Chris Stratton

Chris Stratton

34-Year-Old PitcherRP
Kansas City Royals
Out
Injury Forearm
Est. Return 2/1/2025
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Stratton worked as a multi-inning reliever for the Cardinals and Rangers in 2023, posting a combined 3.92 ERA, career-best 1.14 WHIP and 81:25 K:BB ratio over 82.2 innings. The 33-year-old rode the success of his 4-seam fastball (.188 BA, 54 strikeouts) to his best season as a relief pitcher. Stratton, who pitched the 4th-most innings among relief pitchers, recently signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Kansas City. He's likely to reprise a similar workhorse role for the Royals and may even receive the occasional save chance. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#363
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Royals in December of 2023. Exercised $4.5 million player option for 2025 in October of 2024.
Exercises option
PKansas City Royals
Forearm
October 31, 2024
Stratton (forearm) exercised his $4.5 million player option for the 2025 season Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Stratton threw 58.1 innings out of the bullpen for the Royals in 2024, occasionally working in high-leverage situations. He posted a 5.55 ERA and 1.47 WHIP to go along with four saves and five holds. Stratton's season ended in mid-September due to forearm injury, though he is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
17
Last 10 Games
19
Last 5 Games
20
How many pitches does Chris Stratton generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Chris Stratton generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-4%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-20%
BAA vs LHP
2023
 
 
-21%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-20%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .247 317 76 48 65 18 2 2
Since 2022vs Right .257 557 109 35 129 24 3 15
2024vs Left .214 109 23 22 18 5 0 0
2024vs Right .269 148 21 11 35 8 2 5
2023vs Left .191 104 35 14 17 5 2 0
2023vs Right .242 234 46 11 52 10 0 8
2022vs Left .333 104 18 12 30 8 0 2
2022vs Right .268 175 42 13 42 6 1 2
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-16%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-42%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-16%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-10%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 4.13 1.38 109.0 8 2 4 7.8 3.6 0.4
Since 2022Away 4.91 1.33 95.1 8 6 3 8.5 3.8 1.1
2024Home 4.08 1.36 28.2 2 0 3 7.8 5.0 0.6
2024Away 6.98 1.58 29.2 2 3 1 5.8 5.2 0.9
2023Home 4.21 1.23 47.0 0 1 1 7.9 2.7 0.6
2023Away 3.53 1.01 35.2 2 0 0 10.1 2.8 1.3
2022Home 4.05 1.59 33.1 6 1 0 7.8 3.5 0.0
2022Away 4.50 1.47 30.0 4 3 2 9.3 3.6 1.2
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Chris Stratton compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
1.33
 
