Mound Musings: Their Stock Is on the Rise

Not too surprisingly, this year, it seems like there has been even more (than usual) erratic pitching results. Some pitchers have enjoyed some success, and that always leads to decisions on whether they should be added to your fantasy targets. Even good teams with the very best pitching are sometimes shaking their heads. Even with good beginnings, many arms won't post long-term value as the hitters get in sync and get in a hitting groove. However, some pitchers will actually dominate. They are angling to have stellar years, and so should you.

That said, I would like to feature a few pitchers who have seriously impressed me with both solid numbers and future potential at this early point in the season. This is a mix of young and old, kids and veterans, trying to convince me they are fantasy stars. Every year a handful of pitchers break through with a first career year, and early returns suggest these might be some of the more likely.

You might consider aggressively pursuing these arms:

Yusei Kikuchi (Blue Jays) – I have been a writer for years and I have a broad vocabulary, but I have a hard time finding the best words to describe Kikuchi. He looked good in his spring innings, and has shown an amazing upside in his early-season outings. He has a microscopic ERA and WHIP, and they are legitimate. Kikuchi works off a 96 to 97 mph fastball, mixing in a sweeping curve, tighter slider (it can sometimes be hard to tell them apart), and less frequently, a change-up. Add in a little deception and a consistently improving strike rate, and you have a potential staff leader. Like with many pitchers from Asia, it has taken him awhile to adjust to the North American game, but I think he's gotten the hang of it, having posted stellar numbers in 2023, and following that up with slightly better so far this season.

Nick Lodolo (Reds) – Here's one I have been touting for a long time. Lodolo is quickly making a name for himself, and that's not easy when injuries have piled up. In two starts he has logged a pair of wins and notched a very impressive 16 strikeouts (and just one walk) in only 12 innings. He misses bats with the elite. Interestingly, after missing the first couple weeks of the season, he came out sharp, consistently throwing quality strikes. The Reds don't field the best defense in the league, but that hopefully won't haunt him. Lodolo features a nice, moving fastball, but I love that curveball. And like most kids, the occasional meltdown with him is possible, but I really like where he's going.

Gavin Stone (Dodgers) I've liked just about everything about Stone since the first time I saw him pitch. He eventually made it to my kids list, and I was preparing for his debut in Los Angeles where he could show off his stuff. It didn't really work out … yet. After four starts he has a 6.00 ERA with a disturbing 1.78 WHIP. So how does he make this target list? Well, if I list only those with sparkling numbers everyone would be, "ho hum," and that wouldn't be much fun. I've actually seen enough in Stone to be optimistic going forward. In one of his 2024 starts (against the Padres on April 13) he pitched into the seventh inning, allowing just five hits with only one free pass. He can throw strikes, and I expect his rather bloated .388 BABIP to normalize. He has a nice, lively fastball, but his ticket to success is a very good changeup. That alone will keep the Dodgers deploying him in the starting rotation while he learns on the job.

Brady Singer (Royals) – Singer is the picture of inconsistency. When he's on, he's one or two, but when he's off his game, he's a slug. That sounds risky, but I think he is settling in and may be due for a long stretch of dominance. In fact, led by their amazing spark plug Bobby Witt, the whole Royals team is getting into winning. He has a nice pitch mix, but he's something of a slider specialist, throwing it almost half the time with a sinker and 4-seamer. The biggest fear is the big inning. In his last start, he was untouchable for a couple innings, then lost it briefly, walking a couple and allowing three runs. Up until then, he had not allowed more than two runs in any of his first four starts. The lapses seem to be happening less and less frequently, and if that trend continues, Singer could find himself in discussions related to things like a Cy Young award.

Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles) – Recently the top name on my kids list, Rodriguez has seized the opportunity to stand out on a very good Orioles team. As I mentioned above with Witt, Baltimore has a whole roster of guys like him, and the enthusiasm is pretty much overwhelming. Last year he struggled in 10 starts with Baltimore, so they sent him to Triple-A Norfolk. He hit the reset button, sparkling in his starts there. He threw more strikes, missed more bats and kept the ball in the ballpark, earning another shot in the second half. He lived up to the billing this time, and it has carried over this year until a bump in the road last time out. He has experienced a pretty heavy workload, which is a little concerning, but he looks like a workhorse type. I like him going forward.

