WEBVTT - The 10 Most Undervalued Pitchers in 2025 (Ep. 923) 0:00:05.240 --> 0:00:08.520 Welcome in everybody to Fantasy Pros MLB. This is the 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.280 Fantasy Baseball Podcast. It is me, Joey p Joe piz 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:13.800 Appia with me is my boy the Welsh, and today 0:00:13.800 --> 0:00:16.840 we're gonna talk about ten undervalued pitchers. I went back 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:19.919 to last year's list to see how we did. I 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:22.040 would say pretty good. Here are the names on last 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:24.160 year's list that were undervalued that we thought you should 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:26.920 be drafting. Blake Snell, he was pretty good. Welsh, I 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:30.000 would say he was all right. Joe Ryan Uri Perez 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:32.480 was a tease. We didn't quite get all that help. 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:34.560 I know we were there, we were there, it just 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:37.440 didn't work out. Kyle Bradish didn't work out for him, 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:41.440 but it did work out for Cole Reagan's, Carlos Rodon Bailey, Ober, 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:43.920 some of those names. So we're gonna try to hit 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:46.240 on some names for twenty twenty five. Don't forget to 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:49.839 subscribe to Fantasy Pros MLB. Of course, ring the bell 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:51.919 to lekos Dang for notification. So you are with us 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:54.880 all draft season for the Mox for the Pods, and 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:57.480 then leading off coming at you in just a few 0:00:57.480 --> 0:01:00.840 weeks in unbelievable time, to be alive and excited, and 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:04.000 while you're hanging out watching the podcast, listening to the 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:06.119 podcast wherever you get your pods, you can subscribe there 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:09.040 to the audio feed too. Of course, you should be 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:11.720 doing some mock drafts and you should be using draft Wizard. 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:15.720 Download the MLB Draft Wizard app today. It is the 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:19.600 ultimate sheet code for you to get in there start 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:22.920 crafting your rosters for twenty twenty five. Use the pick 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:25.959 predictor use all of the tools that are there for you, 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:28.560 the cheat sheets and more where you can go ahead, 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:31.640 take the rankings, take the insights, and get the best 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.759 teams you possibly can with the draft simulator on draft Wizard. 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:37.120 And of course when you sink your leagues, you can 0:01:37.200 --> 0:01:40.160 use draft Wizard right in your real draft. I use 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:41.920 it for all the NFL drafts I did last year. 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:44.720 It was incredible. I'm using it for MLB again this year. 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:47.560 It's the way to go, and again it's how you're 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:50.240 going to dominate and embarrass all your friends and relatives 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:52.520 and beat them into submission. Because that's why we play 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:54.720 fantasy sports. It's not about the love of the game. 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:58.040 It's about embarrassing our friends and loved ones. So if 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:00.280 you want to do that, Draft Wizard is the tool 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:02.040 for you again. Download the app right now or go 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:06.200 to Fantasy Broos dot com slash MLB Draft Wizard. All right, Welsh, 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:08.079 first name on the list. We're gonna kick it off. 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:11.760 These guys all currently, I want to emphasize currently, as 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:14.960 of early February recording this, they're going outside the top 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:16.400 one hundred. I want to start with a guy that 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:18.880 I've taken in some mock drafts, and you've already taken 0:02:18.919 --> 0:02:21.480 in a mock draft just yesterday. Grayson Rodriguez, all the 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:24.600 Baltimore Orioles. I feel like, again, this is a player 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:26.600 we are just getting the teas as of right, we've 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:30.040 seen what the upside look like and it's electric. Now 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:32.880 they let Corbyn Burns walk, and if you're gonna let 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.880 Corbyn Burns walk, you better be rest assured that they 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.440 think that Grayson Rodriguez is ready to take that next 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:42.480 step to truly be the ACE. So I know, the 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:43.760 end of the year didn't work out the way the 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:46.320 Orioles quite wanted. They fell short there for a World 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:49.440 Series run, but still an incredibly young team and Grayson 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:52.480 Rodriguez still has the upside to be a fantasy ace, 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:54.600 and you're getting him outside of the top one hundred, Welsh, 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:57.360 I don't see how that's not undervalued at this point. 0:02:57.639 --> 0:03:00.040 Yeah, I do think he floats in this undervalued and 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.800 I'm not sure he's like the most screaming of all time. 