Two rookies put on impressive displays this past week, giving fantasy baseball owners hope for a possible steal off the waiver wire.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez and Boston Red Sox hurler Eduardo Rodriguez picked up victories in their first career starts.
For Gonzalez, he went into the sixth inning with a no-hitter before surrendering two hits and being replaced. He still won the game, allowing no runs, two hits and striking out two batters. The biggest issue with his debut is that he walked five batters in only 5 2/3 innings.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, did more than just win the game while allowing no runs. He also produced in strikeouts and WHIP. The left-handed thrower went 7 2/3 innings, struck out seven, walked two, allowed three hits and recorded a 0.65 WHIP.
It appears that these starts have earned both pitchers with at least one more start, with the Red Sox moving to a six-man rotation, while the Rangers will keep Ross Detwiler in the bullpen.
For fantasy baseball owners, what should they expect if they decide to fill a roster spot with one or both of these rookie pitchers? In past experiences, fantasy baseball owners should expect inconsistency.
Baseball is a long season, and once hitters have more tape on the opposing pitcher, it becomes more difficult to maintain numbers like these guys showed this past week.
Individually, Rodriguez looks like the semi-safer option. It’s no surprise that he’s in the Majors, since he’s been a top five prospect in the organizations he’s represented. During his time with Baltimore in 2012 and 2013, he was rated No. 5 and 3 respectively. In the Red Sox organization, he was listed as the No. 4 prospect.
Overall in MLB, he was the 59th best prospect in 2014.
Gonzalez was drafted 23rd overall in the 2013 draft, and earned a No. 5 and No. 6 prospect ranking in 2013 and 2014 in the Texas Rangers system. He was the 89th ranked prospect in 2014.
For as much as pitchers come and go on fantasy baseball rosters, owners should grab both of these pitchers to see if they can at least get decent trade value or production for the duration of the season.
