51 mins agoLast season, San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (groin, elbow) missed close to three months, which limited his ability to produce for fantasy managers for a portion of the 2024 season. Darvish, who is now 37 years old, is still producing at a solid level for the Padres. When healthy last year, he made 16 starts and went (7-3) across 81 ⅔ innings with a 3.31 ERA, 23.6% strikeout rate, and a 4.08 FIP. His pitch mix has made him a successful pitcher toward the ladder part of his career, as he has eight pitches that seemingly come in at different speeds and move in different directions, allowing him to keep hitters off guard. Darvish's strongest asset is his pitching run value (90th percentile), which measures how many runs a pitcher is projected to prevent or allow based on the quality of their pitches in a given situation. One thing to note about Darvish is that his strikeout percentage has dipped every year since 2021, which is slightly concerning, but his 23.6% in 2024 is still respectable. That said, he should remain a reliable starting pitcher for fantasy managers in 2025 as long as he remains healthy. Although he may not have a high ceiling with his K% heading in the wrong direction, he provides a consistent floor and is backed by a potent offense that includes Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Manny Machado. He ranks 223.0 ADP on the NFBC, which aligns with the 217 overall ranking at RotoBaller. Update 3/19/25: Darvish experienced elbow inflammation at the start of last spring and is considered day-to-day. The Padres right-hander played catch on Tuesday, but his status for Opening Day is in question.--Nicho Roessler - RotoBaller