X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts From Grayson Rodriguez and Cristopher Sanchez

Grayson Rodriguez - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB DFS Picks, Injury News

Elliott Baas looks at starting pitchers who turned in surprising starts recently. These SP could emerge as waiver wire targets and sleepers for Week 19, or simply mirages.

Welcome back to "Are You For Real?", a weekly column where we take starting pitchers who had surprisingly good starts over the past week and put them under the microscope to determine whether they're legit or just smoke and mirrors.

We've got east coast bias this week, with two exciting young arms emerging with strong starts over the weekend. First, we'll look at Grayson Rodriguez's first career quality start on Friday. Then, we'll take a look at Christopher Sanchez's five no-hit innings in Pittsburgh.

Roster percentages are taken from Yahoo and are accurate as of 07/31/2023.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles – 51% Rostered

2023 Stats (prior to this start): 56 IP, 6.91 ERA, 5.28 FIP, 16.2% K-BB%

07/28 vs. NYY: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

It was a night to remember for Rodriguez on Friday, as the young right-hander twirled six and a third innings of shutout ball against the Bronx Bombers. It was the first quality start of Rodriguez’s career, and Rodriguez has a 3.18 ERA over his last three starts. Rodriguez was considered one of baseball’s best pitching prospects coming into the year, but struggles have defined his rookie campaign, perhaps best evidenced by his 6.21 ERA over 13 starts. Still, there’s plenty of talent in this right arm, and fantasy managers must be wondering if Rodriguez has turned a corner in the big leagues. Is it sunny days ahead for Rodriguez, or will the sky turn Gray(son)?

Originally the 11th overall pick by Baltimore back in the 2018 MLB draft, Rodriguez shot up prospect rankings quickly and was considered by many to be one of—if not the—top pitching prospects in all of baseball. Rodriguez has everything we like to see in a pitcher. His 6’5”, 230-pound frame gives him power behind his pitches and helps him handle a starter’s load. His heater averages 97 on the gun and can touch triple digits. He has four viable secondary pitches to pair with his killer heat, the slider, changeup, curveball, and cutter.

The lone flaw in his game is wavering control, but nothing a pitcher of Rodriguez’s talent can’t work through over time. Rodriguez was dominating at Triple-A, and all signs pointed to him being ready for the big leagues. So what went wrong? To understand whether Rodriguez can be a good fantasy pitcher going forward, let’s examine what’s made him underperform.

A quick peek under the hood and the issue for Rodriguez is glaringly obvious. Batters are teeing off against his fastball. Opponents have an unreal .363 AVG, .647 SLG, and .454 wOBA against Rodriguez’s fastball this season. These numbers shouldn’t be solely dismissed as bad luck either, since Rodriguez has a .340 xBA, .558 xSLG, and .420 xwOBA with his fastball this season. Batters have pulverized the pitch for a staggering 93.1 MPH average exit velocity and a 15-degree average launch angle.

Rodriguez’s fastball may come in hot at 97 MPH, but with below-average spin and almost no vertical movement, the pitch seems to lack some of the deceptive qualities we like to see in fastballs. Sure, Rodriguez can buzz straight 98s past guys in the minor leagues, but this is the show. If you try and go after major league hitters with fastballs, even very hard fastballs, they will post a .647 SLG against you. Here’s a look at Rodriguez’s fastball heatmap from this season.

He's thrown a lot of high fastballs, but he also spent too much time in the zone with his fastball. It could be a confidence issue or a control issue, but either way, Rodriguez needs to focus on keeping the ball up and out of his opponents’ wheelhouse if he wants to curb the damage. Rodriguez did that quite a bit in this start and was able to induce eight whiffs with his heater, but whether he can do it on a consistent basis remains to be seen.

Part of the reason for Rodriguez’s hesitation to keep his fastball up could be the uncharacteristic home run issues he’s suffered this season. Rodriguez has a 1.88 HR/9 on the year and has surrendered 13 home runs already, one more than the total number of homers he surrendered in the minors between 2021-22. Why’s this happening?

The problem is actually rather simple. Rodriguez has an unlucky 22.4% HR/FB ratio. This is 10% higher than the league average, and since pitchers have (relatively) little influence over their HR/FB ratio, Rodriguez could start performing better once his HR/FB ratio regresses to the mean. Heck, Rodriguez has gone three straight starts without surrendering a homer, and he has a 3.18 ERA over that stretch.

