RADIO
Yu Darvish 2021 Fantasy Outlook: An Ace Pitcher With An Ace Price Tag
4 years agoOne of the most surprising things to happen in baseball over the last few years is how quickly San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish fixed his walk issues. He posted an 11.7% walk rate in 2018 and then walked 44 batters in his first 66 1/3 innings in 2019. Ever since then, he has posted one of the best walk rates in baseball, recording a 7.7% mark in 2019 and bringing that down to a minuscule 4.7% in 2020. Pair that with his career-average 30% strikeout rate and you have all the makings of a true stud to anchor your staff with. His wins projection gets a boost after being traded to the Padres, a team that has one of the league's better offenses and a strong bullpen backing up their starters. Age is a minor concern -- he will turn 35 during the 2021 season -- but his diverse pitch mix (Statcast gives him credit for throwing eight different pitches over the last two years) helps maintain a high floor, even if he does start to lose a bit of velocity and precision. Darvish can be drafted with confidence at his current second-round ADP of 18.
