2 days agoHouston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti made significant strides in the back half of the 2024 season and is set up well for a 2025 breakout. Arrighetti made his big league debut in April and posted a poor 5.63 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP before the All-Star break. During this 80-inning stint, he struck out 93 batters but served up a hefty 44 free passes. However, after the mid-summer classic, the right-hander posted a promising 3.18 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP across 65 innings. During this stretch, he tallied 75 punchouts with 21 walks. While his fastball was not as effective as he would have hoped during his rookie campaign, Arrighetti relied heavily on his sweeper and curveball, especially during the second half of the season. His sweeper (fourth-most used pitch) generated a .104, .274, and a .105 xwOBA from June through August. His second-most used pitch, his curveball, was dominant during this stretch as it never generated an xwOBA higher than .240. In addition, these two pitches generated an xSLG of less than .190 in both July and August. These two pitches also generated the highest whiff rates in his pitch mix, with the curveball leading the way with an impressive 42.4% rate. While Arrighetti will still need an improved fastball to take the next step, his secondary pitches took significant strides at the end of the summer. Fantasy managers who are looking to find a high-upside starting pitcher should target him at his 218.74 ADP on the NFBC.--Andy Smith - RotoBaller