7 years agoClayton Kershaw has been so good for so long that owning him can be less fun than owning some of the newer, shinier models that seem to come and go every year. Yes, he’s had back issues that have cost him starts and Cy Youngs for the last couple of years. But he’s still among the game’s greatest pitchers…of all-time. In 2017 he merely delivered 202 strikeouts over 27 starts and 175 innings. While he didn’t have his usual near-perfect command in 2017 as he did in 2016 (BB/9 of 1.54 vs. 2016’s 0.66), his K/9 mirrored his exact rate from the year before (10.39). But that didn’t matter as Kershaw posted a career-high LOB% of 87.4%, meaning your best bet to score against him was to hit a home run. Teams seemed to know this as his HR/9 rate of 1.18 was also the highest of his career. Look, these are Hall of Fame numbers we’re dealing with here. To quibble about percentage points when most pitchers would murder for these numbers seems borderline disrespectful. The only concern anyone should have with Kershaw is his lingering back issues. But the Dodgers are no dummies. They are watching their prize stallion like a hawk and, despite the very real possibility of Kershaw opting out after this season, plan to utilize him in the least damaging way possible. Don't forget, Kershaw will still pitch plenty of games against the Padres and Giants, so another fantastic year from one of the GOAT seems like a lock.--Mario Hernandez - RotoBaller