Similar to Pineda, Matt Shoemaker is throwing the ball really well, but the fantasy community has yet to appreciate it fully. Despite posting a 3.71 SIERA, which ranks fourth in the American League, Shoemaker is owned in exactly half of Yahoo leagues.
With Shoemaker, his incredible May breakout seemed too good to be true, but he's proved he's the real deal.
After allowing hitters to mash to the tune of a .412 wOBA through April, Shoemaker limited the opposition to wOBAs of .241 and .296, respectively, over May and June.
There's nothing fluky going on, either.
| Pitcher | Swinging-Strike Rate |
|---|---|
| Clayton Kershaw | 16.10% |
| Noah Syndergaard | 15.30% |
| Max Scherzer | 15.20% |
| Jose Fernandez | 14.90% |
| Michael Pineda | 13.90% |
| Matt Shoemaker | 13.90% |
| David Price | 12.60% |
| Cole Hamels | 12.30% |
| Drew Pomeranz | 11.70% |
| Corey Kluber | 11.70% |
That's some darn good company.
Shoemaker is whiffing batters at an elite rate, following up his dazzling 29.0% strikeout rate in May with a 27.3% whiff rate in June. His 13.9% swinging-strike rate is befitting of an elite pitcher.
Overall, Shoemaker is sporting a 23.7% strikeout rate and 5.1% walk rate.
There's really no good reason for Shoemaker to be viewed as anything other than a very good pitcher. That's what he's been this season, and that's what his peripherals say he'll be moving forward.