Cincinnati Reds SP Anthony DeSclafani early favorite for NL ROY
You tell me, if you’re a real life MLB skipper or a fantasy baseball nut, who would you rather have on your team — veteran starting pitcher Mat Latos or rookie Anthony DeSclafani? The answer, surprisingly, should be the latter.
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While Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price might be under the microscope a tad right now, GM Walt Jocketty will see no criticism finding its way to him regarding the Latos trade from December 11, 2014.
Latos’ pitches are getting detonated on a regular basis right now for the Miami Marlins. The 27-year-old has three starts with the Fish and has logged only 9.2 innings pitched. His ERA of 10.24 is the second highest mark by any starting pitcher in MLB with three starts, after the Brewers’ Kyle Lohse. But at least Lohse is pitching deeper into ball games with 15.2 IP under his belt. For all the things Latos is doing wrong so far in 2015, his .485 BAbip is probably his most incredulous statistic.
While Latos is 0-3 to start the season, DeSclafani is shining behind Johnny Cueto in the Reds’ rotation. Right now, the 25-year-old is perhaps even outshining his ace in a number of ways.
Through three starts, his 0.86 ERA and 0.62 WHIP are exceptional. DeSclafani has two wins and a no-decision so far with 16 strikeouts over a solid 21 IP. All of his starts have been of the quality variety and only three starters with a minimum of 20 IP this year have a lower ERA than does DeSclafani.
A BAA of .127 and a BAbip of .148 will be impossible to maintain, but DeSclafani is doing a number of things really well right now. The University of Florida product has to be the early favorite to follow up pitcher Jacob deGrom‘s NL ROY performance from 2014.
Given his age, history playing college ball and that fact he has logged three 100-plus inning seasons in the minors, it’s unlikely DeSclafani’s success will be restricted by an innings cap this season.
I figured DeSclfani to be a great sleeper pick in all of my fantasy baseball drafts this season. Unfortunately, I was less wise to draft Jose Quintana in a number and not quick to hit the waiver wire like I was last year for deGrom. Quintana was of course less of a sleeper than DeSclafani can be considered, but I still have regrets. For some reason, the rookie is still un-owned in 44 percent of Yahoo leagues, while Latos is only 34 percent un-owned. Quintana, in case you’re wondering, is 27 percent un-owned.
I was sharp enough to steer clear of Latos in all my fantasy leagues, so for that I am thankful. Much in the same way Reds fans are probably happy to see DeSclafani breakout for their ball club in 2015. Adding insult to injury, Latos is a free agent after this season, while the new addition to the Reds’ roster could be relatively cheap and under club control through the 2020 season. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria must be livid.
If Anthony DeSclafani maintains his course with the Cincinnati Reds in 2015, the onus will be on a plethora of NL Central competitors from the Cubs (Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Addison Russell) who still have their rookie statuses intact for the 2015 season to keep pressuring DeSclafani to perform. Soler is the only one from the trio yet to face him, posting a 1-for-3 day at the plate with two strikeouts.
Even all the way on the West Coast, rookie Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson should be taking note of DeSclafani’s strong start. Come August 13, there will be a clearer picture emerging about the NL ROY front-runner. That’s the same day the Dodgers host the Reds to begin a four game weekend series.