Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Monday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Twitch weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Andrew Abbott (CIN) vs MIL (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 105 pitches.
We had another fun MLB debut on Monday with Andrew Abbott getting his shot at the majors after earning 90 strike outs in just 53 innings across Double-A and Triple-A this season and those who trusted him for the stream were heavily rewarded with a Win against Milwaukee via 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 105 pitches. Four walks? Yeah, let’s talk about that.
First, MLB debuts are weird and you can’t trust what you see, especially regarding control. Jitters are a real thing (it’s almost like they are human) and it’s rare for young pitchers to be at their peaks in their debuts.
Pitching against the Brewers is also a factor – you’d see at-bats go the pitcher’s ways that you shouldn’t trust to happen against typical lineups (I’m looking at you, Matthew Liberatore). Then you throw in the horrible camera angle in Cincinnati and I found myself perpetually throwing my arms up into the air trying to decipher what I was watching. Here’s the best I’ve got:
He leans mostly four-seamer/curveball and the fastball seems to play up despite its middling 93 mph velocity from the left side. The curve has promise as a whiff pitch, but it’s more as a called strike offering. There is a sweeper that he failed to execute (4/10 strikes), while the changeup had a moment or two, but wasn’t a pitch to be relied upon. This start felt a bit fortunate across the board.
That said, I love the fact he tossed 105 pitches in his MLB debut, giving him the ability to go six strong. I love the trio of velocity bands between his heater, change, and curve (you could even say his slider is a fourth!), and I wonder if that will flourish into a legit 3/4 pitch mix.
So let’s throw all the control issues out of the way and wonder if this plays against the Cardinals. I’ll say that it very well could – it’ll come down to how good that four-seamer actually is. He didn’t spot it well in this one, but maybe it plays in the upper third and the curve can be trusted to keep batters honest. Or maybe he doesn’t find the control in his second MLB start and heads back down to the minors after (they called him up to give Hunter Greene extra rest, after all). He’s not a lock like the Millers, but there’s Logan Allen in him with higher strikeout upside. I wonder what we’ll get.
Let’s see how every other SP did Monday:
Martín Pérez (TEX) vs STL (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 88 pitches.
I think the Cardinals really are that rough these days, but give props to Pérez nailing his changeup in this one, feasting on the Cards and plowing through seven frames. Like a roll of toothpaste on its last legs, Pérez still has it. Please avoid the Rays and Jays next, k thx.
Aaron Nola (PHI) vs DET (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 12 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 108 pitches.
For everyone upset about Nola’s last start, I hope this gives you some easy sleep for the next few weeks. His four-seamer was dominant at 52% CSW and 10/44 whiffs, catalyzing his Gallows Pole and I wonder if it’s the start of a legit shift toward more four-seamers over sinkers. It does have an xAVG under 100 points on the sinker…
Blake Snell (SD) vs CHC (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 109 pitches.
The curve wasn’t there, the slider was decent, and the changeup was unreal at 10/35 whiffs as the fastball was incredibly unreliable. For those waiting for the OH SNAP THERE HE IS moment, we’re not there yet. Be very careful with Coors + Tampa Bay next.
Carlos Hernández (KC) @ MIA (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 48% CSW, 23 pitches.
Carlos opened for Mike Mayers, who I pulled down in my streaming rankings this morning as I realized the floor wasn’t as high as we thought and I feel like I jinxed the man as he went 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. Yikes. He didn’t have the same slider we saw against the Tigers and Cardinals and the Marlins punished him for it. So it goes. I don’t think we return to this one.
Shane McClanahan (TB) @ BOS (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 92 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. His slider has woken up and that’s a terrifyingly exciting thing.
JP Sears (OAK) @ PIT (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 112 pitches.
Sears walked plenty early in this one, then settled down to make this a lot more manageable for your fantasy teams. We saw better precision with his four-seamer in the upper third of the zone, while the sweeper did it’s normal thing down-and-gloveside. We’re hanging on for the Brewers up next – I have a great feeling about that one.
Johan Oviedo (PIT) vs OAK (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 100 pitches.
Yessss. I don’t even think Oviedo had his best command here, but he threw enough strikes and the Athletics did the rest. It’s up to you if you want to hold through the Mets to get the Brewers + Marlins – I want to say yes, but Oviedo hasn’t been his best self for a few weeks now. It could hurt.
Julio Teheran (MIL) @ CIN (L) – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 86 pitches.
The legend of Teheran continues as he went 52% CSW on his slider and actually fanned a batter (or five!). And watch, now that he has Oakland + Pittsburgh, everyone is going to jump in and…get burned. Be super careful y’all. Vargas Rule if you must, but I really think this is a trap.
Brandon Bielak (HOU) @ TOR (W) – 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 106 pitches.
That’s nearly a VVVPQS for Bielak, but I think you’re happy for that Win if you streamed him…? Yay? At least he’s a solid option against the Guardians next time out as he tossed his changeup well. Expect that pitch to still be there as he’ll have a solid Win chance over the weekend.
Brayan Bello (BOS) vs TB (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 100 pitches.
Bello looked so good early and while he unfurled a bit as it went on, a PQS against the Rays is nothing to be upset about. Are those early frames enough for us to rely on him against the Yankees for two starts? I’m not sure.
Adam Wainwright (STL) @ TEX (ND) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 106 pitches.
A veteran with his fantasy relevant days behind him against one of (if not the) best offenses in the majors? Don’t tell me you’re surprised.
Kyle Hendricks (CHC) @ SD (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 84 pitches.
At least we got a few curveballs this time, but sadly they returned just 40% strikes as the changeup returned just 19% CSW (albeit, many outs in play). The sinker is playing the called strike game well, but I think we need to wait for a higher ceiling to present itself first.
Braxton Garrett (MIA) vs KC (W) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 75 pitches.
Despite the rough ERA, that’s a lovely start for Garrett, giving those who streamed him a fair number of strikeouts, a digestible 1.20 WHIP, and a lovely Win on top. He can thank a 57% CSW slider for his King Cole and I’m absolutely on board for his breezy @CHW + @WSN + PIT schedule ahead.
Joey Wentz (DET) @ PHI (L) – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 105 pitches.
Joey, get the car son. Dad, you’re not a former quarterback. WHY BRING THAT UP AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!
Alek Manoah (TOR) vs HOU (L) – 0.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 0 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 38 pitches.
Why is he still pitching in the majors. If only Ricky Tiedemann weren’t recovering from a biceps injury…
Game of the Day
James Paxton vs. Shane Bieber – Will Big Maple continue his redemption tour? Can Bieber find his slider?
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
Braxton Garrett is like your little brother pitching to you. He’s not going to get that type of run support again. Don’t see why you are high on him. Meatballs in the middle of the plate.