Yariel Rodriguez (Blue Jays) – Let's go back-to-back with Rodriguez's. This one comes from Cuba, and he's probably not as well known in fantasy circles. He's older (27), much smaller (only 6'0" and 165 lbs.) and he didn't pitch at all last season, but he's only a tick behind Grayson on my watch list. The Jays are carefully monitoring his workload, but he is progressing toward potential fantasy relevance. He's made two starts since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, covering just eight innings, but he did toss 65 pitches in his last outing, and he sports a tidy 2.35 ERA. He's just going to get better as he shakes off the rust, and while Toronto is unlikely to let him build up huge pitch counts, he could possibly be a five-inning or long pen guy. Take a shot?

Paul Skenes (Pirates) – Here's another ace of the future. He's certainly not a secret, so he may already be on a roster, but if he is out there, go get him. I compare Skenes to Stephen Strasburg when he was knocking on the door. Put simply, I haven't seen a pitcher since who possessed this guy's tools. In 13 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis, he has allowed just five hits, with a slightly high four walks, while logging an amazing 27 strikeouts. He's that good. The Pirates are easing him in, slowly building pitch count, but they aren't going to be able to hold him back too much longer. His arrival is imminent. Don't be surprised if he has an occasional hiccup, but get ready for a supreme ride.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• The Astros need a shot in the arm, and who else delivers like Justin Verlander? He made his first 2024 start last weekend, and he almost bought a ticket on the arms to pursue list above. He's 41 years old. Doesn't he ever run out of gas? He's not the same guy as he transitions to more finesse, but I'll take him.
• Another guy who has quietly garnered some attention is San Francisco's Jordan Hicks. The converted reliever with a huge arm, fares pretty well when he throws strikes. In his last start, he gave up one run in five innings without allowing a hit. He plunked a couple, walked a couple and padded his pitch count big time.
• The Mariners' Bryan Woo looked very sharp in his first rehab start for Triple-A Tacoma. He tossed just 35 pitches, but that was enough to cover his intended three innings. He'll need at least a couple more starts before returning to Seattle, but barring any setbacks, he should rejoin its rotation in early-mid May.
• In Washington, Mitchell Parker has surprisingly opened some eyes. He has just modest stuff, but he throws strikes, and he now has two starts under his belt. His 1.50 ERA is nice, but it's even nicer when you realize he has built it in starts against the Dodgers and Astros? Oh, did I mention he throws strikes?
• I have been a fan/follower of the White Sox for years, but this year is tough. They are on pace to lose 140-plus games. (Easily outpacing the 1962 Mets, and they did it on purpose!) They do flash the occasional interesting pitcher – for example Erick Fedde – but it's hard to get very excited about them.
• Well, he fooled me. I saw Pittsburgh's Jared Jones evolving into a high-leverage reliever, maybe even a closer, but with a plus/plus fastball, his secondary stuff has developed enough that he is now a top tier starter.

Endgame Odyssey:

Only three weeks into the season and we're already seeing the bullpen shuffle. Over the past week or so we have seen a few "alternate closers" log saves. Both workload concerns and lack of quality options for the ninth inning contributed, and it's likely to continue. Most notably, a few stubborn ninth-inning place-markers are making it hard on the best closer to maintain the gig. In Milwaukee, Abner Uribe picked a bad time to suffer a stumble. He'll be back soon, but Joel Payamps is trying to close the door on him. I still think Adbert Alzolay is the best closer option for the Cubs, but inconsistency has raised its ugly head, giving the dreaded Hector Neris a shot. I will only say, pitch him at your own risk. Pete Fairbanks in Tampa Bay has been dealing with some stomach issues, opening the door for Colin Poche, but hopefully Fairbanks will be back soon. I still feel Kyle Finnegan of the Nats is blocking a superior alternative. However, with Finnegan near the top of the saves leaderboard, Hunter Harvey has to be patient. Unfortunately, with Paul Sewald on the shelf in Arizona, I'm not sure there is a superior option on the team. I (and the D'Backs) favor Kevin Ginkel, but I'm not certain he's the answer if the need would stretch out. Finally, in Seattle, the M's have deployed something of a committee with Ryne Stanek actually leading the team in saves over Andres Munoz. Quite frankly, that makes no sense, and things could potentially get even more muddled when Matt Brash comes off the injured list. And, when the A's Mason Miller locates, just sing along, "Can't touch this."