Chase Anderson: A Deeper Look at Arizona SP’s Stats
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Diamondbacks haven’t had a season to remember and with Paul Goldschmidt likely done for the year, the final weeks of the season don’t look all that bright. But one genuine bright spot — starting pitcher Chase Anderson — has begun to emerge.
Anderson has had a nice season overall for the D-Backs but over the his last four starts he’s looked very strong. Most importantly for the purposes of this site, he’s looked very fantasy relevant.
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Those are his complete career MLB numbers, so we don’t have any past to draw from there. But Anderson’s 26, so we have plenty of Minor League stats to draw from, right? Why, yes, we do.
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So let’s start with this question. Are there any reasons that Chase Anderson should NOT be on your fantasy team?
Based on his numbers, not too many. Still, two issues do come up.
Issue No. 1: The Diamondbacks
There are actually a few prongs to this issue.
- As is the case with any team out of contention, I just don’t know how they’re going to manage the pitching staff, especially once the rosters expand. With only 112.1 innings pitched this year between the minors and majors, I’m not too worried about him being shut down prematurely. Still, pitchers on bad teams always carry some risk in September.
- Even with Goldschmidt in the lineup, the Diamondbacks have been at best, a middle of the pack offense all year. With a star like that on the shelf, it doesn’t seem likely that the run support will go up.
- Arizona also has one of the worst bullpen ERA’s in the league. If your league doesn’t count wins, neither of issues are that prevalent. But if you do, lack of run support and a shaky bullpen are big factors.
- In regards to runs, home runs, and hits, Chase Field ranks as one of the harder places to pitch in all of baseball.
Issue No. 2: Walks
Admittedly, this issue isn’t alarming, but it is worth mentioning and monitoring.
For the year, Anderson has a BB/9 of 3.1 and over the last four starts, the mark is actually up to 3.2.
Neither of those BB/9 are awful, especially given Anderson’s strikeout prowess. Still, I’d like to see that number drop below 3.0.
Fittingly, now, we ask this question. Are there any reasons that Chase Anderson SHOULD be on your fantasy team?
Yes. A few, as a matter of fact.
Reason No. 1: Strikeouts
At every level he’s ever pitched at, Anderson has struck roughly a hitter an inning out. Even if that number dips a little bit, he’s still well ahead of the curve.
If you do that for as long as he has, the K rates will be pretty reliable.
Reason No. 2: Remaining Opponents
Of course, this could very well change. But if Anderson takes the ball every fifth game for the Diamonbacks, this is what he’s looking at.
- vs. Colorado
- at Miami
- at Washington
- vs. San Diego
- vs. Colorado
- at Los Angeles Dodgers
- at San Francisco
- vs. San Francisco
- at Colorado
- vs. St. Louis
That’s a lot of non-contending teams and even the few that are contending are doing so on the strength of their pitching staffs.
A few iffy matchups do exist there but generally, that’s a pretty favorable run.
That leads us to one final question. Is Anderson a viable fantasy asset for the rest of the year?
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I don’t think that the sub-1.20 WHIP is likely to keep going all year, but the rest of the numbers should be pretty reliable. If you can handle a WHIP that will likely be at 1.25 or above, then Chase Anderson is viable fantasy asset and belongs on your team until he gives you significant reason to believe otherwise.