Peter Lambert

Lambert has completed just 30.1 innings since the start of the 2020 season, with only 5.2 of those frames coming at the major-league level (in 2021). The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2020 which knocked him out through the end of 2021 and last year he was plagued by a forearm issue. Lambert didn't need surgery for the forearm injury and the expectation is that he'll be ready roll for the start of 2023. The Rockies still have hope for a guy who used to be one of their top pitching prospects, but Lambert has been terrible during his major-league career and even at his best has never been much of a bat-misser.

Lambert made the first 19 starts of his big-league career in 2019 as the Rockies cycled through rotation options, but he failed to find much success, finishing with a 7.25 ERA. Coors Field and a juiced ball may have inflated that number somewhat, but it's still not good enough in any environment, as evidenced by his park-adjusted ERA- of 144. Lambert had never been a particularly high strikeout guy in the minors, but his 13.6% strikeout rate as a rookie was quite poor. The righty has a long way to go to be an effective weapon in the majors, though at age 22 and with a decent amount of prospect pedigree, he could still get there. The Rockies' rotation looks likely to remain weak in 2020, so Lambert could be in line for more opportunities to prove his worth. Given the extent of his struggles as a rookie, though, there's not much reason for fantasy owners to invest until he starts turning the corner.

The Rockies selected Lambert with the 44th overall pick in June, and persuaded him to rescind his commitment to UCLA with a $1.495 million signing bonus, almost $100,000 more than his projected slot value. Standing 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Lambert has the measurables you typically look for in a starter, and features three pitches that project as average-or-better offerings in time. He made eight starts for rookie-level Grand Junction after being drafted, going 0-4 despite allowing only 12 earned runs in 31.1 innings with a respectable 26:11 K:BB. Turning just 19 in April, Lambert may need to prove more in rookie ball before the Rockies think about a full-season assignment. Considering the team context and lack of proximity to the majors, Lambert can probably be left alone in dynasty and keeper leagues for now.