SPECULATOR: Searching for the next Chris Devenski
Feb 28 2018
In case you haven't heard, our game is changing.
The 2017 season provided us with a number of Extremes; the not-so-coincidental title of Ron Shandler's opener in the 2018 Baseball Forecaster. We saw a record number of home runs, a top-heavy distribution of stolen bases, a jump in strikeouts, and the rise of middle relievers.
As Ron noted in his intro, starting pitchers lasted an all-time low 5.5 innings per start in 2017. The multiple inning reliever snatched up much of that added volume. The elite ones were able to rack up more strikeouts with strong ratios that made an even bigger impact as league-wide ERAs and WHIPs spiked.
This can be seen in the number of relievers with less than 10 saves who earned double-digit 5x5 value in...
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
If history is any guide, this year's end-of-season Top 15 will come from all stages of the draft.
Mar 18 2026 3:08am
Mar 18 2026 3:08am
What lessons can we apply from Drew Rasmussen's 2025 breakout to this year's player pool?
Mar 11 2026 8:36am
Mar 11 2026 8:36am
Applying lessons learned from George Springer's 2025 breakout to this year's player pool
Mar 4 2026 3:04am
Mar 4 2026 3:04am
This week's exercise is all about picking holes to help avoid early-round busts.
Feb 25 2026 3:10am
Feb 25 2026 3:10am
Sure, they struggled last year, but if we remove some recency bias, granting mulligans could be a lucrative exercise.
Feb 18 2026 3:06am
Feb 18 2026 3:06am
