Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

There are really no words for what Cole was able to do last year. He built on the massive gains he made from his first year with the Astros and lowered his ERA, WHIP, and walk rate to miniscule levels while totaling an outrageous 326 strikeouts. He'll move to the Yankees now, which is a mild downgrade given that the Yankees may slightly limit his innings in light of their long-term investment in Cole and their bullpen, and the opposing offenses and ballparks in the AL East compared to the AL West. But Cole's fastball and slider are beyond elite, and he should be the top pitcher taken in fantasy drafts.

Paxton will be out until at least early May (and likely longer) after undergoing a microscopic lumbar discectomy with removal of a peridiscal cyst in early February. Although his talent is undeniable, this is yet another in a long list of injuries for Paxton, who has eight injured list stints since the beginning of the 2014 season. While early May is the front end of the three to four month timetable, expect Paxton's absence to last until at least June and possibly longer if he has any setbacks.

Tanaka had a bizarre year. On the negative side, his ERA soared to 4.45 and his WHIP and strikeout rate went to a career worst 1.24 and 7.37/9, respectively. Yet he slightly lowered his walk rate from the past two years, cut his HR/FB rate, and got batters to swing at pitches outside the zone more than almost any other pitcher in the second half of the season. At this point in his career, given his home park, there's little optimism that Tanaka can ever develop into the ace he appeared to be during his debut. Draft him as a back-end-of-the-rotation starter in deeper leagues but nothing more.