Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers Primed to Improve Their Strikeout Rates
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.