Fantasy Baseball: 2016 Bounce Back Pitching Sleepers

Kris Medlen

ADP: 102nd pitcher – 338th overall (Not Drafted)

Here’s the deal with Kris Medlen. He’s coming off his second Tommy John surgery and while he made some big appearances for the Royals in 2015, his fantasy numbers were less than stellar.

In 2015, he posted a 4.01 ERA but his Ks/9 were a career worst 6.2. He’s never been a high strikeout pitcher, and he’s not going to be. Surgery isn’t going to magically fix that.

What he could have going for him is his ERA. From 2012-2015, he ranked sixth among starting pitchers in the ERA category. That’s better than players like David Price, Johnny Cueto, and Felix Hernandez.

His record during that stretch of 2.74 ERA pitching is 29-13 also. While it’s near impossible for a pitcher to do anything to earn a win, it’s still a statistic that counts in fantasy baseball.

When you pick up Medlen off waivers, you can be sure you’re going to get a pitcher that’s going to give you his best. His best may not always be good enough so play the match-ups and pick him up off waivers to make a spot start if you need to.

Because his only reall chance to contribute is in ERA and wins, he’s probably not a player you want to waste a draft pick on. The good news is he’ll be overlooked and be available on waivers.

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