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:06.000 But because one of the things that you're doing is 0:03:06.160 --> 0:03:08.799 you are being like, all right, does he take that 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.840 next big step? And I'm not sure that there's like 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:14.160 a gajillion things that stand out to be like, oh 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:17.600 my gosh, guys, he's going to do bop bop. But 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.400 I will say that, like outside the top one hundred, 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:23.240 he's a guy that could easily flow seventy five picks 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:25.800 or twenty five picks higher into around the seventy five 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:29.120 ish range. Like if someone told me right now he 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:31.160 could be a top twenty sp this season, I really 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:32.120 wouldn't be too shocked. 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:34.160 There's great team support that's there. 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:38.520 Fastball is complimented with two really great pitches, the change 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:40.840 up and slider both had a twenty seven or higher 0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:44.600 percent K percentage. So those are two big strikeout pitches 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:47.760 with a fastball that did come down year over year 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:51.200 average ninety seven in twenty twenty three. It was ninety 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:53.440 six this past year, but it's still a great pitch. 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:55.560 I had a twenty seven percent with rate, so you've 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:59.680 got this great repertoire with a profile. As far as 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:03.400 again hitters that he was able to lower the zone 0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:05.720 contact rate that he was giving up. He lowered the 0:04:05.760 --> 0:04:08.760 hard hit while increasing his strikeout rate this past year. 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:11.480 A little caveat would be that they are making the 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.600 right field wall a little bit more hitter friendly where 0:04:14.640 --> 0:04:17.120 the I'm sorry, yeah, left field wall where the right 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:18.919 field wall is a little bit more pitcher friendly. So 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:21.360 they're taking out some of that pitcher friendly environment. 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:22.800 But home runs are not, like. 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:24.880 Really a huge crazy issue. He was a little bit 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:26.680 better in the second half. He had a three eight 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:30.120 six ERA with an expected three seven to two. If 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:33.400 we get down to around three five watch out projections. 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:37.359 Looking at the bat system, he's the thirty sixth war 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:40.320 pitcher projected for a ten and eight record, one hundred 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:42.720 and fifty innings, around a nine and a half k 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.640 per nine in a two point seven walk per nine. 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:47.760 I think there is some room for growth there. I 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.160 think top thirty makes a decent amount of sense, and 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:52.800 outside the top one hundred. If you're looking for actual, 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:56.000 true young pitchers today take that next big step. He 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:58.240 is one of those guys, So like, I buy the 0:04:58.360 --> 0:04:58.920 under value. 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:00.159 I think he's the biggest screen. 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:02.479 Of this list, but he's also the highest, so it's like, 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.400 probably not gonna feel that way as well. Grayson definitely 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:08.840 has an undervalued tag attached to his name when guys 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:10.560 like Bailey Obert and stuff are going higher. 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:13.240 Look, I do all the picture write ups for the 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:17.440 Fantasy Baseball Black Book, now available on Amazon, and Grayson 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:19.720 Orriguez for me, is one of my favorite guys because 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.000 I'm somebody that likes to go offense early, and you've 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:24.600 seen that in the mock drafts that I do here 0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:27.760 on the program, right, And when I'm looking for my 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.120 tandem starting pitchers, right, I'm looking for guys, Okay, I'm 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:33.560 gonna look it around. Like I like Ivan Aga, I 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:37.640 like Framber Valdez, I like you know, guys like Aaron 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:39.840 Nola who are just very steady every single year, right, 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:41.360 Guys that I feel like I can count on. And 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:43.240 then I want to get somebody that's got a little 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:45.920 bit of something extra, and I feel like Grayson Rodriguez. 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:47.400 One of these guys got a little bit of something 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:49.200 extra where there's upside. He could be a fantasy A. 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:51.479 So to me, you know, if you if you're starting 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:54.440 a rotation there with one of those steady one a's 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:55.960 and you back it up with a guy like Graci 0:05:55.960 --> 0:05:58.640 and Rodriguez, that's the recipe where you could really have 0:05:58.720 --> 0:06:01.320 something special and then a great offense on top of it. 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:04.679 Next guy on our list, Justin Steele, friend of the show. 