Patrick Sandoval

Sandoval came into last season as a breakout candidate after posting a career best 2.91 ERA the year prior, but instead he regressed with a 4.11 ERA and career-worst 1.51 WHIP. His fastball velocity remained the same and he continued to land well above league average at limiting hard contact and inducing groundballs, so the primary culprit for his drop-off can largely be linked to a decline in his ability to get hitters to miss pitches and to chase balls outside the strike zone. Whereas Sandoval ranked in the 76th and 73rd percentile, respectively, in whiff percentage and chase rate in 2022, he fell back closer to league average last season, finishing in the 63rd and 53rd percentile. Not coincidentally, the left-hander's strikeout rate dipped from 23.7% to 19.6%, and the impact of that drop was exacerbated by a career-worst 11.3% walk rate. Sandoval has good enough stuff to be able to bounce back, and working with a new pitching coach may help, but the inconsistency and modest punchout potential will likely keep him off the draft board in many fantasy leagues heading into the new campaign.

Sandoval was healthy all year but only totaled 148.2 innings as the Angels rolled with a six-man rotation. The team was also cautious with Sandoval specifically, allowing him to throw 100-plus pitches four times in 27 starts. Sandoval is a unique pitcher not just because he throws lefty but because he throws his slider and changeup as his two primary pitches -- at least he did in 2022. The slider held up under heavier usage and the change was a good swing-and-miss pitch for him with a 44.5 Whiff%, according to Statcast. His four-seamer got knocked around to the tune of a .372 average and 14 extra-base hits, so things can go awry when he gets behind in the count and has to throw the fastball over the plate. Throwing so much breaking and offspeed stuff results in a good number of groundballs, and when combined with the strikeouts, Sandoval is an exciting arm for fantasy purposes. That said, don't expect many two-start weeks and don't expect him to approach 200 innings.

Sandoval began the season toiling for Triple-A Salt Lake but was called up before their season commenced. Initially, Sandoval was a swingman, but it wasn't long before he entered the rotation full time. His season ended prematurely in mid-August with a left lumbar stress reaction. Granted, it was only a 36.2 inning sample from the previous campaign, but Sandoval exhibited significant improvement, best exemplified by a 15.2% swinging strike mark supporting a 26% K%. Sandoval's walk rate could use some work as demonstrated by a 9.9% BB%. Just 25 years old, Sandoval has time to hone his five-pitch mix to improve control. If successful, front end of the rotation status awaits. Short term, keep in mind the Angels could deploy a six-man rotation, but if healthy, Sandoval still merits a spot on a mixed league roster.

Sandoval's chances of making the 2020 Opening Day roster increased after new Angels manager Joe Maddon announced plans for a six-man rotation. However, Sandoval was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was late to summer camp, putting the spot in jeopardy. He was able to catch up and served as the sixth starter around a couple trips to the alternate training facility when a sixth starter wasn't needed. For the year, Sandoval struggled with homers, allowing 10 in just 36.2 innings despite inducing grounders at a 55.3% clip. Sandoval altered his pitch mix, throwing more sliders in lieu of his curveball and changeup. His slider and change are thrown with similar velocity -- only eight-mph slower than his four-seamer which may help explain the homers as batters are better able to sit on a pitch. Sandoval is still developing, but it appears he's capped at a back-end starter, useful as a streamer.

Sandoval made his big-league debut in early August and held down a rotation spot for the rest of the season despite largely mediocre results. His 24.9 K% was strong, but it came with a poor 11.2 BB%. A 21.4% HR/FB rate also held him back and indicates potential positive regression going forward, while his 4.02 xFIP paints a fairly optimistic picture of what he's been able to do thus far. His fastball averaged 93 mph (fine for a southpaw) and he pairs it with a swing-and-miss changeup, a high-spin curveball and fourth-pitch slider. Even with the unconvincing start to his career, he enters 2020 poised to either break camp in the rotation or serve as the next man up in the case of an injury, and injuries typically hit this rotation harder than most. His command issues make him a WHIP liability, but he should be a solid source of strikeouts if he gets the innings.