RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting and Wait for Another Opportunity
OWNED IN: 9% of Fleaflicker Leagues
ANALYSIS: You could say Despaigne is off to a good start in 2015, backed by his 2-0 record, 1.37 ERA and shiny 0.66 WHIP in 19 2/3 innings pitched. Of his five appearances, two were starts and three came out of the bullpen in long relief. With the recent return of Ian Kennedy, Despaigne is back to middle relief as an innings eater.
Since his only real fantasy value is as a starter, you can scout him from a distance for now, but at the rate pitchers are going down to injury this season, his chances of returning to the starting rotation are better than slim.
Keep an eye on the San Diego rotation. If he is called upon again as a starter, he's worth a roster spot in all NL-only leagues and also in the deepest mixed formats (15+ teams). He had incredible strikeout numbers in the minors, 14 K/9 in Double-A and 11 K/9 in Triple-A, but that hasn't translated into strikeouts at the MLB level just yet. Despaigne has six pitches in his repetoire, but scouts have noted that only the sinker and curveball are above-average pitches. As such, opposing hitters make a lot of contact off him, so he relies on his elite ground ball rate, nearly 58% this year and at 53% for his career, to keep a decent chunk of runs off the board.
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