Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

McClanahan had a successful 2021 season in almost every respect. His ERA, strikeouts, and walk rate were all extremely solid, and he made 26 starts including the post-season. Despite decent control, he had a bloated 1.27 WHIP, which was largely the result of batters destroying his fastball. Specifically, the pitch allowed a .308 batting average and a .378 wOBA, and considering he threw it 40.9% of the time, McClanahan's overall numbers are a testament to how good his slider and curveball were. Assuming he can get better command of his fastball and improve his performance with the pitch, there's plenty of room for growth with the young lefty.

Baz underwent elbow surgery, and he won't throw until early April, but the Rays reportedly don't expect him to miss much time. His pure stuff has always been electric, as he combines elite velocity with an outstanding curveball and slider. Prior to last year, his command was the only thing holding him back, but he blossomed in Double-A and kept his gains in control throughout his three-game stint in the majors. A rough postseason start aside, 2021 was all gravy for Baz, and the Rays undoubtedly expect him to be a contributor to their rotation this year. But he did pitch just 92 innings last season, and given his age, fantasy managers should expect the Rays to cap him at about 130 innings or so, so the missed time for his elbow injury isn't a huge deal as of yet. That still leaves room for Baz to provide plenty of value, so long as the helium on his draft price stays in check.

Kittredge tallied eight saves last season, and should be in line for the bulk of the opportunities early in the year with Pete Fairbanks dealing with a strained lat. He's had success for several years now, relying on his excellent command and his fastball-slider combination. Based on pure stuff, if we knew Kittredge would be the closer all year, he'd be way up the reliever ranks. But fantasy managers know by now that you cant trust a Rays reliever, so book 15 saves for Kittredge for now. Anything else is gravy.