Five Fantasy Baseball Late Round Strikeout Options for 2010

Eric StashinJan 4, 2010

As we enter 2010, looking for potential strikeouts late in a draft seems to mean targeting young pitchers with a ton of upside. That’s not even mentioning Stephen Strasburg or Arlodis Chapman, who are owners of two of the best arms in baseball, though neither have stepped foot on a Major League diamond.

Their questionable job status in a major league rotation is the only reason they aren’t on here, though we certainly will be talking about them before long.

Outside of them, let’s take a look at five other pitchers who may be available after Round 18 that could give you a hand in strikeouts:

TOP NEWS

Aaron Harang - Cincinnati Reds

Injuries and poor luck has helped to drop Harang’s stock significantly over the past two seasons to the point that he now has an ADP of around 318. That means he isn’t even being drafted in many 12-team formats. For a pitcher who posted back-to-back 16 win, 215+ strikeout seasons in 2006 & 2007, that appears to be a bit extreme.

He was never a pitcher to post monstrous K/9s, with a career best of 8.47, but even in a down season he managed to post a 7.87 mark in 2009. As long as he can stay on the mound, he’s likely to strikeout around eight batters per nine innings, which makes him a solid option in all formats.

While it is easy to point to his 12 wins total between 2008 & 2009 or the ballpark he pitches in, a lot of those things are overblown. Wins are a fickle category and he can easily find himself winning double-digit games. As for the ballpark, he was actually significantly better at home (3.43 ERA) than on the road (5.18 ERA). Is that not enough to convince you?

Throw in the strikeouts and he’s a must draft pitcher in my mind in all formats.

For more on Harang, check out my 2010 projection by clicking here .

Jonathan Sanchez - San Francisco Giants

He’s the only player who also appeared on this list prior to the 2009 season. We all know the concerns with his control (he posted a BB/9 of 4.85 last season), but when he’s on he can get strikeouts in bunches.

He posted 177 Ks in just 163.1 innings in 2009, making him a great option late in your draft if you find yourself strong in WHIP and ERA but deficient in strikeouts. Is he a pitcher I would prefer to draft? No, especially with the potential presence of Madison Bumgarner in the rotation (who may be a better option).

Still, as far as strikeouts go, is there many better at the tail end?

J.A. Happ - Philadelphia Phillies

We now enter the young pitcher portion of this list. While you may look at Happ’s 6.45 K/9 from 2009 over 166.0 innings and question his presence, do not be misled. He had a minor league career K/9 of 9.3 and that was not just at the lower levels. In 2008, over 135 innings at Triple-A he struck out 151 batters, good for a K/9 of 10.1.

There is the potential for a major regression in the WHIP (his BABIP was .270) and ERA (he benefited from a strand rate of 85.2 percent). The WHIP would certainly be offset should the strikeouts improve, as I believe they will.

I’ll do a Quick Projection in the coming weeks to give my full projections for him, but at this point, just mark him down as a solid pick late in your draft if you are in need of some Ks.

Mat Latos - San Diego Padres

An innings limit caused his 2009 season to end early, but he was spectacular before that. He had 46 Ks in 47 innings at Double-A prior to his recall to the Majors, where he only had one start with more than five strikeouts (he had seven against the Mets in his fifth career start).

There are certainly a lot of questions on Latos, especially considering he plays for one of the weakest offenses in baseball. Still, the potential is certainly there. Just look at his career minor league K/9 of 10.6 as proof. He is a big high risk, high reward option, but he should reap the benefits of calling Petco Park home.

Brian Matusz - Baltimore Orioles

No one ever likes to depend on a pitcher from the AL East unless he’s one of the elite, but Matusz gives you reason to rethink that strategy. The 2008 first-round draft pick was impressive in his first professional season, rising all the way to the majors.

Splitting time between Single and Double-A, Matusz struck out 121 batters in just 113 innings (K/9 of 9.6). While he struggled a bit for the Orioles (4.63 ERA), he still continued to show great command (walking just 14 in 44.2 innings) and suffered from some bad luck (BABIP of .343).

What we’re most interested in here is his potential to rack up the strikeouts, which he showed. The lefty had 38 Ks in 44.2 innings, including three games with at least seven strikeouts (his career high is eight against the Indians).

He should be in the Opening Day rotation for the Orioles and with the potential he’s already shown to contribute with some strikeouts, he’s very much worth a late round gamble.

What are your thoughts on these five pitchers? Who would be your top choice among them? Is there another strikeout option late in your draft that you would prefer?

Make sure to check out our full early rankings: