RADIO
Clayton Kershaw 2019 Outlook: Can He Stay Healthy?
6 years agoGoing into 2018 Clayton Kershaw was considered the best pitcher in baseball by most, but another year of injury woes and a stark velocity drop have cast legitimate concern over Kershaw’s value. He still performed well on a surface level in 2018, posting a 2.73 ERA and 9-5 record, but by Kershaw-standards it was a disappointing season. He had his lowest strikeout rate (23.9%) since his rookie season, his worst K/BB ratio (5.34) since 2013, and his fastball velocity fell to a career-low 90.9 MPH. Kershaw could certainly experience a rebound if fully healthy, but he has spent time on the disabled list in each of the last three seasons and will be 31 by opening day 2019. Those injury risks along with diminished performance should be baked into his draft cost, making Kershaw fall outside the top-25 overall players for the first time in years. He is still an SP1, but no longer a top-three starter.