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:06.760 You know he was in my must haves a couple 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:09.320 of years ago. I've always been ahead of the curve. 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:10.920 I feel like on Justin Steele, he's going at one 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:14.440 twenty one overall the consensus ADP rankings over a fantasy pros. 0:06:14.920 --> 0:06:17.240 I'm in on the Cubs this year. I think they 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.280 smell blood in the water in this division. Right say 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:21.159 Lewis has taking a massive step back. I think you 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:25.240 look at Milwaukee losing Devin Williams, losing william Doms' there's 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:29.520 opportunity here for Chicago to step into this void. They 0:06:29.560 --> 0:06:32.960 acquired Justin excuse me, they acquired Kyle Tucker and now 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:34.800 they have an opportunity with Justin Steel and showed at 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:37.200 Imanaga and this pitching staff. They signed Matthew Boyd to 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.800 really kind of push in a little bit and say, hey, 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.479 we're gonna go all in for twenty twenty five. And 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:44.039 if Steele can just get out there and make the 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:46.360 thirty starts, I think he's a tremendous value. I think 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:49.920 one of the more underappreciated starters the last couple of 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:51.200 years went healthy. 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:54.240 Yeah, it's funny too, because everybody knows that pays attention 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:56.800 to our little world. I met Justin and hung out 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.800 with him before the season last year, and one of 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:01.599 the things that stood out outside of his love for 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:05.159 Fantasy pros was him just talking up ivan Aga like 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:08.200 he was on that. He was talking up Amanaga big time. 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:10.560 But the thing is, you know, not enough people are 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.720 talking about Justin because, like the profile on what he's 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:17.560 been doing, he's not the biggest craziest strikeout pitcher in 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:19.520 the world, but he had you know, twenty four percent 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:23.560 K percentage, still maintained a relatively low walk rate. But 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:27.680 the really big positives have been his maintenance of being 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:31.600 able to create just bad contact against two twelve batting 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:34.880 average expected batting average against under four percent or under 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:37.440 four point two percent barrel rate, which was under what 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:40.560 it was last year. Three point zero seven ERA, a 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:45.040 two point seven four expected ERA, which is fantastic. He's 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:48.280 got more run support this year and a crazy thing too. 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:51.600 If you go and look, he was phenomenal in the 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:54.840 first half last year. Looking at your splits, I think 0:07:54.840 --> 0:07:58.200 it was two seven to one. He raised a run 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:00.440 in the second half of three point seven and two 0:08:00.520 --> 0:08:04.920 in less innings. But four of six months pitch last 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:07.160 year he had a sub three ERA. There were only 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.880 two months that kind of inflated. So you know, Justin's 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:12.800 got He's got a good strikeout repertoire. He's gonna get 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:16.240 low batting averages. He maintains his ra there's more run support. 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:18.360 He goes outside the top one hundred and he kind 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:21.120 of falls out of like the sexy, big strikeout pitchers 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.960 that people are going for. I really want to see 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:25.640 the health this year, and I want to get back 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:27.400 to those big innings because I think there's an extra 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:30.160 value on pitchers that are gonna get I've said this forore. 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:33.240 One point eighty is the new two hundred or two 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:35.640 twenty as far as innings pitched. There's just not enough 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:37.920 guys that are doing that. If Justin could stay healthy 0:08:37.960 --> 0:08:40.160 and you get one seventy five out of him, he 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:43.040 is going to beat this value. Definitely an underrated pitcher, 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.040 maybe because he just doesn't he's not flashy is a 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:47.240 good word to say for it. 