His 3.84 xFIP, which projects a pitcher’s FIP using league average HR/FB rate, suggests that Rodriguez has pitched well enough to deserve a sub-4 ERA this season. Rodriguez is giving up enough hard contact (91 MPH average exit velocity, 50.3% hard-hit rate) that we shouldn’t chalk his home run rate entirely up to bad luck, but bad luck has certainly played a significant role in his poor performance. And the bad luck extends beyond the issue of home runs. Rodriguez is the victim of a .349 BABIP and 67.7% LOB rate this season. Positive regression should be coming for Grayson Rodriguez.

The struggles with his fastball are rather unfortunate because Rodriguez’s secondary pitches have been phenomenal this season. Opponents have a .227 AVG and .341 SLG against his vaunted changeup, and a .192 AVG and .192 SLG off his slider. Rodriguez’s changeup has been quite the strikeout pitch as well, with a 14.2% swinging strike rate and a 37.1% chase rate. With plus vertical and horizontal movement, Rodriguez’s changeup moves like a breaking ball and can earn whiffs, especially when his fastball is working. Rodriguez was a strikeout machine in the minors and should have no problem sustaining a strong strikeout rate in the majors.

Verdict:

It’s easy to see the talent in Grayson Rodriguez. His stuff looks as advertised, with Rodriguez capable of firing in high 90s heat and mixing in four-plus secondary pitches. His changeup has been racking up strikeouts just like it did in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to see that Rodriguez has hurdles to jump before he can realize his potential. He’s living too much in the zone with his fastball, causing opposing hitters to knock his four-seamer around quite a bit.

He’s struggled with control at times, with Rodriguez issuing multiple walks in four straight starts. He’s given up too many home runs, with Rodriguez surrendering more homers in 13 MLB starts than his entire 2021-2022 seasons in the minors. He’s giving up far too much hard contact at a 50.3% hard-hit rate and 91 MPH average exit velocity on the season.

All in all, Rodriguez is a skilled young pitcher who isn’t quite there yet but is improving. He probably isn’t going to suddenly save your season, but he could get hot down the stretch and be an impactful arm. With so much attention focused on traded players, Rodriguez could be a sneaky add-in fantasy right now. For dynasty players, Rodriguez is an intriguing buy-low candidate, especially if his manager is in a tight playoff race and needs impactful players now.

 

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies – 39% Rostered

2023 Stats (prior to this start): 42.1 IP, 2.98 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 19.3% K-BB%

07/30 @ PIT: 5 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Sanchez turned in one of his best performances of the season on Sunday, firing five no-hit innings against the Pirates. It wasn’t enough to earn the win, but Sanchez did lower his ERA to a cool 2.66 in the process. Sanchez has been rolling since he rejoined Philadelphia’s rotation back in June, and looks like he could be a solid contributor down the stretch. It was just what the Phillies needed after Bailey Faltered, but can Sanchez do it for fantasy players too?

Originally signed as an international free agent by Tampa Bay back in 2013, Sanchez was traded to the Phillies in 2019 for infielder Curtis Mead. Mead has gone on to garner some hype as a prospect, but it hasn’t really been clear what the Phillies had in Sanchez prior to this season. Working with a three-pitch mix, Sanchez attacks hitters with his sinker, changeup, and slider trio. At 91.8 MPH on average Sanchez doesn’t throw nearly as hard as Grayson Rodriguez, but Sanchez’s fastball isn’t really about velocity. Sanchez gets it done by other means.

Batters have smoked Sanchez’s fastball this season for a 92.2 MPH average exit velocity, yet opponents have just a .235 AVG off the pitch. Why? Sanchez is a groundball machine, with opponents averaging a 4-degree average launch angle against his sinker this season. Batters also have a 55.4% groundball rate and a .353 SLG off his sinker. Hitters can’t elevate the pitch, and if they can’t elevate, they can only do so much damage. Sanchez has tweaked one thing this season, and that’s going at hitters with his sinker. Here’s a look at Sanchez’s sinker heatmap this season.

Looks a lot different from Grayson Rodriguez’s heatmap, doesn’t it? Unlike Grayson Rodriguez, who wants to make hitters swing and miss at his pitches, Sanchez wants hitters to swing and make contact, but send the ball into the dirt. With such a sharp sinker, Sanchez can best achieve that by living in the zone with well-placed pitches. Sanchez’s sinker zone rate is an astonishing 69.6% this season, a 15% increase compared to last year. Sanchez has leaned into his ability to induce groundballs, and it’s working tremendously since Sanchez has a stellar 56.5% groundball rate this season, a number eclipsed by just three qualified starters.

