RADIO
Grayson Rodriguez 2024 Player Outlook: Looks To Take Leap To Top 25 Starting Pitcher
11 months agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez had an up-and-down year in 2023 but came into his own in the second half of the season. A 7.35 ERA in the first half of the season was a big blow to his overall numbers and fantasy prospects. However, an ERA of 2.58 in the second half showed the kind of potential he has. Pitching in his age-23 season, Rodriguez improved on most stats as the year went on. A 156 OPS+ in the first half was followed by a 62 OPS+ in the second half. The Houston native gave up 13 homers before slashing that to three, all while facing almost 100 more batters in half number two. Rodriguez gave up 16 earned runs in his last 59 2/3 innings pitched, a far cry from the 37 earned runs he gave up in his first 45 1/3 innings. He's probably going to pitch somewhere in the middle of those two extremes in 2024. His July may be a good projection for Rodriguez. He posted a 3.18 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 17 innings and a 1.11 WHIP. Though he had 129 strikeouts in 122 innings, the young righty was more effective when not striking batters out. If he can keep his K% near the 25% he finished the year with, and tamper the hard-hit balls like he did as the season progressed, there's no reason he can't finish as a top 25 starting pitcher.