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.040 Well, when he got one seventy three out of him, 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:52.200 just all the way back in twenty twenty three, he 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:53.800 was an All Star. He finished fifth in the Cy 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:56.400 Young voting and he had one hundred and seventy six 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:58.160 strikeouts just thirty six walks. I mean that is an 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:01.080 incredible strikeout to walk ratio. That's a guy who's going 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.000 to dominate in the Hey, look the FIP every year 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:06.800 three twenty three, h two, three twenty three. He's not 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:08.800 a fluke. You know, you look at these eras in 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:11.600 the low threes. That's Justin Steel and does not get 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:14.920 enough credit. Jack Flaherty coming in next at one thirty eight, 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.760 back in Detroit, somebody last year very controversial. I mean 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:22.400 every show when is Welsh gonna talk about Jack Flaherty's 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:25.960 regression And look, you know, Jack Flaherty turned in a 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:28.760 really good season and now he went back to Detroit, 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:32.480 which I gotta tell you if you had concerns about him, 0:09:32.520 --> 0:09:34.360 I think maybe this would be something that would be 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:37.360 more positive. Right if you landed back in a new spot, 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:40.160 maybe you feel differently about Jack flaherty. But because he 0:09:40.200 --> 0:09:42.880 went back to where all that success was basically regenerated 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:46.280 for him with Detroit and whoever those voices were inside 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.040 inside his head, very Randy Orton esque, whatever you want 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:51.640 to call it, I think that that's probably a big 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:54.640 positive for twenty twenty five. Does that assuage any fears 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:59.240 of a twenty twenty five Jack flaherty disappointment for you, Welsh, No, I. 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:00.560 Mean I love him going back there. 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:03.559 If anything, Yeah, like playoff innings like we saw what 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:06.400 happened with Zach Allen when you stacked up all those 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:08.520 innings that maybe you know, body wasn't ready for. He 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:10.720 had one hundred and forty four the year prior this 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:12.560 past year he put up one hundred and sixty two, 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:14.680 and then you had, you know, through the World Series, 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.120 So that could be something to monitor. But as a 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:19.240 Detroit Tiger, he had a three to one three era 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:22.480 and ninety five innings. Dude posted almost two hundred strikeouts 0:10:22.520 --> 0:10:24.760 and one hundred and sixty four innings last year he was 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:28.280 sick three point one seven ERA expected was just like 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:31.920 a tiny bit higher, but I'm very excited about him 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:34.520 being in this spot. He posted thirty six percent WFT 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.800 rates on his two second most used pitches, thirty six 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.160 percent with rate on his slider, forty three percent on 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:43.000 his knuckle curve while putting up you know, a decent 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.400 fastball fastball by the way, the twenty eight point seven 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:48.960 percent K percentage, which like that's high for a fastball. 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:52.480 He's getting big strikeouts. He's in a spot where he 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:56.840 you know, lifted by Tarik Skooble, a solid young offense 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:59.400 in there. We've seen him kind of just step up 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:01.720 in his game to be a dominant strikeout pitcher that 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:05.120 has lower ERA numbers, which that's what gets me excited. 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:08.560 And the biggest one here were his role. Here were 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:13.880 his four rolling walk percentages from twenty twenty to twenty 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:16.760 twenty three nine point four percent, eight point one percent, 0:11:16.880 --> 0:11:20.280 three thirteen point two percent, and ten point two This 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:24.480 past year five point two he became a high strikeout 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:28.559 low walk that equates to around almost twenty five K 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:32.400 minus walk percentage, which is like elite you give me 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:34.240 that again. You give me one hundred and seventy innings 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:37.920 on Flarity. Flarity is a deal, by the way, so 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:40.280 the undervalue tag to this one thirty eight on the 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:43.480 consensus ranks. He just still hasn't quite moved up. People 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:46.480 haven't caught up to him. I love Flarity. Flarity is 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.000 projected on the bat to have a ten point five 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:51.760 to nine k per nine, which is crazy for a 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:53.720 starting pitcher and a sub four era. 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:56.679 I think Jack Flaherty is a smash. 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:59.000 Pick for your like sp You can get him SP 0:11:59.120 --> 0:11:59.760 four in. 0:11:59.720 --> 0:12:02.520 A lot of instances. I really really love flair. This 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:02.800 is one. 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:04.280 I mean I did put him on here, so that's 0:12:04.280 --> 0:12:05.319 why it was one of my favorites. 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:07.760 But I love Flarity as there was a time where 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:09.800 you were not believing in Jack Flary. 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:12.640 Well stuff like that. Yeah, I get it. 