Early 2024 Starting Pitcher Rankings! Cole Ragans Top 12?? (Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 Podcast)
00:02Let's take an early look at Scott's 2024 starting pitcher rankings up next on Fantasy Baseball today in five.Welcome into FBT and 5 on Saturday, December 16th.I am Frank Stamford, joined by Scott White, and here's what we're going to do.We're going to give you the top 15 in Scott's starter pitcher rankings, and we'll throw them at you in groups of five.So here we go.The top five SPs, we've got Spencer Strider, Garrett Cole, Kevin Gosman, Zach Wheeler,and Corbin Burns.Obviously, Scott, Strider and Cole
00:35kind of in a tier of their own.You see that.They're going inside the top 12 or 13 picks in ADP.And then you have to drop downoutside of the top 24until you see another starting pitcherdrafted, Strider, Cole,in a tier of their own.
00:48And I endorse that approach.I might even wait longer to draftthe next pitcher, honestly.But the reason I preferKevin Gosman over thatsomewhat crowded group therewith Wheeler Burns and a couple others,is strikeouts.
01:03I mean, you're going to seethat's a recurring themehere with my starting pitcher rankings.I'm going all in for strikeouts this yearbecause I feel like that is the most predictable thingin a really unpredictable time for starting pitchers.And naturally, a pitcher who misses more batshas more upside, so we might end up doing well
01:20an ERA and WIP too.If you fixate on strikeouts,you might just accidentally do really wellin those other categories.So that's kind of my approach.Kevin Gosman wasone of the most prolificsources of strikeouts in all of baseball this past year.
01:37And so that's why he's my preference over Wheeler and Burns.All right.Six through 10 in the starter pitcher rankings,we see Luis Castillo followed by Zach Gallin,Tyler Glassnow,Terek Scouble, and Blake Snell.So there's really a top seven and ADP, Scott,and it ends with Luis Castillo and Zach Gallen.
01:58So you and ADP are on, you're on par there.Tyler Glassnow and Terrick Scouble, I mean, these are two names that have tremendous upside,great on a per inning basis, tons of strikeout ability, but how many innings are we going to get?That's the big question for each of those two.And I think it's a bigger question for Glass now than for Scoobel because Scoobel'sdurability issues, I mean, he hasn't been in the majors for long.You could just chalk them up to the normal growing pains for a young pitcher.but Glassnow he's been at it for a while
02:31and just set a career high with 120innings this past year.But again, it's all aboutthe strikeouts for me. Pitch for pitch,there's nobody.I think Tyler Glass now comes closest to SpencerStrider of anybody, and at fact, he actuallyhad a lower X-fifth and strider this past year.
02:50So when he's healthy,you know he's going to be dominant.And so I'm willing,again, at a volatile timefor pitching with that big glob ofinterchangeable pitchers. I want one who's going to stand out,and for however long glass now lasts, I know he'll be at.Scoobo, meanwhile, I think he's,
03:09like, he's my early choice for A.L. Cy Young.I think he is that good. He was a distant firstin both XERA and FIPP,among pitchers who threw at least 80 innings last year,came back from that elbow flexor injury,throwing a couple miles per hour harder,elite control, great secondaries,and now a good fastball to go with him,
03:31and we saw him just dominate.And once he built up to six innings,he kept it up.And I think he's about to take offas Terek School Bowl.All right, 11 through 15 in your early rankings,we see, that's right.Cole Regens at number 11,
03:45followed by Pablo Lopez,Kodai Senga, Freddie Peralta,and Logan Webb.Scott, the early ADP for Cole Regens,115, as the 34th starting pitcheroff the board. You said,uh-uh,that's my guy. I love him,
04:00and I'm sticking with it.Well, to be fair, I said it beforeI saw, but the ADP is.And I'm a little surprised,given how hyped Cole Reagan'swas within fantasy circlesonce he did come up in Augustand flat out dominate for the Royals.
04:16You know, he saw a velocity jumpof like four miles per hour,which was there from the beginningwhen he was working out of the bullpen for the Rangers,but was changed with the Royalsas he added a slider to his arsenalthat became his best swing and miss pitch.And really he has five pitches capable of missing bats,
04:30including that fastball that generally can reach 98-99.Peaked at 101 at one point,very rare for a left-handed pitcher.So Cole Reagan's has the weapons to dominate,and over that 11-start stretch with the Royals to end the year he had.Let me see if I can find it real quick.The strikeout rate was very high.We'll just say the strikeout rate was very high.
04:55It was...If I can't...I can't fight it.It's going to take too long.But it was really high.86 strikeouts to 6 and 6, 2 thirds,innings.You could do the math on your own.
05:04Cole Reagan's dominated.There are a couple of concerns here.He's twice had Tommy John surgery,so he hasn't proven to be durable yet.And he's also had some control issues in his pastthat started to pop up again toward the end of September.His final four starts.Cole Regans had six walks, two walks,
05:23four walks, four walks.But again,I'm selling out for upside at starting pitcher.I'm looking for a difference maker.I'm looking for strikeouts.I'm willing to take on a little more risk to get it.And Cole Reagan's, as far as that goes,has as much upside as anybody.
05:37And really, if you look at the way we're closing out my top 15 herewith Reagan's 11, Pablo Lopez, Kodai Senga,Freddie Peralta, and then Logan Webb at 15.I think a lot of people would be inclined to move up Logan Webbfor safety and predictability reasons.but I like those four big strikeout guys ahead of him.Again, Reagan's, Pablo Lopez, Kodi, Senga, and Freddie Peralta,all guys with huge strikeout upside.
06:04And the final 11 stars, the number you were looking for, Scott,11.6K per 9 for Cole Regens, a 15% swinging strike rate during that.I was bazin out.I couldn't get the numbers in it on the calculator fast enough.I'm glad you figured it out.All right.For more extensive fantasy baseball coverage,listen to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast on Spotify.
06:24Apple Podcasts, the Odyssey app,or anywhere else podcasts are found.Thanks for listening to Fantasy Baseball today and five,and we'll be back again next week.Bye-bye.
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