Cincinnati Reds: Anthony DeSclafani provides glimpse of better days ahead
By Tim Haberin
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani has looked impressive since coming off the DL, bolstering the struggling franchise’s future outlook.
The Cincinnati Reds certainly didn’t enter the season with high expectations, but it’s never fun to be 24 games under .500 and 15.5 games out of a playoff spot. It’s the kind of year where you cling to anything positive that could lead to improved results in the future.
For the 2016 Reds, one of those reasons for optimism is undoubtedly left fielder Adam Duvall. The 27-year-old has been an unexpected success in his first full major league season, slashing .249/.287/.551 with 23 home runs and 63 RBI. His power at the plate earned him a spot at the All-Star Game as one of only two Cincinnati representatives (the other being fellow outfield slugger Jay Bruce).
But what about a Reds pitching staff that has been almost shockingly bad this year? Reds pitchers own a 5.44 ERA as a group, worst in MLB by a decent margin over the Colorado Rockies. Cincinnati starters haven’t been much better, posting a 5.28 ERA, also the poorest mark between both leagues.
If there has been a bright spot of late, it’s definitely 26-year-old Anthony DeSclafani, recently returned from an extended stint on the disabled list. The right-hander was sidelined for over two months with an oblique strain and didn’t make his first start until June 10. Since then, he has been quite impressive, spinning off six quality starts in seven outings. Overall he boasts a 2.55 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 4.11 K/BB ratio across 42.1 innings.
The only blip on the radar came during his second start back on June 15, when he was removed after just 2.2 frames (four runs, one earned) amid an elevating pitch count. It’s been pretty much smooth sailing since then, however. DeSclafani’s best outing of the year so far came on June 26, when he tossed eight scoreless innings against the Padres at home.
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A 2011 Blue Jays draft pick, DeSclafani was traded to the Marlins in the Jose Reyes / Mark Buehrle / Josh Johnson mega-deal prior to the 2013 campaign. That season he was named the Marlins’ minor league pitcher of the year after putting up a 2.65 ERA and 5.0 K/BB between the Advanced A and Double-A levels. He was moved to the Reds in the winter of 2014 as part of the exchange that sent Mat Latos to Miami.
DeSclafani made 31 starts for Cincinnati last year, and they were somewhat of a mixed bag. After managing a 3.68 ERA in 16 outings through June, he posted a 4.43 mark in his final 15 starts. There were some reasons for confidence, though. He owned a 3.67 FIP at the end of the season, markedly better than his 4.05 ERA.
He’s only made seven starts this year, a small sample size for sure, but DeSclafani has demonstrated some promising improvements that should bode well for the rest of the season. He’s walking 1.9 batters per nine innings, well down from last year’s 2.7 BB/9 rate. That’s an important development, as DeSclafani still generally pitches to contact (9.4 H/9; 7.9 K/9).
The righty is featuring his slider more, and to great effect. According to Fangraphs PitchF/X, opponents are hitting just .196 against it this season. He’s throwing it about 34 percent of the time, compared to 24 percent usage last year.
DeSclafani probably won’t be able to maintain this level of performance, but that would be a difficult task for most pitchers. His FIP currently sits at 3.51, more in line with last season’s mark than his 2.55 ERA. He’s also benefiting from an 81.4 percent left-on-base percentage (69.9 percent in 2015). His fly ball rate has climbed from 33.6 percent to 37.8 percent, which could prove costly down the line in the bandbox that is Great American Ball Park.
However, it should also be noted that he is contending with an above average .333 BABIP, noticeably higher than last year’s .318. That could regress a bit as his season continues. And despite giving up a few more fly balls, they’re still turning into home runs at about the same rate (8.9 percent HR/FB, compared to 9.1 percent in 2015).
DeSclafani provides the Reds with a good young arm, and he’s under team control through 2020, by which point they will hope to be in a much better position. While there has been some speculation that this could make him a possible trade chip, it’s also easy to envision him as part of a future rotation along with top prospects like Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed.
In either case, DeSclafani’s success means only good things for a franchise in serious need of them.