What makes a groundball pitcher good extends beyond their fastball. Sure, it’s one thing to generate grounders on a sinker, but what sets a groundball pitcher apart is his secondary offerings. Sanchez has been excellent with his secondary pitches this season, especially his changeup. Opponents have an infinitesimal .127 AVG, .291 SLG, and .211 wOBA off the changeup this season. Even better, batters have a 1-degree average launch angle against, 83 MPH average exit velocity, and a 17.1% swinging strike rate against Sanchez’s changeup. With above average break and exceptional drop, the changeup plays more like a true breaking ball. Here is an example from this start.

Pretty nasty stuff from Mr. Sanchez, who isn’t much of a strikeout pitcher typically. Sanchez’s changeup looks like a decent strikeout weapon, and Sanchez could improve upon his strikeout game over time as he tinkers with his approach. Even if he doesn’t, his stuff is good enough to produce a 55%+ groundball rate, which puts him near the top of the league in terms of groundball prowess among starters.

While Sanchez has been great thus far, luck has definitely played a factor in his success. Sanchez is the beneficiary of a .224 BABIP, 80.1% LOB rate, and a 41-point gap between his actual BA against (.202) and his xBA (.243). Sanchez’s 4.17 FIP only reinforces the notion that he’s overperforming, and given his shaky career track record it’s easy to doubt him. Sanchez had a 4.35 ERA, 5.39 FIP, and 5.26 BB/9 in the minor leagues, so it’s curious to see him perform so much better at the major league level. Sanchez feels a little like Julio Teheran, who was pitching horribly in the minor leagues but inexplicably had a hot stretch in the majors before totally collapsing. There should be more staying power with Sanchez, because Sanchez has the makings of a top-level groundball pitcher, and has better stuff than Teheran in general.

Verdict:

Sanchez’s groundball prowess has always made us wonder if he’s capable of more, and the 2023 season appears to have confirmed those beliefs. Using an aggressive, zone-heavy approach, Sanchez is generating more grounders with his sinker than ever. Batters are struggling to elevate against him entirely, with opponents sporting an ugly 4-degree average launch angle off Sanchez this season. His slider and changeup are also solid groundball pitches, and his changeup has the potential to be a strikeout weapon down the line.

Sanchez has displayed uncharacteristic control this season with a 1.52 BB/9, and it’s hard for this writer to believe he can sustain that over the long run. Still, there is more bad than good here with Sanchez, and he could be a contributor this season. In fact, he could be the second-half version of Bryce Elder, a mid-20s NL East arm who gets by on control and ground balls. Sanchez is worth the add in 12-team leagues or deeper.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Chris Bassitt51 mins ago

Strikes Out Nine In No-Decision
Ryan McMahon1 hour ago

Hits Home Run No. 1 On Saturday
Carlos Santana1 hour ago

Homers In Another Multi-Hit Effort
Jorge Soler2 hours ago

Hits Two-Run Home Run On Saturday
Mike Trout2 hours ago

Homers In Third Straight Game On Saturday
Matt Mervis2 hours ago

Homers Twice, Collects Three RBI
Jung Hoo Lee3 hours ago

Hits Two Doubles, Scores Twice
Jesse Winker3 hours ago

Hits Two Triples, Brings In Two Runs
Roki Sasaki3 hours ago

Allows One Run Across Four Innings
Mitchell Parker4 hours ago

Logs Quality Start Against Arizona
Kerry Carpenter4 hours ago

Hits Two-Run Shot On Saturday
Clarke Schmidt4 hours ago

Strikes Out Seven In Rehab Start
Cincinnati Reds10 hours ago

Terry Francona Returns After Dealing With Stomach Issue
Shohei Ohtani10 hours ago

Has "Positive" Bullpen On Saturday
Spencer Strider10 hours ago

To Make Another Rehab Start On Thursday
Luis Torrens10 hours ago

Dealing With Bruised Forearm
George Springer11 hours ago

Dealing With Back Spasms
Bobby Witt Jr.11 hours ago

Slugs First Homer Of The Season
Alexis Díaz11 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Might Not Return To Closer Role When Activated From Injured List
Austin Gomber11 hours ago

Shut Down From Throwing, Won't Pitch For A Few Weeks
Yoán Moncada12 hours ago

Yoan Moncada Expected To Miss Sunday's Game, Could Return On Tuesday
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP
10
10
11
11
12
19
13
22
14
24
15
25
16
29
17
39
18
40
19
41

