Call to the pen
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Fantasy Baseball: Five Sleeper Pitchers for 2019

By Jason Evans

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 01: Sonny Gray #55 of the New York Yankees speaks to the media prior to a game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium on August 1, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 01: Sonny Gray #55 of the New York Yankees speaks to the media prior to a game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium on August 1, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 25: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Matt Shoemaker (52) in action during the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers played on September 25, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Matt Shoemaker

You may have missed this deal as it happened just after Christmas, but the Toronto Blue Jays signed

Matt Shoemaker

to a one-year deal. It’s a bit of a flyer for the Toronto Blue Jays, but there’s no such thing as a bad one-year contract and for a team like the Blue Jays, who need the depth it wasn’t a bad move. If he cracks the rotation, he is someone you could teak a flyer on as a sleeper for your team.

Shoemaker has missed a good deal of time over the past couple of seasons, making a combined 21 starts between 2017 and 2018.

His K rate increased to 9.6 in his limited outings last season, and if his splitter is working, combined with a decent fastball and slider, being a groundball pitcher in the AL East isn’t the worst thing to be considering the offenses that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees possess.

In terms of the park he’s going to, Rogers Centre plays slightly better for pitchers than Angel Stadium, so that could help.

I’d monitor how Shoemaker does throughout the Spring. If he performs well, he could even turn into a trade chip, which could help you as a fantasy owner down the stretch.

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