Ubaldo Jimenez has had a solid start to the season for the O’s
It has been an up-and-down season for the Baltimore Orioles, who have had to deal with injuries to key players and some hot and cold starts during the first half. Despite that, the Orioles currently sit atop the AL East with a record of 41-35. Surprisingly enough, one of the more consistent player for the O’s thus far has been right-handed SP Ubaldo Jimenez. He has looked more like the ace that he once was rather than the flop he proved to be in 2014, and he is trying to justify the recent big-money contract he signed with the O’s.
Jimenez is 7-3 in 15 starts, with a 3.09 ERA in 87.1 innings of work, 89 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.24. Jimenez has been especially great at Camden Yards, a hitter-friendly ballpark, where he has a 2.06 ERA in 48 innings with five wins and one loss, striking out 47 and walking only seven. Away from home is where Jimenez has struggled, as he has a 4.35 ERA in 39 1/3 innings, with two wins and two loses, striking out 42 and walking 20 batters on the road. But even those numbers aren’t terrible. He has shown this season that he can be a solid and consistent pitcher with a good mix off pitches.
Jimenez has relied heavily on his sinker that sits in the low-90s and has a little downward movement that can force a lot of groundball outs. He mixes in a splitter that touches 85 mph, a slider that touches 84 mph, a four-seam fastball that is usually around 92 mph, and a 77 mph curveball. Jimenez’s splitter is the nastiest of all his pitches, as it has the movement that suggests a lot of backspin and has slight arm-side fade. Jimenez could easily help any fantasy team that is looking for a consistent starting pitcher that could still be available at this stage of the season. He is currently a pitcher that has flown under the radar and has consistently pitched well for the Orioles. His ownership remains lower (less than 63% in ESPN leagues) than his production would normally warrant, likely because fantasy owners are wondering if he can maintain his strong start.
He is currently riding a hot streak, going 4-0 through his six starts in the month of June with a 3.03 ERA in 35 2/3 innings, striking out 42 and walking 13 batters. His numbers against righties have been solid with a 2.90 ERA in 40 1/3 innings, and his numbers against left handed hitters haven’t been terrible either (3.26 ERA in 47 innings). It has been a good season for Jimenez so far, and his advanced stat point to it not being a fluke. He has a 3.13 FIP, as he’s maintained a league-average BABIP (.308). He’s also posted more than a strikeout per inning and has reduced his walks surrended.
Jimenez has looked to make good on the four-year, $50 million contract that O’s signed him to at the start of 2014. While the label of an inconsistent pitcher likely won’t leave Jimenez anytime soon, he has shown this season that he has stabilized and rebounded from what was a horrendous 2014 . With Jimenez adding depth to the O’s pitching core that has gotten pretty good seasons from Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez, Baltimore hopes that Jimenez can keep up his excellent work as we move past the All-Star break. Jimenez’s production could be very important to the Orioles as they try and repeat their division title in what looks to be a very tight AL East race once again this year. Only time will tell what Jimenez will do over the course of the full season.
James McGowan is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from James, check out his archive or follow him @jmc3310.