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
1
1
2
3
3
7
4
11
6
14
7
15
8
18
9
19
10
20

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Jaxson Dart - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Draft: Superflex, 12-Team (2025)

Don't we all love mock drafts? I sure do. The monotony of them can get... monotonous after a while when the vast majority of them just have short, shallow write-ups of each player without giving an emphatic, helpful take on each. I hope to do the opposite. Considering how far consensus can be (and usually […]


Marvin Mims Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Next Gen Stats Review: 2024 Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Last season, we covered Next Gen Stats for receivers and tight ends. It's fun to look at different advanced stats after the previous season's digests. There's no rest because many of us dive into the 2025 prospect class leading to the NFL Draft. We're using a mixture of the publicly available Next Gen Stats and […]


Ja'Marr Chase - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

There's never any reason not to do more fantasy football mock drafts and break down the efficacy of every pick. Or so the saying goes. Sun-Tzu probably said that in The Art of War. I haven't read the whole thing, so I'm not sure. Either way, it's never not interesting to speculate on what the […]


Cam Ward - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Draft Prospect

NFL Draft Predictions - 2025 First Round Mock Draft (Post-Free Agency)

It seems like the Super Bowl was just yesterday, but in reality, the NFL offseason is chugging right along. We have gone through the Senior Bowl, the first waves of free agency, and the NFL Combine. In just a few short weeks, we will have the NFL Draft. This draft class is unique, with a […]


Top 10 Fantasy Football Busts Of All Time - Le'Veon Bell, Peyton Hillis, LeSean McCoy, and more

Fantasy football managers have the fear of picking busts fresh in their minds every season because every year, players who are thought to be headed for productive seasons, whether due to injury, not reaching overly high expectations, or other reasons, bust hard. Those who drafted San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are well aware […]


Mark Andrews - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Every AFC Team's Most Overvalued Dynasty Fantasy Football Player

The 16 teams that comprise the AFC all have players that I don't think are worth, on their own, what you could get for them in trades as compensation. Not all of them are bad players, though. In fact, some of them are quite good. "Most overvalued" is a relative thing. And since there's not […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Free Agency Check - Fantasy Football Quarterback ADP Risers and Fallers

This NFL offseason has been incredible. With big-name free agents shuffling around the league, 2025 looks like an exciting season, and we haven’t even had the draft yet! Over the last few offseasons, we have seen a massive increase in quarterbacks switching teams. This season, the list includes Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, Justin […]


Kenneth Walker III - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Running Back Next Gen Stats Review - Fantasy Football Outlooks For 2025

After the 2023 season, we covered Next Gen Stats for the running back position. We highlighted rush yards over expected per attempt and the percentage of carries with eight defenders in the box. Now, it's time to examine the Next Gen Stats for running backs again, but we'll mix in other advanced metrics. Unsurprisingly, rush […]


Cooper Kupp - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: DK Metcalf, Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams all landed in new teams ahead of the 2025 season. Formerly of the Seahawks, Rams, and New York Jets, all three of these wideouts' fantasy football values have undergone marked shifts after landing at their […]


UFL DFS PICKS, FANTASY FOOTBALL, DRAFTKINGS, FANDUEL

UFL DFS Lineup Picks: DraftKings Daily Fantasy Fantasy Advice for Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the inaugural UFL season, RotoBallers! We already have one week in the books, with the XFL teams off to a hot start at 3-1 while the USFL conference went 1-3. We have Houston squaring off against Arlington in the early game and San Antonio versus St. Louis in the later […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: NFL Draft QB Scouting Report!

Michael F. Florio gives his scouting report for the 2025 NFL Draft QB class. Do Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders live up the hype? Should you be excited about Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe? Plus, he goes over the deeper options in this class! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel […]


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Best Bets: Week 2 Picks

Well, the opening week is always full of curveballs, and 2025 was no exception. We actually saw the Birmingham Stallions lose a game, looking bad in the process. Overall, I went 3-3-1 on spreads and over/unders last week, so a bit inconvenient that neither parlay worked out. It is a short season, so the pressure […]


Isaiah Bond - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: 5 Undervalued Draft Targets

We all know at this point who the top names are heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Ashton Jeanty will be the dynasty rookie RB1. Tetairoa McMillan will be the rookie WR1. But fantasy leagues aren't won just by getting a top-2 or three rookie pick and grabbing the best guys. Rookie drafts are also […]