RADIO
Clayton Richard May Have The Highest Floor Of Padres Pitchers
7 years agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcherClayton Richard logged his first season with over 30 starts since 2012, after shuffling around the majors the past few seasons. Through 197.1 innings, Richard tallied an ordinary 4.79 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 6.89 K/9. Richard returns to the Padres in 2018 and projects as the Opening Day starter. Since he has spent seven of nine seasons in San Diego, the nod is likely out of respect for the 34-year-old veteran. Richard's 2017 was amongst the worst of his career. Sympathizers could point to the .351 BABIP or 3.76 xFIP as cause for positive reversion, but his meddling low-90s heater and below-average breaking pitches demonstrate he might just be a replacement-level starter. With Richard inline for another shot at 200 IPs, his decent 2.69 BB/9 last year provides hope that any reprieve from BABIP could result in a more manageable WHIP. For streamers, he boasts a career 3.23 ERA and 1.25 WHIP at Petco Park. At an ADP of 495, Richard is not a draft consideration, but could provide intermittent value throughout the season.