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:14.840 I mean, look, if you go back to the year before, 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:17.160 it was was ugly. You know, it's been ugly for 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:19.000 a while with Jack Flaherty. But good to see him 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.360 back on track. Smart move by the Tigers too, especially 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:23.720 if you think Schooble is going to be out of 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.920 your range sooner than later. Next guy on our list 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:30.920 at one thirty nine overall the adp Ryan Wo of 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:34.679 the Seattle Mariners. Now, Wo a guy that you know, 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:38.600 I think people forget that as a minor league pitcher. 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.720 We're talking about an elite level Caper nine guy. We're 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:43.360 talking about like in the twelves. This is a dude, 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:47.120 and there is a situation where if he's healthy and 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:50.640 he is consistent, he is going to fit right in. 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:54.200 If not, maybe even like start to join the conversation 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:55.840 of some of these other guys at the top of 0:12:55.840 --> 0:12:57.360 that rotation out do I think he's as good as 0:12:57.360 --> 0:13:01.160 Logan Gilbert. No, but could he be Bryce Miller Ish? 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:03.839 I think he ken like I think he's I think 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:06.640 he is right on that precipice. If he can take 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:10.120 some of that strikeout rate back in twenty twenty five 0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:12.680 and get that number back up, that's the key for 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.400 him for that fantasy level we're looking at. But this 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:17.520 is a very good young pitcher regardless, and I think 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:20.360 somebody people should be very excited about. He's just twenty 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.000 five years old. There's a lot more here. Good size 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:24.880 six two two o five like, he's got a good frame. 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:27.360 He's got what you're looking for in terms of all 0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:31.080 those other factors, and I think last year was sort 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:33.120 of the coming out party, and now I think a 0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:35.280 tremendous value where you're looking to build out your rotation. 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:36.599 What do you think of WU win twenty. 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:38.640 Five, I like you said that's it was the coming 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:40.800 out party. He's had such crazy trajectory. I was at 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.040 his like, I think it was this pro debut in 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:46.720 rookie ball where he just flew through the season, then 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:48.400 went to the AFL, and then like halfway through the 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:49.560 next year he's in the majors. 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:50.000 It's crazy. 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:51.400 And then last year he puts up one hundred and 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:54.400 twenty one innings with a two point eight nine ERA 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:58.680 totally built like a Seattle Mariners pitcher. It's low walks 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:02.920 like the lowest two point eight walk per nine is bonkers. 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:06.560 With a subra sub three ERA and an expected sub 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:10.520 three ERA. He generates weak contact across the board. His 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:13.120 problem is he just doesn't have a big strikeout thing 0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:15.439 going on twenty one percent k percentage. 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:16.600 He uses a. 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:19.200 Whole bunch of pitches. None of them are big whiff 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:22.240 It's George Kirby like. And the thing is funny is 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:24.960 he doesn't like tinker because I talked to him in spring. 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:26.400 I've said this a million times, you know, talk to 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:28.280 him in spraying. He's like, I'm not adding a split finger. 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:31.520 He's just like he's his guy. It's low walk, it's 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:34.680 low contact against. If you generate that over let's say 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:38.000 one hundred and fifty innings this year, there's immense value 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:39.640 in it. And what I really like about him is 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:42.880 sometimes I get when you go into like high strikeout pitchers, 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.160 sometimes they have higher walk rates. You could all of 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:48.600 a sudden have some inflated whip. Brian Wu's got the 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:51.480 support of one of the best the best pitcher environment 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:53.840 in Seattle doesn't have enough run support right now. 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:55.320 But he's also low walk. 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:57.360 He's gonna help your whip. I think he's got the 0:14:57.400 --> 0:14:59.840 chance to go deeper into games. And if he finds 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:03.600 home between his pitches. He threw his sinker and four 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:07.360 seam a combined over seventy percent usage, and then it's 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:10.440 like nine percent slider, change up, sweeper. My point is 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.200 if he finds a home for one of those pitches 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:15.280 to be a strikeout pitch and he increases his k percentage. 