RADIO
Jack Flaherty 2019 Outlook: Ready To Take The Next Step Forward
6 years agoAfter getting his first taste of the majors in 2017, Jack Flaherty quickly found himself a mainstay in the Cardinals rotation last year. Over 28 starts for St.Louis, Flaherty saw his strikeout rate increase to 29.6 percent from 21.3 percent in 2017, while also lowering his walk rate from 10.6 percent to 9.6 percent. The biggest problem for Flaherty in the majors so far has been his tendency to give up home runs at a high rate. His 15.2 percent HR/FB rate in 2018 was an improvement from his 21.1 percent mark from 2017, but Flaherty still has a 1.2 HR/9 rate over 172.1 innings in St. Louis. If Flaherty can drop that rate down closer to his career 5.8 percent HR/FB rate in the minors, it wouldn’t be that surprising to see his ERA drop down to around the 2.80 range in 2019. Currently, Flaherty has an ADP of 62, but owners might want to look at taking him around the early to mid-50s range instead, as he seems poised to become the next ace for the Cardinals.
