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Shane McClanahan 2022 Player Outlook: Elite Stuff Makes For A Breakout Candidate In 2022
3 years agoFew left-handed pitchers can boast a repertoire as good as Shane McClanahan. Not only is McClanahan the hardest throwing southpaw starter in baseball, he possess a wickedly sharp 90-mph slider to pair with it, along with a strong curveball and changeup to round out deep arsenal. That repertoire helped the young lefty spin his way to a spectacular rookie season, posting a 3.43 ERA, 3.31 FIP, and 20.1% K-BB% in 123.1 innings. It's easy to watch the man pitch and gush over his talent, and the proof was in the pudding as McClanahan mowed down opponents with a 10.29 K/9 and 14.8% SwStr rate in 2021. There's little reason to doubt the ability given the measurables of his stuff and the results, but as gifted as McClanahan is on the mound, an unorthodox throwing motion and undersized frame call into question whether McClanahan can handle a starter's workload over a full season. He's already undergone Tommy John Surgery once, and has suffered from a smattering of injuries throughout his professional career, including back trouble that landed him on the injured list last season. Tampa Bay has been one of the most conservative and prudent organizations when it comes to managing young arms, which, while smart from a real baseball perspective, can cause frustrations for fantasy managers trying to milk the talent from their pitchers. That being said, Tampa Bay used to have the luxury of using established pitchers such as Tyler Glasnow, Charlie Morton, and Blake Snell to absorb a big innings load, and unless we get a Corey Kluber renaissance, there's nobody else on the roster that Tampa can rely on to be their ace. 2022 might be McClanahan's chance to take the ace turn we've seen others in Tampa make; he's certainly got the ability, the only limiting factors are health and innings management. Plan on 130-160 exceptional innings from McClanahan and if the reigns come off this could be a dark horse Cy Young contender. With an NFBC ADP of 107, McClanahan makes for a fine high upside number three or four starter.
