DeSclafani's strong numbers are not a 'mirage'
Colin Henderson explains why Anthony DeSclafani's reliance on his slider has made him a consistent performer for the Giants and fantasy managers alike in 2021.
Video Transcript
COLIN HENDERSON: Anthony Desclafani pitched a gem on Sunday, falling 1 out shy of his third complete game of the year after going 8 and 2/3 against Arizona, giving up 2 runs and 6 hits while striking out 7. The strong outing improved his season line to 9 and 3 with a 2.84 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts in 101 innings. Since getting throttled by the Dodgers on May 23-- a start where he gave up 10 earned runs-- Desclafani has been stellar, giving up only 10 runs since.
Across his last seven starts, he is 5 and 1 with a 1.99 ERA, with opposing hitters only hitting 189 against him. One of the biggest changes for the rightie this year has been his pitch selection, as he has relied on his slider more and less on his fastball. This has kept hitters off-balance and, more importantly, has helped improve the effectiveness of his fastball, as hitters are only hitting .250 against the heater as compared to .436 against the same pitch a year ago.
With half the fantasy season in the books, there's no reason to think that Desclafani's production is a mirage nor unsustainable moving forward. His lower strikeout totals keeps him from being an elite fantasy option, but managers will welcome his longevity in games, his high win total, and his consistent performance for the rest of the year.