Max Scherzer 2024 Player Outlook: Former Cy Young-Winning Ace Should Be Second-Half Factor
3 months agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) got caught up in quite the whirlwind of a 2023. Starting the year in Queens with a New York Mets team carrying the highest payroll in history, Scherzer failed to hold up his end of the bargain by administering a shaky 4.01 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 121:30 K:BB through his first 107 2/3 innings of the season. The 39-year-old eight-time All-Star found more success in Arlington following a trade-deadline deal to the Texas Rangers, putting forth an improved 3.20 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 53:15 K:BB covering the final 45 frames of his regular season before a right teres major muscle strain concluded his campaign. Left off the ALDS roster, Scherzer struggled mightily in his return to the mound during the ALCS and was subsequently removed from Texas' World Series roster due to a herniated disk in his back that eventually required offseason surgery in mid-December. Scherzer said in late January that he'll resume workouts in several weeks, but the future Hall of Fame right-hander is unlikely to be ready to pitch for the Rangers until the summer of 2024. The nature of Scherzer's tumultuous season coupled by his worst ERA (3.77) since 2011 and home-run rate (4.5%) of his storied career leaves his fantasy arrow pointing down in 2024. Scherzer's 3.28 xERA, 28.0% strikeout rate, and .207 expected batting average represent some bright spots, however, and the veteran righty proved at times in his 16th year that he still has something left in the tank. Considering his murky return timeline, Scherzer is still only worth a speculative late-round gamble as a post-draft stash that admittedly comes with relatively little risk based on his cost.