2 years agoSt. Louis Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas had his first productive season since 2018, going 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a career-high 19% strikeout rate. His arsenal remained the same as he threw a four-seam fastball (27.4%), slider (25.4%), sinker (22.3%), curveball (20.8%), and changeup (4%). However, Mikolas' best swing-and-miss pitch, the slider, took a big hit in whiff rate, dropping 6.1 percentage points. Overall, his whiff rate increased from 2021 but was still just 18.5% and was the second-worst mark of his career. Mikolas knows how to limit hard contact with a career 87.6 MPH average exit velocity but still carries a career .410 xSLG, including a .400 mark this season. The 34-year-old relied on ground balls the last four seasons (48.9% ground ball rate), so if he can't generate more than he did during 2022 when he posted a 45.9% rate, he might find it hard to limit the damage. He's always going to be one of the best command pitchers, but with a strikeout rate that will likely regress, it might be hard for Mikolas to overcome a BABIP that will increase from this season's .249. He could find a way to be serviceable again in 2023. However, Mikolas owns a 4.10 FIP over the past three seasons, and his volatile approach to pitching isn't trustworthy. The best thing fantasy managers might get from Mikolas is double-digit wins, which isn't worth his 234 ADP.--Spencer Seguin