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Dylan Cease 2020 Outlook: Hard Thrower With Potential to Break Out
5 years agoChicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease is a 24-year-old fireballer who has loads of potential, as witnessed by his 81 strikeouts in 73 innings after getting promoted to the big leagues last season. His average fastball velocity of 96.5 MPH put Cease near the top tier, with only a half dozen starters (min. 70 IP) throwing harder in 2019. Despite this potential, however, Cease also had a 5.79 ERA and 1.55 WHIP because he couldn’t keep the ball in the park, allowing 1.85 home runs per nine innings. He also had trouble finding the strike zone, so there are some obvious risks. If Cease can improve upon his HR/FB rate (21.4%) and walk rate (10.7%), then he could be on the way to realizing his significant potential. The White Sox ought to be a much better offensive team this season and continue to enjoy a weaker American League Central division. This should improve Cease's chances to accumulate wins. It could be worth a pick at 296 to find out if he can make enough improvements in command to have a breakout season.