K/9
6.8
 
BB/9
5.1
 
HR/9
0.8
 
Fastball
91.8 mph
 
ERA
5.55
 
WHIP
1.47
 
BABIP
.285
 
GB/FB
1.50
 
Left On Base
60.8%
 
Exit Velocity
80.5 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
5.3%
 
Spin Rate
2567 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
24.2%
 
Swinging Strike
7.9%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2015
2014
2013
Stratton literally spun his way back into fantasy relevancy while pitching for the lowly Pirates. He came onto the scene in 2018 with 10 wins with unsightly ratios, but quickly faded away in 2019 and found himself shipped off to Pittsburgh, where his repertoire was tweaked and he has pitched surprisingly well. Last season, he garnered seven wins and eight saves for a terrible club and did so with some of the best fastball and curveball spin rates in the league. He doesn't throw hard, but his pitches have life -- sometimes almost too much, as they ride out of the strike zone. The Pirates will once again be terrible, but Stratton figures to have a prominent role in the late-inning bullpen to resume where he left off in 2021. He is out of options, so the club will keep him around as long as he continues this career renaissance.
Stratton fizzled out with the Giants and the Angels dumped him a little more than a month into the 2019 season, but he seems to have found his niche with the Pirates as a short reliever. He has added a couple ticks to his fastball working in shorter spurts and gets elite spin on the four-seamer. Meanwhile his curveball spin ranked in the 97th percentile, and it would make a lot of sense if he upped the usage of the curve in 2021 after he held opponents to a .105 BA and .178 xwOBA with the pitch in 2020. Walks continued to hurt him on occasion in relief (9.9 BB%), but the added swing-and-miss Stratton showed in 2020 will go a long way toward masking his flaws if he's able to keep it up. Four of his five holds last year came after Aug. 28, which highlights Stratton's rise up the bullpen ladder in Pittsburgh and points to him having a significant setup role.
Stratton got off to a tough start with the Angels, posting an 8.59 ERA and 2.08 WHIP with a 22:18 K:BB over his first seven appearances (29.1 innings), but it appears a change in scenery was just what the doctor ordered. After being dealt to the Pirates in mid-May, the 29-year-old registered a 3.66 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 47 punchouts across 46.2 innings out of the bullpen. Stratton stranded runners 70.5 % of the time in 2019 and finished with an 8.2 K/9. Upon finding success out of the bullpen, it would be surprising to see Pittsburgh change Stratton's role for the 2020 campaign. He's a versatile arm who can pitch in a variety of situations, including in long relief and late in tight ballgames.
Some saw Stratton’s 2017 performance and considered him a sleeper for 2018. In the end, his numbers regressed almost across the board. His home-run rate jumped up to 1.2 per nine innings, he struck out fewer batters (7.0 K/9) and he gave up much more hard contact than in 2017 (41.8% hard-hit rate in 2018 versus 28.4% in 2017). The 28-year-old did improve his control and showed some flashes of excellence, including a five-start stretch from late August to mid-September in which he compiled a 2.10 ERA with a complete-game shutout. His awful outings offset the strong ones, though, keeping his end-of-season ERA at 5.09. His 4.48 FIP suggests he suffered from some bad luck, but not a ton. Fortunately, he will likely maintain his spot in the rotation since he’s out of options, so he should get a chance to improve, but he’s risky given all the hard contact and the lack of strikeouts.
There is nothing flashy about Stratton's skill set, but he showed enough in 13 appearances (10 starts) with the Giants last year to warrant another look at the back end of the rotation in 2018. He averages under 92 mph with his fastball, but Stratton throws two quality breaking pitches (curveball and slider) which help him keep the ball on the ground. The right-hander endured some struggles against lefties last year (.355 wOBA), and they may remain tough on him until the changeup develops more, but Stratton's splits against righties (.291 wOBA) and on the road (3.86 ERA) point to some level of sustainability. Don't expect a sub-4.00 ERA over a full season, but something in the mid-4.00s range is within the realm of possibility. The WHIP is a different story; he had a sub-1.30 WHIP just once on the farm, and will continue to struggle in that category if he can't do a better job of limiting the free passes (4.3 BB/9).
Stratton got his first taste of big league action in 2016, serving as the team's long relief man when injuries struck the back end of the Giants rotation. He only logged 10 innings in the bigs, so his numbers with Triple-A Sacramento give a better idea of what kind of pitcher he is. In 20 starts with the River Cats, Stratton posted a 3.87 ERA with a 2.6 K/BB ratio. His biggest strength is his ability to keep the ball in the yard, as evidenced by his 0.4 HR/9 while pitching in the hitter-friendly PCL. With five veteran starters under contract to begin the 2017 season, Stratton will likely begin the year with Triple-A Sacramento again.
Stratton started the 2014 season as a 23-year-old at High-A San Jose, where he was hit around quite a bit. The 6-foot-3 righty posted a 5.07 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP in 99.1 innings at Low-A, featuring a low-90s fastball that occasionally dips to 89 mph. He concluded the season with 23 innings in a better pitching environment in the Eastern League with Double-A Richmond, where his ERA dipped to a middling 3.52, but his strikeout rate also dropped from 23.9% to 16.8% against more advanced hitting. The lack of strikeouts against Double-A hitters creates more concerns than the ERA stabilization alleviated. Stratton’s ceiling appears to be that of a No. 5 starter, and perhaps a more likely role would be that of a middle reliever or swing man.
After suffering a scary head injury that cut his 2012 season short, Stratton came back strong in 2013, posting a 3.27 ERA in 132 innings for Low-A Augusta. The former first-round pick exhibited excellent strikeout numbers (8.4 K/9) while keeping his control in check (3.2 BB/9). Despite not pitching above the Low-A level, the 23-year-old Stratton will likely be on a fast track to the majors as his arsenal (fastball, slider, curveball, changeup) appears ready for the big leagues.
Stratton, the Giants' first-round pick in 2012 (20th overall), appeared in eight games while throwing 16.1 innings in Low-A until his season was cut short after a line drive to the head in late August. It is likely that he will begin 2013 in High-A, and there is a chance he could make it to San Francisco by 2014. Scouts have said Stratton does not have one dominant pitch, but he features a fastball between 91-95 mph along with a very good slider, improving curveball and fringe changeup.
More Fantasy News
On track for start of spring
PKansas City Royals
Forearm
October 15, 2024
Stratton (forearm) is expected to be healthy for the beginning of spring training, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Heads to IL
PKansas City Royals
Forearm
September 14, 2024
The Royals placed Stratton on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right forearm flexor strain.
ANALYSIS
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Snags fourth win
PKansas City Royals
August 4, 2024
Stratton (4-3) earned the win Sunday over the Tigers, striking out one in a perfect inning.
ANALYSIS
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Collects third win
PKansas City Royals
July 29, 2024
Stratton (3-3) allowed one run on two hits and struck out one over 1.2 innings to earn the win over the White Sox on Monday.
ANALYSIS
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Notches save Thursday
PKansas City Royals
June 20, 2024
Stratton earned a save against the Athletics on Thursday by retiring both batters he faced.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Back for 2025?
PKansas City Royals
October 23, 2024
Stratton had a 5.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 44:33 K:BB across 57 innings before going down with a flexor strain in his forearm in September, and he's likely to pick up his $4.5 million player option to remain in Kansas City for 2025.
ANALYSIS
The 34-year-old secured a $4 million guarantee from the Royals over the winter after producing a 3.92 ERA in 64 outings between the Cardinals and Rangers in 2023, and he's unlikely to get a more lucrative deal than the player option in free agency this time around. Stratton is unlikely to be a factor in Kansas City's closing situation but could serve as a bridge to the higher-leverage arms if he can bounce back in 2025.
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