Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

It always feels like Eovaldi should be better given how hard he throws and how good his control is, but it's always been difficult for him to put everything together. But now that he's enjoyed a rare run of health and largely ditched his underwhelming cutter, he's settled into a usable starter that you can draft with relative confidence. He's never going to be a star - his fastball is just too hittable and he pitches in a division with loaded lineups - but you could do far worse than a 3.75 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, which Eovaldi has given fantasy managers for two straight seasons. Expect a third in 2022.

Sale returned from Tommy John surgery last year and mostly looked like his old self. His velocity was close to pre-surgery levels, and though his strikeout rate dropped a smidge, he was basically the same ace he's always been. A .358 BABIP against Sale last year suggests he got unlucky, yet he still posted a 3.16 ERA. Health is really the only concern for Sale, who was an All-Star for seven straight seasons from 2012 to 2018. Unfortunately, he's already hurt. A stress fracture in his rib cage will cause him to miss the start of the regular season.

Houck will begin the year in the rotation despite an uneven spring, and he showed a lot of upside last year. His strikeout rate sat at 30.5% while his walk rate was just 7.4%, and his 3.52 ERA was inflated according to all metrics. He's got an outstanding slider, which is what really propels his success, but his lack of other pitches in his arsenal often forces him to go deep into counts and shortens his outings. He should be on your sleeper list because he has huge potential, but understand that if he struggles, he could be moved to the bullpen, even with Chris Sale currently on the shelf.