Smart to trust Happ after strong start with Cards?
Christopher Crawford says fantasy managers should steer clear of St. Louis Cardinals SP J.A. Happ despite his strong start with the new team.
Video Transcript
CHRISTOPHER CRAWFORD: JA Happ was acquired by the Cardinals at the deadline in a deal that had many scratching their head, and yours truly was one of those itching the top of his dome, as he was awful in his time with the Twins in 2021 with a 6.77 ERA in his 19 starts. The veteran southpaw does have a track record of success however, and the change of scenery apparently has done him well.
Happ has an era of 1.99 in his four starts with the Cards over 22 and 1/3 innings, and it comes with a 19 to 6 strikeout to walk ratio that is much more aesthetically pleasing. So, is he someone you should trust in terms of fantasy streaming over the final month? Probably not, but as is the case with many hurlers, it's going to depend on the match-ups.
Two of his starts have come against the lowly Pirates and another against the Royals. Not exactly playoff competition. And while St. Louis does have some games down the stretch against the doldrums, the schedule in September gets much tougher. This is not a pitcher that you're going to want to start against Milwaukee, or the Dodgers, or the Padres, and the Cardinals face all of those teams in the final month.
So, yes. Happ is a decent option when he's facing bad clubs, but there's just not enough ceiling to suggest starting him against better options. You should probably look elsewhere.
