3 years agoWhile Tyler Mahle provided very valuable innings for his team, the 3.75 ERA and 1.23 WHIP numbers he posted were a bit underwhelming for fantasy purposes. The upshot is that he posted a strong strikeout rate (27.7%) while keeping walks under control (8.4%). His xFIP for the year was right in line with his ERA at 3.74, so it seems reasonable just to expect more of the same next year, which would mean he is a decent back-end fantasy starter. The reason for optimism is his youth (27 years old), strong workload expectations (he threw 180 innings last year), and the ability to miss bats (13.8% SwStr% in 2020, 11.4% SwStr% in 2021). One thing possibly holding him back is the lack of secondary stuff. He threw his four-seamer 53% of the time last year, and only threw three pitches total (a slider at 31% and a splitter at 16%). The splitter was quite effective as a put-away pitch (16.4% SwStr%), but the slider did not perform very well (10.6% SwStr% - very bad for a slider). He will need to drastically improve the slider and/or add another pitch to really raise his ceiling as a pitcher, which is much easier said than done. Expect a fine season for Mahle, but you shouldn't get your hopes up too high unless at the current cost (ADP of 170) unless you see a clear and successful transformation in approach.--Jon Anderson