Fantasy baseball starters #15: Kevin Gausman
Kevin Gausman had a good season last year, and he may be due for an even better 2023. He made 31 starts and pitched 174.2 innings. He allowed 188 hits, 65 earned runs, only 28 walks, and struck out 205 batters, good for an American-League best 7.32 K/BB. His ERA was 3.35, his FIP was nearly a run lower at 2.38, his WHIP was 1.24, and his ERA+ was 116. Expect an upswing from Gausman this season.
Fantasy baseball starters #14: Luis Castillo
Castillo missed the beginning of the 2022 season, but he was fantastic when he was on the mound. He made 25 starts between Cincinnati and Seattle. He pitched 150.1 innings, allowed just 118 hits, 50 earned runs, 45 walks, and struck out 167 batters. His ERA was 2.99, his FIP was 3.07, his WHIP was 1.08, and his ERA+ was 138. Perhaps his best performance came in the playoffs against Toronto in the Wild Card round when he tossed 7.1 shutout innings.
Fantasy baseball starters #13: Shane McClanahan
Shane McClanahan established himself as an elite starter in 2022. The lefty made 28 starts and tossed 166.1 innings. He allowed 116 hits, 47 earned runs, 38 walks, and struck out 194 batters. His ERA was 2.54, his FIP was 3.00, his WHIP was 0.93, and his ERA+ was 142. His K/BB was 5.11. He tailed off a little bit in the second half, but still finished sixth in the AL Cy Young voting. He’s still young, so there’s no reason to think performances like this will stop any time soon.