(*) STARTERS: Early Surprises
Apr 29 2012
Many starting pitchers have fared better than expected in the early going.
Some of these surprises come with strong skill support. Others are flukes.
Identifying the flukes before their results regress can help you avoid bad stats.
Likewise, holding on to guys whose quick starts come with skill support can help you build your starting rotation for the long-haul.
Let's take a look at both groups.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Bruce Chen (LHP, KC) has a 2.52 ERA and 0.92 WHIP after 25 IP. It'd be easy to dismiss this as a small sample size fluke. But he has been a legit command artist so far: 6.1 Dom, 1.4 Ctl, 34% GB%, 83 BPV. We can't expect any more Dom than what he is showing now, given his 86.1 mph average fastball velocity. He's also...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Starting Pitchers
Cam Schlittler's breakthrough season would get even better if he could improve his third-time-through lineup skills.
Jun 27 2026 3:10am
Jun 27 2026 3:10am
Ben Brown gets dialed in with runners on base. Finding a similar approach with the bases empty will help him take a sustained step forward.
Jun 20 2026 3:05am
Jun 20 2026 3:05am
The ups-and-downs of Jesús Luzardo can be traced to some really ugly results when he pitches at home, largely due to some bad luck during those starts.
Jun 13 2026 3:09am
Jun 13 2026 3:09am
Chase Dollander's filthy skills against same-sided bats reinforce his upper-rotation ceiling.
Jun 6 2026 3:10am
Jun 6 2026 3:10am
Cristopher Sanchez's scoreless streak continues, and it has been backed by top-tier skills and similarly elite skill drivers.
May 30 2026 3:05am
May 30 2026 3:05am
