Tag: Seattle Mariners

Josh Hamilton Signing Prompts Fear and Loathing in Seattle

Josh Hamilton is off the market and I’m OK with that, but not everyone feels the same way.

In fact, based on the response from most of the people I’ve spoken to and read, the Mariners‘ whiffing on Hamilton is a bit of a problem.

Upon hearing the news, a good friend and long-time M’s fan sighed, “It’s going to be a long winter and summer at the rate things are going.”

Another friend lamented, “Are the M’s ever going to turn things around, or are we all kidding ourselves?”

I tried to reason with him for a few minutes, but he wasn’t having it, as the situation seems well beyond repair at this point.  Funny thing is, he wasn’t even all that keen on signing Hamilton in the first place.  

For some though, the lost opportunity seemed to cut deeper and offered the perfect chance to exact retribution for the team’s most recent missteps.  Steve Kelley at The Seattle Times believed the M’s should have done whatever it took to sign him, but he couldn’t resist throwing a few jabs at the organization for letting Hamilton get away:

Surely we know by now that we can’t expect the Mariners, who still seem to be putting most of their efforts into squashing the proposed SoDo arena project, to also have the time and concentration to go after expensive free agents.

Look, you can’t have everything. You should be happy about the new center-field scoreboard that has a TV screen the size of a Mount Kilimanjaro glacier. You were also expecting the Mariners to sign Josh Hamilton to play in the outfield, underneath that scoreboard?

Fortunately, not everyone was as bitter, as Dave Cameron at USS Mariner took a different approach by combating emotion with facts while urging everyone to stay calm in the wake of Hamilton’s signing:

I’m not suggesting the Mariners should just sit back and do nothing. I am suggesting, however, that those who continue to yell from the rooftops that offseason spending determines future on-field outcomes don’t know what they’re talking about.

Don’t be one of the mouth-breathers that overreacts to every free-agent acquisition by the Angels or Rangers. Let them yell and scream about how the world is ending. They weren’t right about this last year, and they’re not right about it now.

Cameron, as usual, offers us a rational point of view, but it’s hard to ignore, suppress or dismiss the emotions most of us are feeling right now.  

Of all the opinions I’ve read thus far, John McGrath’s at The Tacoma New Tribune seems the most even-handed by simply looking at the M’s decision strictly from a financial standpoint. 

It’s convenient to criticize the Mariners for operating on the cheap, and to mock Zduriencik as a ventriloquist’s puppet whose mouth moves when ownership pulls the strings. But declining to invest $125 million in an injury-prone player unlikely to contribute beyond three seasons doesn’t match any definition of cheap.

Cheap? I’d call it a prudent business decision for an organization challenged to keep ace pitcher Felix Hernandez on board after his contract expires at the end of the 2014 season. Don’t underestimate the thickness of that plot.

When you think of it in those terms, $125 million over five years for a man with more than a few issues, suddenly, it’s a little easier to move back off the ledge.  

At the same time, what happens next is what will really be telling. 

Until then, the team projects as a loser both on and off the field, and I would wager that is what has fans most upset at the moment.  Deep down, no one wants to root for a loser, certainly not one that fails to entertain or aspire to something bigger or better. 

Everyone knew that Hamilton wouldn’t solve all the M’s problems, but at the same time, he provided a sense of hope that the organization was committed to building a winner on the field and generating excitement off it as well.

The same thing could have been said this time last year when discussing Prince Fielder, and at this rate, it will likely happen again next year with whatever big name is available. 

The loss of Hamilton hurts a bit more, though, for two reasons.  

For starters, the M’s genuinely seemed to be in pursuit of Hamilton rather than simply paying lip service, like they did last year to Fielder. 

Perhaps more importantly, however, is the fact that we’ve all just lived through yet another season of watching Felix Hernandez pitch brilliantly alongside an uninspiring, albeit young supporting cast.  

It leaves a lot to be desired and questioned amongst a continually dwindling fanbase.  

Can this franchise rebound?

Will they sign someone decent ever again in free agency?

Will the youngsters ever amount to anything?

Do we need to trade our prospects, or should we hold on to them?

What should we do with Felix?

Is there any reason to keeping Felix if he’s never going to be anything more than a .500 pitcher on a lousy team?

