RADIO
Alex Lange 2023 Player Outlook: Shake Up in Detroit Bullpen Creating Draft Day Value
2 years agoBefore January there wasn't much thought of Alex Lange in early fantasy drafts, as he was rocking a ~465 ADP. But now that Gregory Soto has been traded to Philadelphia, people are starting to look around at the Detroit relievers and realizing Lange is the best shot for the ninth inning. Since the Soto trade, Lange ADP has shot up to ~255. The 27 year old had a fairly impressive 2022 campaign, nabbing 24 Holds while sporting a 3.41 ERA, 3.29 xERA, and 30.3 K%. He made some drastic pitch mix changes after a very mediocre start to his MLB career in 2021. Scrapping his 4-seam fastball, he threw his curveball at a league-leading 48.8% rate. His curve's 57.8 Whiff% was the tenth highest of any pitch in baseball, and replacing his 4-seam with a sinker aided in raising his GB% over ten points while subsequently also dropping his LD% by over ten points. But as we saw for many seasons in Boston with Matt Barnes, when you live and die by the curveball, finding the strike-zone can be quite difficult. Lange was no exception as his 11.4 BB% bloated his ratios (1.23 WHIP). There will be some rough wild stretches along the road, but you will be hard-pressed to find a safer source of saves this late in drafts.
