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Stephen Strasburg 2021 Outlook: Lost 2020 Makes For An Affordable Ace
5 years agoA hand injury limited Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg to five largely ineffective innings in 2020, but he's expected to have a clean bill of health for 2021. Lest you've forgotten, Strasburg was one of the most effective pitchers in 2019 with a 3.32 ERA, 3.17 xFIP, and 18-6 record over 209 IP. Strasburg is also a tremendous asset for fantasy managers seeking strikeouts, posting a 29.8 K% in 2019. The key to his success lies in three outstanding pitches: a four-seamer that generated a 10.1 SwStr% despite a 56.3 Zone% in 2019, a wipeout change with a 22 SwStr% and 45.8% chase rate, and a filthy curve that produced a 15.3 SwStr% with a 46.5 Zone%. The Nats may not have the offensive firepower that helped propel Strasburg to 18 wins in his last full season, but he remains a fantasy ace capable of anchoring any staff. Strasburg suffered a calf injury in a spring training start on March 14, so his health bears monitoring. You probably cannot bank on full health at this point in Strasburg's career. However, if he gets something approaching a full season workload, he is a great value pick to build your pitching staff with at his current ADP of 63.