If the Mariners do keep him, can they afford him?

Today, nobody has answers to these questions, but Larry Stone at The Seattle Times certainly put together a few thoughts on the issue of what to do with Felix and concluded:       

It’s an agonizing dilemma for the Mariners, made all the more poignant by their decline in popularity, and their low standing in the estimation of their fans, who would certainly view a trade of Hernandez in a highly negative fashion. It will be fascinating to see how it plays out—and the moment of truth is rapidly approaching.

OK, I’m getting bummed out again.

Does anyone have Nick Swisher‘s phone number?

How about the number of his wife’s agent?

What if the Mariners were to develop/produce a TV show that shoots either in Seattle or Vancouver as a means of luring Joanna Garcia to the Pacific Northwest for a starring role as a means of sweetening a deal for Swisher?

Would that work?

Successful TV shows usually run three to four seasons, so that should align quite well with Swisher’s expectations, right?

I’ll confess, I’m grasping at straws here on this one, but if anyone else has a better idea, I’m all ears.

Until next time, hang in there, Seattle fans, and perhaps cross your fingers that Jack Zduriencik has something up his sleeve far better than a script for a sitcom pilot starring Joanna Garcia. 

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Real World Reaction: When Tragedy Eclipses the Sports World

Let me begin by saying this is never an article I envisioned I would ever have to write.

There are times in the world where we, the fans, lose sight of what is important in the world. We become so obsessed with free-agency signings, poor performances, wins, losses and lockouts that we forget that the games we become so obsessed with our merely that: games.

We clamor for the big-name player, victories, championships and heroes. We at times consider selling all of our possessions just for the opportunity to gain access to a ticket to the big game.

We put things like key games, playoffs, and sports rumors in front of what really matters: friends, family—our loved ones.

Yesterday was one of those days that truly helps put the world into perspective, making us realize that there are scarier things in the world than losing a game. When we realize how trivial one game seems in comparison to a life. What is more difficult to imagine is that it wasn’t just a life.

It was 27. And 20 of those were children.

I will not rehash the incomprehensible story that occurred on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Connecticut, if only to demonstrate humanity and sympathy to the families who are suffering from despicable evils that came to be.

I will simply try to understand and explain the impact that a catastrophe like today can have.

When we awoke that morning, it appeared as if it were a day like any other. The sun rose as it always does, and most of the world woke up to continue life as it always had.

We went to our respected jobs, sat down at our desks, sipped our first cup of coffee and began working as if it was just another day.

The athletes we have grown to worship went to their respected weight rooms, began there workouts and continued on as it it was just another day.

We all felt excitement for the events to come later on in the day—whether it was students in Ohio hoping that Mt. Union Football would take home it’s 11th national championship, or whether it was Brooklyn Nets fans hoping to witness the continued development of what they hope will be a championship year.

Even people as small as myself woke up yesterday looking forward as to how I would spin for my fellow Seattle Mariner fans the recent signing of Josh Hamilton by the Los Angeles Angels.

We were all looking forward to things that were so small, things that were so minuscule, that we forgot to look forward to the biggest thing of them all.

Life.

We all learned yesterday just how small our events truly are. Just how small a national championship seemed in perspective to the fragile life of a child. It seems that the only way many people in the world today can realize this perspective is through tragedy.

I will not try and cast myself in any higher light, for I am just as guilty as the rest of the world in that regard. But incidents like the Newtown shootings should not be what reminds us that professional sports are but a small luxury we have in our lives.

Regardless, what is important today is that we all remember and cherish the opportunities we are given. This is not something that is limited to just sports fans. It doesn’t matter your race, religion, economic standing or political opinions.

This is a lesson we all had to be reminded of.

Yesterday will forever live in infamy as the day 27 human beings lost their lives, with 20 of those losing them before they had even been given the chance to begin. The only way we can learn is by waking up tomorrow morning with a new understanding of the true importance of life.

So before you leave your loved ones tomorrow, remember to hug them and remind them just how much you care. Because caring for them is so much more meaningful than caring about the result of some game.

Because the biggest game in the world today is life, and the result of THAT game is the one we should all care about.

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Mariners’ Handling of Felix Hernandez Will Make or Break the Franchise

It’s all about Felix Hernandez in Seattle. The Mariners revolve around him.

