What a roller-coaster week it was for starting pitching.

Days after San Diego Padres’ starter Joe Musgrove tossed the first no-hitter in franchise history, Padres teammate and former AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell followed up with one of the worst starts of his career, allowing three runs in 0.2 innings against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, failing to make it out of the first frame.

Managers then got to see Carlos Rodon, who had to scratch and claw his way to earn a roster spot, throw the second no-hitter of the season and 20th in Chicago White Sox history.

It all came crashing down again when Washington Nationals’ starter Patrick Corbin made his second start of the season off of the COVID-IL. The veteran allowed nine earned runs on six hits (three home runs) and four walks in just two innings of work, raising his ERA from 12.46 to 21.32. 

If you’re one of the thousands of enraged former Corbin managers that made the decision to drop him, here are some replacement options rostered in under 50 per cent of ESPN leagues.

 

Hitters

Jazz Chisholm, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins (50 per cent rostered)

Chisholm won the Marlins’ second-base job in spring training and has not looked back. 

Through the first two weeks of the season, the 22-year-old is hitting .325 with three home runs and three stolen bases. Chisholm currently leads the league with a 30.8 barrel percentage. This means that nearly 31 per cent of the balls he puts in play have an exit velocity of at least 98 MPH and produce a batting average above .500.

Embedded Image

A 25 per cent strikeout rate means his current average is not sustainable. However, Chisholm’s expected batting average currently sits at .273, which would be a gift to anyone who rosters him. 

The rookie will have ups and downs, but his ability to make hard contact combined with his elite sprint speed makes Chisholm one of the most exciting early-season options in the middle infield. 

Andres Gimenez, 2B/SS/3B, Cleveland Indians (41.4 per cent rostered)

Gimenez started the season very slowly but has picked it up over the past week. Over his previous six games, the 22-year-old is slashing .300/.391/.750 with two home runs, four RBI, and six runs scored. He has also stolen a base in each of his past two games. 

In 49 games last season, Gimenez hit three home runs and stole eight bases. Even if he is unable to maintain his hot hitting, the former New York Met should swipe more than 20 bases over a full season. 

Manager Terry Francona has left Gimenez in the ninth spot for most of the year but his recent hot streak has earned him a better spot in the lineup, as he was moved up to seventh over the weekend.

Like Chisholm, Gimenez presents a batting average risk, but his speed will make him a useful contributor on any roster. 

Avisail Garcia, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (32 per cent rostered)

Garcia has found himself with more consistent at-bats thanks to injuries to fellow outfielders Christian Yelich (back) and Lorenzo Cain (quad).

The veteran has come flying out of the gate this year, hitting the ball harder than he has at any point in his career. His average exit velocity of 94.4 MPH is over four MPH faster than his previous career-high and ranks in the 93rd percentile league-wide. Plenty of hard contact has resulted in a quick start for Garcia, who has racked up 10 RBI and 10 runs scored to go along with three home runs. 

The 29-year-old has a career high of just 20 home runs which he hit in 2019 while with the Tampa Bay Rays. While Garcia might not provide a ton of raw power, he should give managers a solid average and decent counting stats as long as he continues hitting in the middle of the Brewers’ lineup.  

Other Options: Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati Reds (49.6 per cent rostered), Jurickson Profar, OF/2B, San Diego Padres (40.7 per cent rostered), Travis Shaw, 1B/3B, Milwaukee Brewers (30.1 per cent rostered)

 

Pitchers

Yimi Garcia, RP, Miami Marlins (43.7 per cent rostered)

Fantasy managers have been slow to pick up on the big news in the Marlins bullpen: Yimi Garcia is the closer.

Anthony Bass began the season with control of the ninth but proceeded to allow six earned runs over his first 2.1 innings, forcing manager Don Mattingly to make a change in his bullpen.

Since Bass’ disastrous blown save on April 8, Garcia has made five appearances, racking up three saves and two wins without allowing a run over 5.1 innings.

Since Bass was demoted on April 8, the Marlins’ have the fifth-lowest bullpen ERA at 2.81 over 32 innings. The change in the hierarchy has helped the team find success and Garcia will remain the closer until he falters.

Dane Dunning, SP, Texas Rangers (33.2 per cent rostered)

Dunning was acquired by the Rangers as the centrepiece of the Lance Lynn trade with the White Sox. So far, the 26-year-old has lived up to the hype. 

Through three starts, Dunning has allowed just one earned run and has struck out over 27 per cent of the batters he’s faced. The 2016 first-round pick has found success through his 48 per cent ground ball rate and his ability to get batters to chase pitches out of the zone at a high rate (32 per cent chase rate, 19th among all starters).

His 0.60 ERA is not sustainable, but a solid 3.15 xFIP shows that Dunning’s fast start hasn’t been all luck. His upcoming schedule against the White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Minnesota Twins will be a good test to see how sustainable his early-season performance has been. 

If Dunning is able to limit the White Sox offence in his next start, he is more than worthy of a spot on all rosters.

Rafael Dolis, RP, Toronto Blue Jays (9.6 per cent rostered)

The Blue Jays have dealt with a series of injuries to their bullpen early in the season. Fellow high-leverage pitchers Jordan Romano (right ulnar neuritis) and Julian Merryweather (oblique strain) have been placed on the 10-day IL, leaving Dolis as the de facto closer. 

His 4.50 ERA does not look great on the surface, but the 33-year-old has gone four consecutive appearances without surrendering a run while allowing just one hit and one walk over that span. 

Dolis will provide saves, solid strikeout totals, and good ratios as long as he is in control of the ninth. 

Other Options: Anthony DeSclafani, SP, San Francisco Giants (33.6 per cent rostered), Taijuan Walker, SP, New York Mets (26.4 per cent rostered), Emmanuel Clase, RP, Cleveland Indians (47.2 per cent rostered), Brady Singer, SP, Kansas City Royals (21.1 per cent rostered)