MLB All-Star Game: Who Should Start for the National League?
By Matt Weyrich
Jake Arrieta
As if winning his first career Cy Young Award behind one of the most dominant second halves in the history of the sport wasn’t enough, Jake Arrieta followed up his stellar 2015 campaign with dominant performances night after night through the first two months of the season. Arrieta (12-3, 2.33) leads all qualified pitchers in keeping the ball in the yard with a miniscule 0.42 HR/9.
The AL is stacked with six right-handed hitters in the starting lineup. According to Fangraphs, only Fernandez and Max Scherzer have a better BAA (.169) than Arrieta against righties. The Cubs ace has one of the most elite sliders in the game, and right-handers in particular struggle with the pitch (thrown for a strike 29.8 percent of the time).
Recently, however, Arrieta has been off his game. Over his last six starts, he has gone 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA, returning to earth after pitching at an unbelievable pace over the last calendar year. Can he return to form in time to make the start in the All-Game?
Prediction: With Arrieta’s recent struggles, Collins has all the reason to be skeptical about how reliable the reigning NL Cy Young winner will be. Rather, he should hand the ball to…
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