Fantasy Baseball: Does Mark Buehrle Have Fantasy Value?

Ryan Lester

Jul 18, 2011

Mark Buehrle is 6-5 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Elite pitchers strike out about a batter an inning. Buehrle strikes out about a batter every two.

Does he still have fantasy value?

Obviously, his ERA can help fantasy teams, plus his WHIP is solid. He is a good bet to reach double-digit wins for the 11th straight year. Plus, he’s been red hot for the past three months.

Buehrle started off a little (OK, a lot) shaky, going 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA. He started to turn it around in May, going 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA. He followed it up going 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA. He’s been at his best in July, as he’s gone without a decision but sports a 1.80 ERA for the month. His batting average against (BAA) has decreased from .292 in May to .262 in June and .208 in July.

Aside from improved BAA, his walks per nine innings have improved as well, going from 2.33 in April to 2.31 in May to 1.67 in June to 1.20 in July. The combination of getting more outs and throwing fewer walks has allowed his WHIP to dip to 1.18 for June and 0.87 in July. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) has been .265 and .233 in June and July, respectively.

So should you use Buehrle blindly? No. He is much better at home (4-1, 2.47 ERA) than on the road (2-4, 4.42). With the exception of the Minnesota Twins, whom he has historically pitched well against, he has struggled against the AL Central.

Buehrle is not a sexy pick, but he still has some left in the tank. He’s obviously not a staple of your fantasy rotation, but he does have some value.

Agree or disagree?