For now, anyway, and for good or ill. Of all the situations that must be handled with care in Major League Baseball, Hernandez’s future with the Mariners is right at the top of the list.

With only two years left on King Felix’s deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has reported that the Mariners are looking to make him a “Mariner for life.” Hernandez himself has often expressed his fondness for Seattle, so it’s certainly possible that he’ll choose not to wait to depart for greener pastures when he hits free agency in 2015.

However, this report from Ken Davidoff of the New York Post casts doubt on the idea:

I’m assuming that talks didn’t get far because Hernandez and his people aren’t fools. The Mariners are no doubt willing to pay him handsomely to keep him in a Seattle uniform for the rest of his career, but now would be a poor time for Hernandez to commit.

Perched high upon his throne, King Felix can see that Zack Greinke is on the lookout for the richest contract ever given to a right-handed pitcher. In fact, Jon Heyman has said that Greinke could become the richest pitcher of any kind in major league history.

The smart thing for Hernandez to do is wait for Greinke, who is three years older and less accomplished, to set the market for elite right-handers and then give the Mariners a call and ask if they see all those zeroes on Greinke‘s new deal.

Or Hernandez could wait even longer. He’s not the only ace pitcher who could sign an extension soon, as Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander are also due to hit free agency in 2015. More than likely, both of them will top Greinke’s new deal.

If Hernandez really wants to maximize his career earnings—and why wouldn’t he?—he’ll sign a contract in a market set by Kershaw and/or Verlander rather than a market set by Greinke.

No wonder he’s in no hurry to sign now. Hernandez could surely make a boatload of money if he were to re-up with the Mariners now, but he could make several boatloads of money if he signs in the future.

All he has to do between now and this theoretical “then” is do his thing out on the mound. And to that end, he should be fine.

The dilemma the Mariners have to deal with in the meantime is that they have work to do to shape themselves into a contender, as they stand a much better chance of keeping King Felix in his castle if he knows he can succeed in Seattle just as well, or better, as he can elsewhere.

For the Mariners to achieve their goal, money is going to have to be spent. It’s either that or wait on the team’s top prospects to develop into impact major leaguers, and that train may not arrive before the end of the 2014 season.

The Mariners seem to have come to the same conclusion. General manager Jack Zduriencik has kicked the tires on several of this winter’s top free agents, including Josh Hamilton, Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has said that the Mariners are negotiating with Hamilton. Bourn could be a fallback option if the club can’t sign Hamilton, as Jon Heyman has said they rather like him. He’s also listed the Mariners as one of the top options for Swisher.

Any one of the three is likely to cost the Mariners around $15 million per year, with Hamilton more likely to cost them around $25 million per year. This is not a case of a long-suffering franchise aiming for low-risk, high-reward investments. This is a case of a long-suffering franchise ready to go for it.

The Mariners have good excuses to go all-in (or all-out) this winter. The big-market clubs don’t seem to be in on their primary targets. They’re due to get roughly $50 million per year from the league’s new TV deals starting in 2014. They can opt out of their own TV deal after 2015 and sign a more lucrative agreement.

Nonetheless, there are two big questions begging to be asked.

One: Is one marquee bat really all the Mariners need to contend in the immediate future?

Two: Despite the money that’s due to come their way, will they still be able to make Hernandez a competitive offer after they sign said marquee bat?

The best answer that can be given for the first question is maybe. The Mariners should see an uptick in their offensive production with the fences at Safeco Field coming in, and adding a top hitter would only help. But they have a long way to go from being downright bad to being good enough on offense, and they happen to play in one of the deepest divisions in baseball.

The answer to the second question is also a maybe. You have to think that Hernandez’s next deal is going to be worth at least $30 million per year. Even with all the money that’s going to be floating around, the Mariners may not be able to afford a deal like that if they’re committing $15-$25 million to a shiny new hitter starting in 2013.

There’s a chance the Mariners will be able to live with letting Hernandez go eventually. Taijuan Walker and Danny Hultzen could arrive and quickly establish themselves as stud starters, and James Paxton looks pretty good too. Nick Franklin and Mike Zunino could arrive and further bolster the club’s offense, which already features high-ceiling youngsters in Jesus Montero and Dustin Ackley.

