MLB

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers Primed to Improve Their Strikeout Rates

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle May 18th, 2018
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Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds

ERA: 6.02 (92nd of 95)

Swinging-Strike Rate: 15.6% (4th of 95)

Rostering Luis Castillo has been really tough early on this season. The young 25-year-old hurler has been as brutal as his ERA indicates. The coup-de-gras was a one-inning, six-hit, two-walk, five-earned run outing on April 27th against the Minnesota Twins. That kind of ugly performance likely damaged a lot of your ratios, at least in the short term, but don't let that scare you.

The swinging-strike and strikeout rate (22.9%) have remained tasty, and Castillo appears to be righting the ship thanks to some improved mechanics. In Castillo's last two outings -- both wins -- he's fired 11 2/3 innings, whiffing 15 batters, and allowing only 4 earned runs. In his last three outings, he's posted swinging-strike rates north of 18.0% in each.

Castillo may have some terrible traditional marks, but those could correct themselves soon enough.

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