Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Rodriguez had an awful 2021 season, but his 4.74 ERA was backed up by a 3.32 FIP and 3.50 xERA. His walk percentage and strikeout rate were actually career bests, and he made at least 31 starts for the second consecutive season. Really, it was just a lot of bad luck for Rodriguez, as his .363 BABIP against and 68.9% LOB %, both career-worsts, showed. He'll face an easier slate of lineups now that he's with Detroit, but his ceiling is fairly low given that he's really got just one truly reliable pitch in his fastball. He could theoretically finally beat his career best 3.81 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, but there's just not enough upside for him to be anything but a back-end-of-the-rotation type of arm.

Skubal had some growing pains last year, and he really needs to improve his four-seam fastball (.611 SLG, .413 wOBA). But he approached his season the right way, and used it to develop his secondary pitches, and both his slider and changeup came a long way. Drafting Skubal to be a starter for your team means you believe that he's going to continue his upward trend, and considering that both his strikeout and walk rates were extremely solid last year, there's reason for optimism. Just be ready for an uneven ride along the way, as is typical with young pitchers.

Mize's overall numbers were impressive in 2021, with a 3.71 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. But his expected stats suggested he was incredibly lucky, and his 19.3% strikeout rate wasn't helping fantasy managers. Mize is young and both his fastball and slider, which are already league average or better, can continue to improve as he grows as a pitcher, and the Tigers are likely to loosen the reins a bit with his innings. He's an ideal late-round pick for your bench given his upside, but don't get into the season relying on him as anything more than your last starter.