Throughout the week, RotoBaller experts will highlight rising or falling players and provide analysis to help you win your league. This pick, Ross Detwiler, is at the top of our Waiver Wire Watch List.
So what are we to make of Ross Detwiler's hot start to the 2013 fantasy baseball season? Well one thing's for sure: this certainly did not come out of nowhere. Detwiler was a highly touted prospect, a first-rounder taken with the sixth overall pick of the 2007 draft. With all of the hype around Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and the rest of the National's All-Star pitching rotation, Detwiler has gotten a little lost in the mix. But after putting up the solid stats he did last year, nobody should be too surprised to see him continuing on the same upward trend in 2013.
On Wednesday night, Detwiller pitched another gem for the Nationals: 107 PC, 7 INN, 7 HA, 5 K, ER, 1.286 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, W.
The big lefty looked like a seasoned veteran and an elite starter, limiting the opposition to only a few hits, one earned run and no walks. Coming into last night, Detwiler already had a microscopic ERA of 0.69 after two starts to the season. And last night's start only solidified him among the league-leaders in most pitching categories. Through 20 IP in 2013, Detwiler now has a 0.90 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11 Ks and 1 W (with another W blown by the usually strong Nats bullpen). While his K-rate isn't elite, he is still a pitcher that can help you win this year. Not every pitcher on your staff has to have a strikeout per inning; you can build a staff with some pitchers who will get you a lower K-rate as long as they are contributing in other categories. Think Jordan Zimmermann from last year, Kyle Lohse, or Tim Hudson. These guys are rock solid for your pitching staff and will almost never let you down. It's important to have these less sexy options on your team that you know you can count on.
And Detwiler is one of those guys, at least until he proves us wrong. He will go out throw a solid game, not get blown up, and give you excellent ERA and WHIP. He plays for one of the best teams in baseball, against the weaker lineups of the National League , and in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. He usually goes deep into games, so he will have a good chance for wins, and his strikeout totals, while not great, won't drag you down either.
If Detwiler is somehow still available on your league's waiver wire,
you need to drop what you are doing right now and go pick him up immediately. If you are not sure who to drop from your team, just write us a note in the comments or our chat room and we will help you out. RotoBaller's goal is to help you
win your fantasy baseball leagues, and Ross Detwiler's goal is doing his best to help us all win our fantasy baseball leagues. Will he continue on this torrid peace and be a Cy Young candidate this year? That's unlikely, although he certainly looks like he will be improving on last year's totals, which were already solid. Right now he is looking like one of the steals of this year's fantasy baseball draft, so if you own him congratulations, and continue to roll him out there until he proves us wrong and shows us that he's human.
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