SPECULATOR: Downside risk of leading pitchers

Earlier this week, we profiled 10 hitters who currently reside among the league's best, but about whom we have grave concerns over their balance-of-season performance. Let's take a look at 10 pitchers who we're similarly concerned about. Remember the key lesson here: Even if you are doing well in your league on the backs of some of these guys, the players who got you to this point are not necessarily the ones who will carry you over the finish line. Don't rely on inertia to carry you to your league championship.

American League

Yu Darvish (RHP, TEX)
What he's done so far: 10-5, 3.59 ERA with 117 K in 103 IP
The looming risk: Adjustment. On the surface, this looks like a credible US transition for Darvish to date. And he is...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

After last week's in-season "UP"side column, it's time to strike a more pessimistic tune.
May 28 2025 3:07am
We'll take a page from the Baseball Forecaster with a new batch of "UP"side projections based on 2025's early returns.
May 21 2025 3:06am
Starters who have had one (just one!) bad start, and what things would look like if we give them a mulligan
May 14 2025 3:10am
An early look at which starting pitchers have switched up their pitch mix the most, and whether or not it's working.
May 7 2025 3:07am
Slow starts, or is something wrong beneath the hood? We speculate...
Apr 30 2025 3:10am

Tools