Start: September 18th at San Diego Padres
ESPN ownership: 31.8%
What a difference a year makes. At this point in 2017, Derek Holland looked like he was throwing batting practice, coughing up an 8.93 ERA in 43.1 second-half innings for the Chicago White Sox.
Flash forward to 2018, and Holland is one of the unlikeliest reclamation projects in baseball, quietly weaving a 2.35 ERA across 57.1 since the break for the San Francisco Giants, with a 23.8% season-long strikeout rate that would mark a career best.
Holland has been fantasy Kryptonite for years, which likely explains why his ownership remains depressed despite his excellent recent results. And while a 3.47 fielding independent pitching (FIP) may hint that Holland is throwing a little over his head during this post-break run, he shouldn't have much trouble dispatching the Padres, particularly not when visiting the most pitcher-friendly park in the bigs.