BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 110
CURRENT ADP: ~132 overall
ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez was on his way to another solid season in 2021 before it was cut short in July. A rotator cuff strain in his pitching arm forced him to the 10-day IL and then a setback during rehab eventually resulted in a move to the 60-day IL. It was an unfortunate turn of events for Lopez and fantasy stakeholders, as he posted a solid 3.07 ERA and 1.12 WHIP and was a mid-rotation anchor for both parties. He upped his strikeout rate for a fourth straight year, this time to 27.5%.
Among all starters with at least 50 innings pitched last season, Lopez was 19th in K-BB% at 21.3%, just ahead of Julio Urias and Shohei Ohtani. He was also 19th with a 3.49 SIERA. There isn't much of an injury discount with Lopez based on his early NFBC ADP of 114 overall. He is being taken ahead of pitchers with more prolonged injury records such as Carlos Rodon and Lance McCullers. While he may never have the ceiling of an ace, Lopez is a relatively safe arm to lock in for roto leagues and is especially valuable in points leagues.
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