5 years agoMatthew Boyd started last season on fire, pitching to a 3.87 ERA with 142 strikeouts in 107 innings in the first half. Things did not go as well after the break, he put up a 5.51 ERA in only 78.1 second-half innings. Despite the drop off late in the season, there was a lot to like from Boyd's 2019 for fantasy. The left-hander posted a career-high 14 percent swinging-strike rate and was 11th in the Majors with 238 strikeouts. He was one of just 10 starters with a K% over 30 percent. When batters did make contact, it was usually favorable for Boyd with a .227 xBA against, 15th best in baseball (min 500 PA). Boyd's success can be chalked up to changing his pitching style, relying more on his fastball and slider while effectively abandoning his sinker. Boyd threw the four-seamer 50.9 percent of the time last year after using it under 40 percent in the three previous seasons. This made his slider more effective as a strikeout pitch generating a 20.1 percent swinging-strike rate on sliders, over four percent better than any SwStr% on any pitch he threw in 2018. Boyd is a talented pitcher who was victimized by an absurd 20 percent HRF/FB in the second half of last season. That number should normalize and keep his ERA closer to his xFIP (3.88) and SIERA (3.61) from last season. Boyd's current ADP of 163 is great value for a pitcher with 200-plus strikeout upside.--Mike Schwarzenbach - RotoBaller