Jake Odorizzi (SP, TB) - Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target Late in Mixed Leagues

ANALYSIS: Jake Odorizzi started and finished his rookie season poorly, and consequently, his overall surface numbers (4.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) weren’t eye-popping. He had issues his second and third times through the batting order, and his release point was inconsistent. His OPS against was 345 points higher on the road than at home, which is tough to ignore, considering his extreme fly-ball tendencies and the run environments of the other AL East teams.

Those are all valid concerns, and they’re what will keep Odorizzi cheap in your draft, but there is a lot to like. He struck out over a batter per inning last year, he got his walk rate under control as the season progressed, and he has shown dominance with his changeup. According to Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey, Odorizzi had also tweaked his slider into more of a cutter. Plus, he is a former top prospect entering his age-25 season in a pitcher-friendly park. Odorizzi has some warts, but he’s also got pedigree, a demonstrated ability to adjust, a guaranteed rotation spot and room to improve. At minimum, keep the kid in mind for streaming in favorable matchups.