7 years agoFree-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish has struck out 29.7 percent of the batters he's faced in his career, which is the highest rate in history for a starter with at least 500 innings, ahead of Chris Sale (29.2 percent), Stephen Strasburg (29.0 percent) and Randy Johnson (28.6 percent). Darvish is only behind Max Scherzer (30.4 percent) in that category since his debut in 2012. Darvish's 27.3 percent K rate in 2017 was the lowest since his rookie year, but he still was tied for 11th among qualified pitchers. Hitters whiffed on 28.2 percent of their swings against Darvish in 2017, which was the 13th highest whiff rate among pitcher who generated 1,000-plus swings. The fantasy perception of Darvish may be down after he was shelled in the World Series, but no matter where he lands, he'll remain a fantasy ace with his impressive strikeout numbers.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com - Andrew Simon