MLB

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Top-Tier Starting Pitchers to Avoid

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Feb 6th, 2019
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Miles Mikolas, St. Louis Cardinals

NFBC ADP: 91st
Starting Pitcher (SP) Rank: 26
Draft Round (12-team league): 8th

For the fifth consecutive season, the strikeout rate for starting pitching rose yet again, finishing at 21.6% for starters in 2018. Miles Mikolas won 18 games and posted a 2.83 ERA in 200 2/3 innings, returning stateside for the first time since the 2014 season, so how does the St. Louis Cardinals hurler make this list?

A 3.93 SIERA portends some problems could be coming in 2019, due in part to a puny 18.1% strikeout rate, and a better-than-average 76.2% strand rate.

Don't think NL Central foes like the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers didn't pick up on Mikolas's struggles against lefty bats, either. With an inflated 36.6% hard-hit rate from that side of the plate, Anthony Rizzo, Christian Yelich, and Cincinnati Reds slugger Joey Votto could make year two a bit tougher. Investing in a #2 or #3 starting pitcher with so little strikeouts could leave your staff with a big gap to fill.

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