RADIO
Masahiro Tanaka 2020 Outlook: Strong Win Potential, But Expect Ups And Downs
5 years agoNew York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has been one of the league's most inconsistent starting pitchers since first entering the MLB in 2014. Last year, Tanaka, unfortunately, had one of his worst overall seasons and it was a significant drop-off from 2018. Tanaka went 11-9 with a 4.45 ERA and career-worst 1.242 WHIP last year. His split-finger, which was once an absolutely dominant pitch, took a major step back last year. His first year in the league, he induced a swinging-strike rate of 28.2% from the pitch, but last year that dropped to 11.2%. His overall strikeout rate of 19.6% in 2019 was a massive drop from 2018's 25% mark and 2018 also saw Tanaka post a solid 3.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Tanaka has excelled in keeping his walks low since entering the league and that didn't change last year as he maintained a 5.3% walk rate. No matter how volatile he may be, he shouldn't ever kill you in WHIP. He currently has an ADP of about 236, which means that fantasy owners are certainly scared off from the 2019 down year. Tanaka's win potential makes him a great value at his current ADP, but expect some rough outings along the way in 2020.
