- all terrific numbers. Opponents are hitting a mere .198 against him, and with a WHIP of 0.86, he's walking almost no one this season (4.1% walk rate).

That's all great, and Hellickson has had good seasons in the past. In 2016 with the Philadelphia Phillies, he pitched 189 innings and put up a 3.71 ERA in 32 starts with a 20.0% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. However, last year, he was one of the worst pitchers in baseball, posting a 13.8% strikeout rate, 5.43 ERA and 5.77 FIP.

Even if Hellickson is able to replicate the season he had two years ago, the results he's shown thus far are certainly unsustainable. He doesn't strike out a lot of guys out (21.5% strikeout rate this year), and his .198 batting average allowed is boosted by an unsustainably-low BABIP of .239.

Use this incredible start by Hellickson to find a buyer now before the regression kicks in.

Prev Next

Related News

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers to Stream in Week 8

Tom Whalen  --  May 21st, 2018

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Week 8

Matt Kupferle  --  May 21st, 2018

Daily Fantasy Baseball: Positive Batted-Ball Regression Candidates for Week 8

Tom Whalen  --  May 21st, 2018