Nationals Max Scherzer: Fantasy Baseball’s No. 1 Starting Pitcher in 2017
By Bill Pivetz
Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer had another career season and finished as the top fantasy pitcher. Is he worth drafting as the top pitcher in 2017?
Many baseball experts still call Stephen Strasburg the ace of the Washington Nationals rotation. Though, after another injury-shortened season, I don’t think it’s safe to call him that. With the performance Max Scherzer has had over the last two seasons, he should be fantasy baseball’s top pitcher for 2017.
Since joining the Nationals, Scherzer has dominated. In his 67 starts, he is 34-19 with a 2.88 ERA, 0.943 WHIP, 11.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. He also had three shutouts and two no-hitters in 2015. While he didn’t have one this season, that didn’t take away from his value.
He made 34 starts, winning 20 of them and posted a career-high 11.2 K/9, 284 total strikeouts. All of that combined made him the No. 1 pitcher on the ESPN Player Rater. Clayton Kershaw made only 21 starts and still finished No. 2 on the list.
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There are plenty of other contenders to take the No. 1 spot. Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner, and Jon Lester (the other names in the top four on the Player Rater) all made their own cases for fantasy baseball’s best pitcher.
The thing that sets Scherzer apart for me is the division he pitches in. While the others have the skill to control an opposing team on any given night, the almost guarantee Scherzer gives you is hard to pass up.
The Philadelpha Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins all finished as four of the bottom five teams in runs scored. All but the Marlins finished in the bottom half in on-base percentage.
Those teams will do whatever they can do boost their offense and compete in the National League East, so Scherzer may not be as dominate as before. However, the odds of that happening are very unlikely.
Next: Is David Price Still a Top-30 Starting Pitcher?
Scherzer turned 32 years old halfway through the 2016 season, so his time on top may be limited, but as for now, he is my top starting pitcher for next season. He’s made at least 30 starts in every seasons since 2009. There are very few starting pitchers with that kind of consistency.
With the numbers Scherzer is putting up in recent years, he is my top pick for next season.