5 years agoA sleeper heading into last season, Ross Stripling left fantasy owners frustrated due to his lack of consistent use by the Dodgers. 2019 marked the second-consecutive season in which Stripling had no permanent rotation spot. While Stripling posted 93 strikeouts, a 1.147 WHIP and 3.47 ERA in 90.2 innings pitched, he only started 15 games. In fact, after the All-Star break, Stripling made just six starts, three of which he was only used as an opener. In addition to his minimal use as a starter, Stripling saw a decline in his overall strikeout rate from 27.0% in 2018 to 25.1%. Stripling’s fastball whiff rate also dropped from 21.6% in 2018 to 17.6% due to a fastball velocity decline from 91.8MPH in 2018 to 90.6MPH. It is unclear whether this decline was the result of neck and bicep injuries suffered by Stripling in the second half of 2019. With the Dodgers signing Alex Wood to replace Hyun-Jin Ryu, Stripling will likely be relegated to the bullpen again in 2020. Due to his low walk rate, Stripling should put up solid WHIP and ERA numbers helping ratios. However, strikeout rate regression is possible if last season’s fastball decline was not injury-related. Further, low win and quality start totals are a certainty if Stripling remains confined to a spot-start role which appears to be the case again. Given the lack of a permanent rotation spot, injury history, and potential fastball velocity concerns, owners taking Stripling around pick 300 as a sleeper should temper expectations.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller