X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

One Tweak Away: Pitchers That Could Break Out in 2022

Triston McKenzie fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

Yu Darvish and Lucas Giolito in 2019, Robbie Ray and Shohei Ohtani in 2021. These are examples of pitchers that had struggled with their command for most of their careers, but then suddenly improved and became fantasy aces overnight.

Walk rates are one of the most important things to look for when evaluating fantasy pitchers. It is very tough to be a fantasy (or real life) ace with a high walk rate (namely a walk rate above 9%). Plenty of pitchers have the "stuff" to be a fantasy ace, but just not the control of their pitches.

In this post, we'll highlight a few names that fit this category. We're talking about pitchers that have shown great stuff but have been held back by lack of command and free passes. These are candidates for sudden boosts to stardom if they throw more and better strikes in 2022. Let's get into it.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools and resources:

 

Blake Snell, San Diego Padres

Alright, not the best name to start with. We have already seen Snell do this once in his career. Here's what it's looked like since his career began.

Snell's biggest problem has been health, but the walk rates have been anything but good to boot. You can see what he was capable of in 2018 when he had his command and health go together, but things really got worse in 2021. He once again posted an elite 12.9% SwStr% and a 30.9% K%, often making batters look silly at the plate - but the command was too inconsistent to get him there.

At the age of 29, it's not too late for Snell to put a reasonable walk rate up over a full season and post another stellar fantasy season, keep an eye on him early this year.

 

Triston McKenzie, Cleveland Guardians

The righty finished with a strong 27.5% K% in 2021, but the walk rate kept him shy of fantasy greatness way up there at 11.7% (league average is about 8.5%). That pushed his WHIP upwards to 1.18 and kept him away from being a reliable fantasy starter.

In August, however, he was one of the best. Check it out.

Everything was working for McKenzie in his 28 innings in August, and the walk rate was one of the main drivers. He posted a completely insane 2.0% walk rate and everything followed beautifully, as you can see. A 2% walk rate over any significant stress is somewhat a fluke, that is just not a sustainable number, but you can see what a big difference the lower walk rate can have on your other numbers.

McKenzie's stuff is good enough to be a very strong fantasy starter, he just needs to reduce the walks. If that happens in 2022, look out!

 

Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox

I think it's fair to call 2021 a "breakout" season for Cease already as he took a major step forward from what we had seen prior. However, his final season numbers of a 3.91 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP leave quite a bit to be desired for fantasy purposes. The encouraging part was the hugely improved 31.9% K% and 14.8% SwStr%. These were two of the better numbers in the game, and they say a lot about his potential.

The one thing he continued to struggle with was the walks. He posted a 9.6% walk rate, which is something you can stomach, but it is still pretty prohibitive. Cease's stuff is legitimate, and if he can bring that walk rate under 8% in 2022, he could really take the step into fantasy greatness.

 

Cristian Javier, Houston Astros

Javier spent most of his 2021 campaign in the bullpen, but there should be some more rotation opportunities for him in 2021 with Lance McCullers Jr. banged up and Zack Greinke departing. In his 101.1 innings of work, he posted a crazy high 13.1% SwStr% and a great 30.7% K%. He was very hard to hit.

The problem was that he had one of the league's worst walk rates at 12.5% (tied for third-worst in the league for pitchers with 100+ innings, to be exact). This guy is very, very young (24-years-old) and has flashed major signs of greatness so far. I think he's absolutely a guy that can simply start intentionally throwing more strikes and benefit massively because of it.

 

Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays

This guy has been tough to get a finger on in his young career, but 2021 was his best year yet. He brought his strikeout rate up to a career-best 24.5% but struggled with the walk posting a 9.3% walk rate after displaying a 6.9% mark in his rookie year in 2019.

What was most encouraging about Kikuchi's season was the high 12.5% SwStr%. This was way above his 2019 mark of 8.8%, and along with the high ground-ball rate, it gives me some hope for his future - especially now with his new team. He will have to make a bigger improvement in command and walks than the rest of these guys given his lack of wipeout stuff, but I really think Kikuchi will post a very nice fantasy year this year if he can make any significant improvement on the walks.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Colby Thomas26 mins ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Colby Thomas
Brock Stewart35 mins ago

Exits With Knee Injury
Evan Sisk45 mins ago

Optioned to Triple-A
Will Benson52 mins ago

Sent To Triple-A
Bryan Shaw1 hour ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Mookie Betts1 hour ago

Could Miss Tokyo Series
Quinton Byfield1 hour ago

Scores In Sixth-Straight Contest
Chase Elliott1 hour ago

May Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Las Vegas Lineups
Artemi Panarin2 hours ago

Extends Point Streak To Eight Games
Pyotr Kochetkov2 hours ago

Shuts The Door On Saturday
William Byron2 hours ago

Expect William Byron To Compete For The Win At Las Vegas
Tyler Reddick2 hours ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Options For Las Vegas
Anthony Cirelli2 hours ago

Strikes Twice On Saturday
Denny Hamlin2 hours ago

Could Denny Hamlin Be A Quality Driver For DFS At Las Vegas?
Alex Ovechkin2 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Connor Dewar2 hours ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
NASCAR2 hours ago

Bubba Wallace Could Be A Solid DFS Option For Las Vegas
Brad Keselowski2 hours ago

Qualifies Deep In The Field For Las Vegas
Erik Jones2 hours ago

Is Erik Jones Worth Rostering At Las Vegas This Week?
Daniel Suarez2 hours ago

Should Fantasy Players Roster Daniel Suarez At Las Vegas?
Carson Hocevar3 hours ago

Showcases Speed And Can Be Worth Rostering At Las Vegas
Ryan Preece3 hours ago

Is Ryan Preece A DFS Fade For Las Vegas Lineups?
Joey Logano4 hours ago

Likely to Lead at Las Vegas, but Will He Lead Enough for DFS Consideration?
Michael McDowell4 hours ago

Wins Spire Motorsports's First Pole at Las Vegas
Austin Cindric4 hours ago

Qualified Third, but Almost Guaranteed to Lose Spots
Chase Briscoe4 hours ago

Las Vegas Performance Hard to Predict
Ty Gibbs4 hours ago

a Solid DFS Option in Theory, but Disastrous Recent Performance Likely Overrides That
Shane Van Gisbergen4 hours ago

Too Inexperienced at Las Vegas for DFS Consideration Despite Trackhouse Speed
Noah Gragson4 hours ago

Finished Well at Las Vegas Last Year, but Ran Worse
Austin Dillon4 hours ago

Decent at Las Vegas, but Not Worthy of DFS Play
Josh Berry4 hours ago

Poor Intermediate Record Likely to Override Strong Qualifying Result
Justin Haley4 hours ago

Spire Speed Suggests Justin Haley Is a Strong DFS Option
Cole Custer4 hours ago

Could be Valuable If Haas Has Intermediate Speed
Mitch Garver10 hours ago

Goes Hitless In Return To Cactus League Action
Austin Riley10 hours ago

Doubles In Return To Lineup On Saturday
Jordan Mason10 hours ago

Vikings Acquire Jordan Mason From 49ers, Sign Him To Two-Year Deal
RJ Barrett12 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Sunday
Immanuel Quickley12 hours ago

Won't Play On Sunday
Jerami Grant12 hours ago

Unlikely To Play On Sunday
Marcus Smart12 hours ago

Downgraded To Out
Anfernee Simons12 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Sunday
Christian Braun12 hours ago

Available On Saturday
Aaron Gordon12 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jamal Murray12 hours ago

Will Play On Saturday Night
Nikola Jokić12 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Cleared To Suit Up Versus The Wizards
Colby Thomas13 hours ago

Sustains Injury On Saturday
Dee Eskridge13 hours ago

Sticking With Dolphins
Josh Giddey13 hours ago

Officially Out On Saturday Night
Ja Morant13 hours ago

Ruled Out On Saturday Night
JuJu Smith-Schuster13 hours ago

Returning To Chiefs
Josh Rojas14 hours ago

Exits Early On Saturday
Tennessee Titans14 hours ago

Chidobe Awuzie Released By Titans
Thairo Estrada14 hours ago

Removed From Saturday's Contest
Damian Lillard14 hours ago

Available Versus Indiana
Parris Campbell14 hours ago

Headed To Dallas
Nick Kurtz14 hours ago

Exits After Hit-By-Pitch
Giannis Antetokounmpo14 hours ago

Good To Go On Saturday
Jamal Murray14 hours ago

Added To Saturday's Injury Report
Jiri Kulich14 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury Saturday
Tobias Myers14 hours ago

Exits Early On Saturday
Brice Turang14 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Fatigue
Tyler Myers14 hours ago

Set To Return Against Blackhawks
Nikita Kucherov14 hours ago

Good To Go Against Bruins
Yegor Chinakhov14 hours ago

Rejoins Blue Jackets Lineup Saturday
Cole Anthony14 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report
Joel Armia15 hours ago

Expected To Return On Saturday
Brady Tkachuk15 hours ago

Available Saturday
Donovan Mitchell15 hours ago

Questionable Against Orlando
Adam Fox15 hours ago

Ready To Rejoin Rangers Lineup
Andre Drummond15 hours ago

Out Against Dallas
Ja Morant15 hours ago

Questionable On Saturday Night
P.J. Washington15 hours ago

Returning On Sunday
Philadelphia Eagles18 hours ago

Patrick Johnson Rejoins Philadelphia
Dante Exum18 hours ago

Diagnosed With A Fractured Left Hand
Los Angeles Rams18 hours ago

Larrell Murchison Back With The Rams
Amed Rosario18 hours ago

Returning On Saturday
Cam Thomas18 hours ago

Expected To Miss Rest Of The Season
Jose Trevino18 hours ago

Going For CT Scan
Kirk Cousins18 hours ago

Set To Receive Roster Bonus
Bryce Eldridge19 hours ago

Will Not Play On Saturday
Aaron Rodgers19 hours ago

Wants To Play In Minnesota
Blake Perkins19 hours ago

Cleared For Light Baseball Activities
Doug Nikhazy19 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Jung Hoo Lee19 hours ago

Scratched On Saturday With Back Tightness
Cody Bradford19 hours ago

Won't Throw For At Least Four Weeks
Washington Commanders20 hours ago

Clelin Ferrell Returning To Washington
New York Jets20 hours ago

Kris Boyd Signs With The Jets
Los Angeles Chargers20 hours ago

Mekhi Becton Inks Deal With Chargers
Tyler Johnson21 hours ago

Links Up With Jets
Kyle Juszczyk22 hours ago

Returns To 49ers
Eeli Tolvanen1 day ago

Scores Twice In Victory
WPG1 day ago

Kyle Connor Strikes Twice On Friday
Jack Roslovic1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Friday's Victory
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Leads Edmonton To Victory
Liam O'Brien1 day ago

Exits With Undisclosed Injury
Josh Manson1 day ago

Exits On Friday
Atlanta Falcons1 day ago

Falcons Agree To Terms With Morgan Fox
Indianapolis Colts1 day ago

Colts Sign Corey Ballentine To One-Year Deal On Friday
Pittsburgh Steelers1 day ago

Brandin Echols Signs Two-Year Deal With Steelers
Kenny Yeboah1 day ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Lions
Avery Williams1 day ago

Signs With Eagles
Kene Nwangwu1 day ago

Jets Re-Sign Kene Nwangwu To One-Year Deal
Simi Fehoko2 days ago

Signing With Cardinals
Karel Vejmelka2 days ago

Makes Ninth Consecutive Start Friday
Dustin Wolf2 days ago

Set To Face Avalanche Friday
Roman Dolidze2 days ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori2 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani2 days ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos2 days ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh2 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez2 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson2 days ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear2 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Brendson Ribeiro2 days ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Diyar Nurgozhay2 days ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
MMA2 days ago

Seung Woo Choi In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Vallejos2 days ago

Makes Debut At UFC Vegas 104
Jacob Bridgeman4 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard4 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips4 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith4 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Sahith Theegala4 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick4 days ago

A Shaky Play Heading Into PLAYERS
Scottie Scheffler4 days ago

Eyeing Three-Peat At TPC Sawgrass
Aldrich Potgieter4 days ago

A Risky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Si Woo Kim4 days ago

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At The PLAYERS
Denny McCarthy4 days ago

Looks To Continue Solid Play At TPC Sawgrass
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Poised For Another Strong Performance At TPC Sawgrass
Robert MacIntyre4 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At The PLAYERS Championship
Jordan Spieth4 days ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young4 days ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim4 days ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Xander Schauffele4 days ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Rory McIlroy4 days ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA4 days ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Brian Harman5 days ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Min Woo Lee5 days ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
Alex Pereira6 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 313
Magomed Ankalaev6 days ago

Becomes The New UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion
Justin Gaethje6 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev6 days ago

Loses Third Fight In A Row
Ignacio Bahamondes6 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 313
Jalin Turner6 days ago

Retires After UFC 313 Loss
Iasmin Lucindo6 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 313
Amanda Lemos6 days ago

Dominates At UFC 313
King Green6 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 313
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF