RADIO
Max Scherzer 2021 Outlook: Still A Stud Despite Down 2020
4 years agoWashington ace Max Scherzer had a down 2020 by his lofty standards, going 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA and 3.53 xFIP over 67 1/3 IP. That said, there was still a lot to like from a fantasy perspective. His 31.2 K% and 7.8 BB% were extremely fantasy-friendly even if they fell a bit short of 2019's marks of 4.8 and 35.1, respectively. Scherzer's changeup wasn't nearly as effective in 2020 (12.1 SwStr%, 33.3% chase rate) as it was in 2019 (20.7 SwStr%, 44% chase), but the 36-year-old ranked in the 91st percentile for fastball spin (12.1 SwStr%, 60.7 Zone%) and boasted two wipeout pitches in his slider (28.1 SwStr%, 43.5 Zone%, 42% chase) and cutter (16.5 SwStr%, 48.8 Zone%, 36.9% chase). In short, Scherzer is still an elite fantasy option for strikeouts. Scherzer also got a raw deal from his "luck metrics" in 2020, posting a .355 BABIP against a career mark of .291 while also adding four points to his HR/FB (14.3% vs. 10.4% career). The Nationals don't have much of an offense, so Scherzer may struggle to get the run support needed to win games. Otherwise, he is a premier pitcher who is worth his ADP of 29.68.
