There is really nothing better than stumbling across a game-changer this late in the fantasy baseball season. The MLB trade deadline didn’t exactly produce the normal frenzy we see in the fantasy world afterwards, but there is definitely one piece most owners are looking to grab to complete their championship puzzle. When the Astros acquired Aaron Sanchez, the young right-hander became that coveted game-changer.
If recent history has taught us anything, it’s that Astros pitching coach Brent Strom is the new pitching guru and can turn any hurler into an ace. We saw him resurrect the career of Justin Verlander and enjoyed the veteran’s return to Cy Young form. We watched him turn a really good Gerrit Cole into a dominant strikeout ace whose near-13 K/9 ranks second in the league among pitchers who have thrown over 100 innings this season. We even watched Strom turn a tomato can like Wade Miley into a reliable fourth or fifth starter.
If you’ve been tracking the progress of the Astros starters, you’ve probably heard the accusations of pine-tar use to enhance the pitcher’s grip which, in turn, increase the spin-rate of the ball. The league has investigated those claims brought up by other teams and has not found the Astros to be in violation. So what is Strom doing to turn this guys into such dominant forces? It is an understanding of mechanics and pitch mix; what works and what doesn’t. And that is even more evident when you watch Aaron Sanchez on the hill.
In his first start with the Astros, the game plan was simple. Strom was a big fan of Sanchez’s curveball and thought the righty relied too heavily on his sinking fastball as opposed to the four-seamer. He asked him to throw more four-seamers, drop in more curves and pull back on the sinker and the change-up. He wasn’t getting the swinging-strikes a pitcher needs on his sinker and his command of the change-up was weak, often times, leaving it up in the zone for hitters to park over the fence. The results speak for themselves as Sanchez threw six scoreless frames, allowing no hits and striking out six for the win.
Though it’s difficult to say Sanchez will enjoy such a level of success each and every time he takes the hill moving forward, it does seem safe to say that he can be an impact player for fantasy teams looking to boost their pitching down the stretch. As long as there is continued progress, he should maintain a spot in Houston’s rotation and garner close to 10 more starts this season. If you can find a starter this late in the season who is capable of producing close to 60 innings with a 3.20 ERA and 60 strikeouts, you have the game-changer you need to win.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, MLB lineups and DFS weather updates.
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