Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers Whose Velocity Trends Should Have Your Attention

Garrett Richards, Los Angeles Angels

Garrett Richards left his start on Wednesday with a bicep cramp, and while the injury hook appears to have been precautionary, the early exit put a bit of a pallor on what was otherwise a very encouraging outing.

Sure, any scare for a player with this sort of injury baggage can hardly be written off as minor news, but neither still can the plus velocity Richards showed across four-plus innings, with the righty adding one tick to his average fastball velocity and nearly two to his slider compared to last year's marks.

Now might be a good time to see if the health scare has the Richards owner in your league suffering through a bit of buyer's remorse. The Angels' ace might come with his share of headaches, but if his velocity is truly trending up and his health can hold steady, the upside is enormous.