Fantasy Baseball: Does John Lannan Have Fantasy Worth?

Ryan LesterJun 2, 2018

Normally, that’s a pretty easy question when you are talking about a guy with a mere 68 strikeouts in 120 and 2/3 innings this year and 355 in 687 innings for his career. Especially one that entered the season with a 28-38 lifetime record and was coming off a 4.65 ERA and 1.56 WHIP season.

That would probably be downplaying John Lannan a little bit. Now I’m not saying he should be owned in most fantasy leagues. I’m not saying you should blindly start him when his turn in the Nationals’ rotation comes up—but he can be used at times.

For instance, since May 27th, Lannan is 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 11 starts. While he doesn’t have a name that grabs your attention, it’s hard to overlook that kind of production.

Lannan has also been very effective at home. While his 4-3 record with a 4.60 ERA on the road doesn’t make you run for the hills, his 3-3 mark and 2.40 ERA at Nationals Park is much easier on the fantasy baseball totals.

Some of Lannan’s success can be attributed to his improved luck and BABIP. Last year, the mark was .319. This year it is at .281, which is more in line with what he did in 2008 (.266) and 2009 (.272), when he was more effective despite his combined 18-28 record. His BABIP has really improved in June (.254) and July (.246). Those numbers could go back to the norm, but it’s fairly clear that his home vs. away BABIP (.246 vs. .313) supports the theory that he’s a better pitcher at home.

Don’t blindly use him because he’s starting at home. If you can pick your spots with Lannan, you’ll be in pretty good shape if you want to give him a shot as a streamer.