RADIO
It’s easy to overlook Collin McHugh’s impressive 2015 season when the pitcher ahead of him in the rotation won the Cy Young. McHugh’s 19 wins, one fewer than Keuchel, were accompanied by a 3.89 ERA and 171 strikeouts. McHugh was also the recipient of plenty run support as he posted four wins in both June and September despite owning an ERA of 4.97 and 4.31 respectively in those months. The rest of his season was plagued by inconsistency, posting a 5.08 ERA in May while surrendering 207 hits in 203.2 innings pitched.
The 200-plus IP alone is enough to raise an eyebrow, as it was around 50 more innings than the year before. McHugh did display dominance in April (three wins, 2.92 ERA) and in August (two wins, 1.89 ERA) and despite allowing more fly balls than ground balls, McHugh relinquished a not-too-damaging 19 dingers and was twelfth in the league overall in ground balls allowed; an appealing stat for a pitcher starting on an Astros team that tallied the sixth fewest errors last season. It is unlikely that McHugh will repeat his win total from 2015, but with Houston’s impressive offense and defense behind him, he teeters around the top 50 of fantasy pitchers.
