RADIO
Luke Weaver 2020 Outlook: 2019 Injury Creates Buying Opportunity
5 years agoLuke Weaver's 2019 was abbreviated by both a flexor pronator strain and a UCL sprain, but he was great when able to take the field: 4-3 with a 2.94 ERA and 3.87 xFIP in 64 1/3 IP. He punched out plenty of opposing batters (26.5%) without walking too many (5.4%), in part thanks to a cutter (8.2 SwStr%, 57.8 Zone%) that he hadn't thrown consistently since 2016. His changeup also looks like a premium strikeout pitch (18.3 SwStr%, 32.8 Zone%, 43.2% chase rate), and his fastball ranks above-average as well (8 SwStr%, 54.3 Zone%). Arizona isn't the favorite to win the NL West, but they should be in the wild card hunt since the Giants and Rockies both project to be terrible while San Diego could still be a year away. With a clean bill of health this spring and a solid four-pitch mix (he has a show-me curve), Weaver seems poised to deliver a substantial profit on his NFBC ADP of 191.2.