If these guys all pan out and the club’s new hitter turns out to be a good investment, bidding King Felix adieu won’t hurt so bad if it becomes apparent the Mariners have no choice. If these guys all pan out and the Mariners are able to ink Hernandez for the long haul, all will have worked out in the club’s favor.

Of course, there would still be risk even in that scenario. Age and/or injuries could turn King Felix into a liability with a massive contract, in which case the Mariners would be forced to work around him sort of like the Minnesota Twins and Joe Mauer. In the much longer run, King Felix’s deal would prove impossible to move and it could keep the Mariners from retaining their homegrown stars.

Disaster could also ensue in the much shorter term. What if the Mariners are unable to sign an impact hitter this winter? What if they are, only to get Adrian Beltre’d or Chone Figgins’d all over again? On top of that, what if several or all of their top youngsters fail to develop into capable major leaguers between now and the end of Hernandez’s current deal?

If these things come to pass, Hernandez’s considerable abilities will continue to be wasted on a mediocre team. The decision before him will be to stay put or bite his tongue until it’s time to leave.

The decision before the Mariners, meanwhile, will be whether they want to commit a good chunk of their payroll space to Hernandez and then continuing to trust their (as yet unproven) ability to build a contender around him.

It’s either that, or do what seemingly every team in the big leagues wants them to do and trade their king.

There’s no chance of this happening now. The Mariners look and sound optimistic, and that’s perfectly fine given the circumstances. But if they are going to trade Hernandez, they had better do it sooner rather than later.

Let’s say the 2013 season develops like a typical Mariners season. There may be flashes here and there, particularly on days when Hernandez is pitching, but the club will soon find itself closer to last place in the AL West than to first place.

Come the trade deadline, the Mariners will have to decide whether to trade Hernandez for a large basket of talented prospects as a season-and-a-half rental, or hold on to him and continue to hold out hope.

Holding on to him would come with great risk. King Felix’s trade value will only get lower and lower as he gets closer to the end of his contract, while the price to sign him could skyrocket if Kershaw and/or Verlander jump the gun and sign extensions.

The worst-case scenario involves the Mariners foolishly holding on to Hernandez through the end of the 2014 season only to watch him walk. All they’ll get then is a compensatory draft pick, which will look all the more measly when measured against the prospects the Mariners could have received in a trade.

The Mariners must not let this scenario come to fruition. If all their chips are down and they have interested parties lusting after Hernandez, they should trade him. If their chips are up and the market has spoken on Hernandez’s value, they should go ahead and ink him. If Hernandez proves unwilling to sign while the Mariners have a couple of replacement aces standing at the ready in Walker and Hultzen, they should get what they can for him and move on.

The club’s preference, obviously, is to keep Hernandez for as long as possible, and to lock him up sooner rather than later.

But that’s only going to happen if Hernandez plays nice. Assuming he doesn’t, the Mariners will soon be faced with an array of choices that will include clear-cut wrong ones but no clear-cut right ones.

Godspeed, Mr. Zduriencik. In your franchise pitcher, you hold the fate of your franchise.

 

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Salary information courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts


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Baltimore Orioles Trade Robert Andino to Seattle for Outfielder Trayvon Robinson

The Seattle Mariners announced via press release Tuesday that they have acquired Baltimore Orioles infielder Robert Andino in exchange for outfielder Trayvon Robinson.

Andino, 28, hit .211 with 7 homers last season in 127 games. Originally acquired by the O’s via trade with the Marlins at the beginning of the 2009 season, Andino brought versatility and infield depth to a then struggling O’s team. With the injuries to Brian Roberts, Andino became the main option at second over the last couple years.

Most Orioles’ fans will remember Andino for his performance in the final game of 2011, as he hit the walk-off single against the Red Sox to help eliminate the Sox from playoff contention. “The Curse of the Andino” will be remembered by Baltimore and Boston fans for years to come.

A good teammate, Andino will be missed in the clubhouse. A tweet from pitcher Steve Johnson sums up his feelings on the trade:

 

 

 

It is unclear how Seattle will use Andino, but more likely than not, with Dustin Ackley at second, Kyle Seager at third, and Brendan Ryan at short, Andino will be a utility bench player.

