Fantasy Baseball: Why Isn't Clayton Richard Getting More Love?

Clayton Richard's 6-10 record obviously doesn’t generate a buzz in the fantasy community, nor does his 4.96 K/9 ratio. But he has some upside that more fantasy owners should be taking advantage of.

Richard is presently owned in about 20 percent of combined Yahoo! and ESPN fantasy leagues. Considering that he calls PETCO Park home, that is a little surprising.

Aside from his record, he is sporting a solid 3.83 ERA. That mark should be welcome to most fantasy teams. It isn’t all from pitching in PETCO though, as he is still under 4.00 on the road, at 3.98. His 3.61 mark at home would certainly help teams if they opted to stream him.

Richard's WHIP is also solid at 1.18, a very suitable mark for fantasy owners. Just like his ERA, it’s not all PETCO, as he is 1.21 on the road. He’s just better (1.15) at home, as you’d expect from a pitcher's park.

Since the beginning of June, Richard has stepped up his game even more, posting a 2.87 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. We’re not talking a few starts either, those numbers have come over 62.2 innings.

There are some red flags to keep in mind with Richard. His career second-half splits (4.32 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, .271 BAA) are slightly worse than his first-half splits (4.01, 1.37, .265). He has also been quite lucky this year, posting a .256 BABIP, which is significantly better than his .296 career mark.

That said, if you’re looking to lower your ERA and WHIP, consider adding Clayton Richard, at least in spot starts when he has favorable match-ups. He starts today against the Astros at home. This is absolutely a chance to use him.

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