MLB Fantasy Baseball: Hiroki Kuroda is Proof That Wins Aren't Everything
Hiroki Kuroda is 7-13 on the year. His .350 winning percentage is worse than every team in the league other than the Astros. His career record sits at 35-43 (.449) and he’s only had one winning season in his four years in the majors.
That season was just 8-7 (.533) so it wasn’t like he had a killer winning percentage. Of course, winning percentage isn’t always a reflection of the pitcher.
Kuroda has a 2.96 ERA on the year. He’s never had an ERA over 3.76, so the low mark isn’t that surprising, but he’s never dipped below 3.00 either. His WHIP is 1.21, which is right in line with his 1.19 career average. Kuroda is not picking up a strikeout per inning, but his 7.14 K/9 is solid.
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The odd thing is Kuroda’s “struggles” have come at home. He maintains a 3.48 ERA and 1.25 WHIP at home, but his record stands at just 2-8. On the road his ERA is 2.35 with a WHIP of 1.17. Even though his 5-5 mark on the road is much better than his home winning percentage, it’s still not on par for the peripherals he has maintained.
His day and night ERAs are identical at 2.96. He’s been successful against both right-handed hitters (.238 batting average) and lefties (.257). His high-water mark for monthly ERA is just 4.02. Bottom line is no matter the situation, Kuroda has been steady.
He’s going to help your fantasy squad so just keep trotting him out there despite his horrific winning percentage. You’ll just have to have somebody else pick up the slack in that category.
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