The acquisition of Trayvon Robinson will provide outfield depth for the Orioles, but by no means is a solution for a starting left fielder. The 25-year-old has hit .215 with 5 homeruns in 90 games over two seasons in Seattle. He will most likely fight for a roster spot in spring training, along with Lew Ford, LJ Hoes, Xavier Avery, and others.

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Seattle Mariners: Few Options for Free Agency in 2013

The hitting difficulties of the Seattle Mariners have been well documented. As the team heads into the offseason, there will be the usual questions about potential free agents.

Of course, the issue is not necessarily about free agents. The issue is whether or not Seattle is willing to get out the checkbook and write a lot of zeros.

At least one writer believes that Seattle could be a “dark horse” in the free agent market. I don’t buy it. Even the writer wrote the sentence, “This is a team with a lot of payroll flexibility if it’s willing to spend.”

If it’s willing to spend. Exactly.

Granted, I do not see a lot of free agents that are all that intriguing for a Seattle team that is trying to build a squad from the ground up.

The big names on the market are either too old, too inconsistent, or potentially too expense.

There is an extensive list of potential hitters, but this free agent class is still regarded as fairly weak compared to past years.

A few names are being discussed, and I suspect the Mariners are brought up only because they have so many needs.

Josh Hamilton may decline the one-year offer from the Texas Rangers, but if he tests the market, there are questions about age, productivity and behavioral history. Hamilton is not a long-term solution.

Nick Swisher? There is some consistent power, but Swisher will be 32 by next spring. Is he worth a multi-year deal when an inevitable decline is coming?

Someone like B.J. Upton keeps appearing on various lists, but the addition of a career .255 hitter does not seem like a smart strategy. Upton is younger, but he is not exactly a consistent power threat.

Torii Hunter? Old. You bring him in if he is the last piece of a championship-caliber club.

Angel Pagan? Low on power, high on potential price.

Ryan Ludwick? Best year was four seasons ago.

I realize that I am focusing more on the reasons not to sign available free agents, but a savvy team has to look for red flags before they overpay new players.

This is not a time for desperate moves.

Some of these players are not going to be cheap, particular if the Mariners are going to convince them to come to the Pacific Northwest. 

It is interesting that this list predicted that none of the “top 50” free agents would end up in Seattle. That may be the usual disrespect for the Mariners, but Seattle has not exactly been a big player in the free agent market over the last few seasons.

There is the theory that Seattle will be a player simply because it has money to spend. That is certainly plausible, but given the philosophy over the last few seasons, it does not seem likely that management would throw money at just anyone.

You want the Mariners to be active, but you also want them to be smart. Chone Figgins, anyone?

A trade still seems like the best way to improve this lineup rather than overspend in this market. Let one of the hot young arms go and get yourself a bat.

Will the Mariners be unusually active and chase free agents? We shall see. I am not going to hold my breath.

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Seattle Mariners: Strategizing a Breakup with Chone Figgins

Apparently, Chone Figgins is sick of playing for the Seattle Mariners. At the risk of stating the obvious, the feeling is definitively mutual. Does Figgins have a suggestion on how to end this relationship?

Remember when the Mariners signed Figgins to a four year free-agent contract? Fans were pretty excited because they imagined Figgy and Ichiro setting the table for the rest of the lineup and creating a lot of offensive production.

Statistically, there is not much point in reviewing what has happened over the last few years. Suffice it to say that Figgins has been in a two-year hitting slump. He has become the poster child for bad contracts, and I expect him to be on a number of “worst contract” lists in the future.

What do you do with a player like this?

The barriers to resolution are many. The solutions are limited. How do you get another team to take a weak-hitting, high-salary player off your hands? Even the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have some standards. 

I have to imagine pursuing a trade is a waste of time. Just because Figgins has voiced his displeasure does not mean that the phone is going to start ringing off the hook in Jack Z’s office. If I were the Seattle management, I would send out a group text message to all the other GMs and say, “Chone Figgins is available. We will take ANYTHING.”

When that yields nothing, the Mariners need to take action.  Cut the player and eat the contract.

Obviously the Mariners are not in a financial position where they can afford to just dump expensive contracts. However, enough is enough. This deal has been a failure, and it is time to move on. I do not blame Jack Z for this deal. Every free agent contract is a risk, and sometimes players just do not adjust to their new environment.

