RADIO
Marco Gonzales 2019 Outlook: A Solid Mid-Rotation Piece
6 years agoMarco Gonzales excelled in many ways during his first full season as a starter in 2018. His 4.00 ERA was only slightly above average, but his 3.43 FIP and 4.53 K/BB ratio suggest that there is room for improvement in the 26-year-old. Strikeouts aren’t Gonzales’ game; the 21.1% strikeout rate is probably the best we can expect from Gonzales. Rather, he gets by using his five pitches almost equally. The cutter was Gonzales’ go-to pitch last season, as batters hit just .224 against it. He also featured a solid curveball that induced groundballs 63% of the time. While Seattle made plenty of questionable trades this offseason, one that will certainly help Gonzales is the Robinson Cano trade, since it gets Dee Gordon and his -8 DRS out of centerfield and back to second base where he belongs. The only downgrade Seattle took defensively was replacing Jean Segura for Tim Beckham, a problem that will be rectified when J.P. Crawford becomes their starting shortstop. He also benefits from pitching in the AL West, which boasts three pitchers’ parks (including his home, Safeco Field) and only one daunting hitters’ park in Texas. He should be a solid mid- or end-rotation piece in 2019, and is a solid value at a 273 ADP.
