RADIO
Shane Bieber 2020 Outlook: A Star on the Rise
5 years agoShane Bieber solidified himself as a top tier starting pitcher in 2019 by pitching to the tune of a 3.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 259 strikeouts over the course of 214.1 IP. His arsenal is led by his four-seam fastball, which he uses 45.1% of the time. He also uses a wicked curveball to put away hitters at a 27.7% clip. He put up a solid 30.2% K rate and finished third in the American League in strikeouts. Bieber should only continue to improve moving forward as he further adjusts to big-league hitting. Pitching in the AL Central should also only help his cause as he will consistently face three teams that finished in the bottom seven of the league in strikeouts vs. right-handed pitchers in the Tigers, White Sox, and Royals. He also has the benefit of playing in a relatively neutral park that tends to lean slightly to the benefit of pitchers in terms of park-adjusted factors. Bieber currently has an ADP of 27 and is going as the sixth starting pitcher off the board. You should feel very comfortable drafting him in this range as your first or second starting pitcher.
