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Jeffrey Springs 2023 MLB Player Outlook: 2022 Breakout Should Be Sustainable and Provide Value In 2023
2 years agoJeffrey Springs surprised fantasy baseball in 2022 with the success he found after moving into a starting role and the Rays rewarded him this offseason with a four-year contract worth $31 million. In 2022, Springs made 33 appearances (25 starts) totaling 135.1 IP and put together a 9-5 W-L record, 2.46 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 144 Ks. Springs had a 3.27 xERA, 3.29 xFIP and 3.32 SIERA and it's fair to assume we can expect some ERA regression but even if it drops to his underlying numbers from last year, Springs should be able to outperform his ADP of ~178 (50th among starting pitchers). As a starter, Springs had a 25.9% K%, down from 30.6% as a reliever but that can be expected and his 26.2% K% on the season still ranked in the 71st percentile. Most impressively, Springs cut down the walks and had a 5.5% BB% as a starter (8.6% BB% as a reliever) and ranked in the 83rd percentile. The Rays don't generally hand out multi-year, multi-million-dollar contracts to pitchers in their 30's so it's a clear indication that the Rays believe in Springs' breakout as a starting pitcher and there's no reason we shouldn't believe in it for our fantasy teams either.