Is there any hope of redemption at this point? That seems doubtful. In the last three years, Figgins has hit .259, .189 and .181 for the season. Does management really believe that Chone will suddenly rebound to his .298 average of 2009?  I suppose anything is possible, but conventional wisdom says that the time for serious improvement has passed.

Figgins will turn 35 in January. His confidence at the plate appears to be shot. I do not see this as a prime scenario for a reclamation project.

It is time. Cut him. Bring up someone from the minors. They cannot hit much worse. 

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What Fans Would Like to See from Seattle Mariners in Season’s Final Months

In case you haven’t noticed, the Mariners are actually on fire of late having won six in a row and 13 of their last 14 games at Safeco Field.  

For a team that looked simply lost just a few weeks ago, this recent surge is a welcome change of pace that in some ways have made my modest goals from last week seem perhaps a bit short-sighted.

Who knew that Felix Hernandez would actually throw a perfect game?

I’ll be the first to confess that I’m no soothsayer, but I also figure why not have a little fun with this and put together a list of what the fans would like to see from the Mariners before the end of this season.  

So before Felix takes the mound again again, I put together a list of a few things I’d like to see in the final months… 

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5 Top Prospects the Seattle Mariners Could Call Up Immediately

The Seattle Mariners‘ recent seven-game winning streak may be over, but it sure was nice to enjoy a week’s worth of winning baseball in an otherwise disappointing season.

The biggest question now is whether some of the encouraging signs found within this stretch will have any long-lasting meaning.  Over the course of this week and next, I hope to tackle a few of these questions in search of answers.

Rather than jinx anything last week, I posted an article highlighting the team’s top prospects, figuring that most would be staying put in the minors; however with pitcher Carter Capps’ recent call-up it made me wonder whether the M’s would consider bringing up any other prospects out of the blue within the farm system.

While it’s understandable that fans may want to see the M’s “Big Three” pitching trifecta of Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, and James Paxton brought up to Seattle, I just don’t think it makes sense for this season.

When looking at the remaining list of top prospects, you could argue the same thing for the majority of them as deep down I don’t believe any of them are quite ready. 

At the same time, for the sake of the argument, here are five players who have yet to log MLB service time that the Mariners could consider giving at the very least a cup of coffee in the majors before the end of the season and, in some cases, might be best served with an immediate chance to see if they have what it takes.

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Ichiro Suzuki to NY Yankees: 5 Highlights of His Tenure with Seattle Mariners

For over a decade, Ichiro Suzuki has been the face of the Seattle Mariners‘ franchise. When he made his debut in a Mariner’s uniform over 11 years ago, not only did Seattle fall in love with him, MLB did.

Over this stretch of baseball history, the MLB would come to know Ichiro as a slap-hitting, extra-base robbing superstar. He was the Emerald City’s most exciting player since Ken Griffey Jr.

Since his departure to New York this season, the image of the superstar outfielder in a Mariners uniform is now but a distant memory.

This article relives the high times in Ichiro’s Mariners career.

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Fantasy Baseball: Should You Be Looking at Hisashi Iwakuma?

Hisashi Iwakuma turned heads in his last start, striking out 13 batters en route to a 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. That’s three straight solid outings for the righty as he has gone 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP with 23 strikeouts in 19 innings against the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Rays.

His recent success has allowed him to lower his ERA over a full point from 5.13 to 4.10, very impressive considering he was facing two of the top scoring offenses. In his five starts he’s also faced the Orioles and Rangers and has managed to go 1-1 with a 3.41 ERA.

Iwakuma is a streaming candidate based on his home-road splits. On the road he is 0-0 with a 6.30 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. He’s a totally different pitcher at home though, where he’s 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.

Over the past four years Iwakuma has combined to go 51-19 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.11 WHIP to go along with 523 strikeouts in 690-2/3 innings. Unfortunately the WHIP (1.38 on the year) is probably real and the recent strikeout binge is probably not. He still has some use for fantasy owners.

Iwakuma is barely owned in fantasy leagues, but that number will change if he continues to baffle the opposition. His next start is Sunday on the road against the Bronx Bombers. Despite handling Toronto’s high-powered offense in his last outing, I’d hold off on adding Iwakuma for now. He should be considered for home starts though.

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