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:19.280 Now we're talking about him being not just like Walmart 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:22.680 or Walgreens, George Kirby, but he might just be George 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:24.800 Kirby light and he could really move up. But I 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:27.120 think there's a really nice baseline with Brian Wu. He 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:28.920 definitely is under He's a lot of target. He's a 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:30.960 target for a lot of people. But he's right around 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:33.440 the one fifty range. He is undervalued for what he 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:35.720 does to a team, and he's he's a target. He 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:36.440 definitely target. 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.240 If he's your number four starter in your rotation for fantasy, 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:40.080 how do you feel about that? 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:42.360 I think it's I love that if you paired it 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:44.440 with some high strikeout guys. So let's say you got 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:47.720 Garrett Crochet, Blake Snell, and then you waited and you 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:51.240 got Flaherty. There's a little bit of maybe walk concerned 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:53.800 with a guy like Blake Snell. There's huge strikeouts in there. 0:15:53.800 --> 0:15:56.800 Brian Wu would be a huge complimentary. 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:58.360 Piece to that. Yeah, yeah, good point. Next guy in 0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:02.680 our list also a strikeout and one fifty you say, Kakuchi, 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:05.600 who look, man? You know we got to give some 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:08.120 credit here to this guy. Going back twenty twenty two 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:12.040 with Toronto eleven k per nine twenty twenty three, nine 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:14.680 point seven two k per nine last year with two 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:18.200 teams ten point five to five. The strikeouts are there now. 0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:19.960 Wins might be hard to come by for the Angels 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:23.280 in twenty twenty five. But this was an intriguing signing 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:25.440 to me in the offseason because I was really curious 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:27.760 where he was going to land, mainly because when I 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:29.680 was doing the Black Book right up on him, the 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:32.000 ERA was at four h five, but the XCRA was 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:34.480 three seventy, the FIP was three forty six, the x 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.680 FIP was three twenty like all these other indicators like 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:40.440 Mankakuchi was really much better than the ERA even told you. 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:42.600 And you're getting big time strikeouts and you're getting big 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:44.800 time value. This is a player going right on the 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:47.280 precipice of one to fifty overall. And to me, you 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:50.440 could do a lot worse. Again, Yeah, chasing wins with him, no, 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.360 But are you chasing strikeouts and trying to beef up 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:55.920 towards the end late? I think the answer is yes. 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:58.120 Thirty three years old and a guy that I think 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:01.160 is you know, now established in the major leagues year 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:04.479 and one of these tough lefties, and sometimes those lefties 0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:06.200 take a little bit longer to figure things out. 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:08.720 Yeah, the thing I really love is I think he 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.080 is one of we talked about like stats you can 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:14.480 get later or you can't get later. It is hard 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:17.520 in the hitter terms. It's hard to like pick up 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:20.080 average later. People used to be like, oh, you know, 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.280 you couldn't get stolen bases, so that's why you went high. 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:23.000 You now can. 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.840 Someone could argue it's hard to get like elite power 0:17:26.480 --> 0:17:28.800 late in drafts when you go over to the pitching side. 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:32.840 I would argue to get like really good K potential 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:35.679 you have to like later in drafts, you're usually betting 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:38.560 on like prospects or rookies or someone to move, you know, 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:42.199 into a rotation spot that's not projected. Kakuchi is not 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:46.080 those things. Kakuchi's a guy that has solidified role inside 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:48.560 of a rotation. He has one hundred and sixty seven 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.359 innings over two straight years, and he's got an interesting 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:54.440 profile that he just had a career high K percentage 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:56.960 with a career low walk percentage, so it's like the 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:00.200 case went up and the walks actually went down. He's 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:02.960 got some worriesome like gives up some hard hit stuff. 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:06.280 He registered, you know, MAXIV of one nineteen nine percent 0:18:06.320 --> 0:18:10.080 barrel is very very concerning. But all four pitches he 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:14.600 throws twenty five percent or higher K percentage. Every pitch 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:18.280