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In general, starting pitchers are more volatile than hitters. Pitchers are more injury prone, and Tommy John surgery is seemingly more common than ever. Furthermore, one or two bad outings can bloat a starting pitcher’s statistics beyond repair for that season. In some cases, starters suddenly lose fastball velocity and subsequently become shells of their former selves.
Waiting to draft starters is a pretty well known fantasy baseball strategy, but the key to its success lies in selecting quality arms late in the draft. Here are a few starting pitchers who will be available late and offer immense value.
Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. Our rankings assistant tool combines all our staff's ranks in one place. You can easily filter and export all sorts of rankings and tiers - mixed leagues, points leagues, AL/NL only, top prospects, dynasty ranks, keeper values, and more.
Starting Pitchers: Diamonds in the Rough
Joe Ross, Washington Nationals
Joe Ross exploded onto the scene in 2015, posting a 3.64 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 76.2 innings. The right-hander, younger brother of the Padre’s Tyson Ross, went 5-5 and maintained excellent ratios of 8.10 K/9 and 2.47 BB/9. His 49.8 GB% was well above league average and helped limit homeruns.
Ross, who will turn 23 in May, exerted his dominance last year by using a sinker/slider combination. The slider, which Ross threw 35.7% of the time, produced an outstanding 25.8 SwStr%. Perhaps even more impressive, batters hit a pathetic .135 and slugged .246 against the pitch. Ross’s sinker, which the rookie threw 53.2% of the time, induced a 51.3 GB% and held opposing batters to a .258 batting average and a .379 slugging percentage.
Despite Ross’s 2015 success, left-handers teed off on him to the tune of a .275/.353/.456 slash line. Ross will need to find a pitch to successfully neutralize lefties if he wants to improve on last season. He has been honing his change-up and recently learned a split-finger fastball from Nationals’ closer Jonathan Papelbon. Although the righty may be on an innings limit, he should be so productive that it will not significantly affect his season totals.
Luis Severino, New York Yankees
After being promoted to the majors in August, Luis Severino made 11 starts and totaled 62.1 innings. Over that span, the flame-throwing rookie went 5-3, boasting a 2.89 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He maintained an excellent 8.09 K/9 and an adequate 3.18 BB/9. Severino’s BB/9 rate should decrease in 2016, as the right-hander never posted a BB/9 higher than 2.50 throughout his minor league career.
Severino had success using a fastball/slider combination. The rookie’s overpowering fastball, which averaged 95.2 mph, held hitters to a .231 batting average. His slider held a 55.7 GB%, holding hitters to a .234 batting average and a .351 slugging percentage. Although he used it less frequently, Severino’s change-up was even more devastating. Producing a 17.6 SwStr%, Severino’s change-up stymied batters to a .222 batting average and a .259 slugging percentage.
These numbers are taken from small sample sizes, but the young pitcher has blue chip pedigree and had similar success in the minor leagues. In 2015 at triple-A Colombus, Severino went 7-0 over 11 starts, posting a 1.91 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in 61.1 innings.
The 50.3 GB% Severino maintained in the majors was excellent, and the 1.30 HR/9 that victimized him was fluky. His 17.3% HR/FB was freakishly high and is bound to decrease. Totaling 161.2 innings in 2015, Severino should be able approach 200 innings this year before the Yankees shut him down.
Jason Hammel, Chicago Cubs
Jason Hammel quietly put together his second consecutive quality season for the Chicago Cubs last season. A 10-7 record and 3.74 ERA do not jump off the page, but Hammel’s 9.07 K/9 and 2.11 BB/9 were both career bests and indicative of a pitcher who boasted quality stuff and excellent command. Furthermore, Hammel’s 10.9 SwStr% last season ranked 21st among all qualified starting pitchers.
Although 2015 was likely Hammel’s career year, he should only regress slightly from his 172 strikeouts. In 2014, the year Hammel was traded to the Cubs, he put up a very respectable 8.06 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9, tallying 158 strikeouts. He could easily land somewhere around there for the 2016 season.
Surrendering too many homeruns, Hammel posted a 1.17 HR/9 in 2014 and a 1.21 HR/9 in 2015. The right-hander compensates for his gopher ball issues by not walking many batters and subsequently maintaining WHIPs of 1.12 and 1.16 in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Hammel will turn 34 in September and, despite not having much of an injury history, has never surpassed the 180-inning mark. Regardless, Hammel is a safe bet to maintain the output of his last two seasons.
Vince Velasquez, Philadelphia Phillies
Vince Velasquez just won the fifth starter spot with Philadelphia and has huge strikeout potential. The 9.38 K/9 and 10.5 SwStr% he posted as a rookie in 2015 over 55.2 innings were exceptional, and the right-hander has consistently maintained a K/9 over 10 during his minor league career.
Velasquez relied heavily on his fastball, which he threw 68.5% of the time last year. The pitch averaged 94.6 mph and held batters to a .242 average and a .394 slugging percentage. His slider, which he threw only 5.3% of the time in 2015, induced a 23.1 SwStr%. If Velasquez can further utilize the pitch, he will be a force in 2016.
Turning 24 in June, the right-hander will likely be on an innings limit this season, which will cap his upside. Velasquez walks too many batters and is prone to surrendering homeruns. But the young Philly boasts electric stuff and could still rack up more than 150 Ks while maintaining a decent ERA.
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