Welcome to the fantasy baseball pitching report for July 20th, where we dive into the fascinating world of baseball’s most captivating element: pitching. We document intriguing patterns and metrics presented throughout the previous day each day, such as spin rate, velocity, and pitch mix. But we don’t stop there. Our reports go beyond the numbers, offering fantasy pitching analysis when certain pitchers deserve more or less attention. Whether you’re seeking a competitive edge, the next breakout star, or daily pitching refreshers, these reports have you covered.
Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Report for July 20th
Corbin Burnes (8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 100 Pitches)
Pitching Report
Corbin Burnes dominated the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. This marks two consecutive commanding starts for the Milwaukee Brewers ace in an excellent month for the former Cy Young winner. The key to success this start was the curveball, as Burnes threw the pitch 26% of the time and earned nine whiffs and a staggering 62% CSW. The rise was only put in play once and was only hit at 85.5 mph. When thrown out of the zone, Phillies batters swung at the pitch 53% of the time but only managed to make contact 13% of the time. If Burnes continues to utilize the curveball as he has in his past two starts, the sky is the limit. His primary pitch, the cutter, only worked three whiffs but did earn 13 called strikes.
In July, Burnes has been his usual Cy Young self again, recording a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings. Furthermore, he has racked up 36 strikeouts, only walked nine, and has limited his opponent’s batting average to .092. Including Thursday’s start, Burnes has recorded four quality starts in a row, generating at least six punch-outs in each of those four starts. Burnes has also effectively limited hard contact this month, dropping from 27% in June to 19.6% in July. Overall, we’ve seen Burnes post his best monthly numbers of the season in nearly every metric this month.
Fantasy Analysis
It took long enough for us to see Burnes kick it into high gear, but it looks like we’re here with the month he’s having. As with many of the other struggling aces, I hadn’t lost faith in Burnes at any point during his struggles. It’s hard to jump ship on a pitcher with such a prestigious and legendary career after a poor less-than-half of a season. Unless your fantasy squad desperately needs a batter and you want to capitalize on his skyrocketing market value, you should believe in Burnes’ ability and track record and hold him. When Burnes is at his best, virtually no other pitcher in the majors is more valuable. With that being said, after his previous two starts, the window for buying into Burnes is likely to be closed for now.
Corbin Burnes: Not Even Fair#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/wjeIagJ3XF
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 20, 2023
Spencer Strider (6 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 13K, 100 Pitches)
Pitching Report
Until the seventh inning, Spencer Strider had completely embarrassed the Arizona Diamondback’s offence. In this start, Strider earned a monstrous 26 whiffs, with 11 on the 4-seamer and 15 on the slider. Strider threw his slider one mph faster with less movement in this start, and it couldn’t have worked any better for the Braves flamethrower. In addition to the 15 whiffs, the pitch worked a sensational 61% CSW and possessed a 0% contact rate when thrown out of the zone.
All the damage in this start came as Strider worked into the seventh inning. After walking Carroll and hitting Walker on a 0-2 count, Strider gave up the first homer of Dominic Canzone’s major league career on a high fastball, followed directly by an Emmanuel Rivera long ball on a middle-middle fastball.
Spencer Strider is the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to strikeout 350+ hitters in his first 40 career starts pic.twitter.com/J5eZm6JDQg
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) July 20, 2023
Fantasy Analysis
I’m not even sure what needs to be said about Spencer Strider. Despite the unfortunate ending to the otherwise-superb outing, Strider remains the most dominant starting pitcher of the 2023 season. Fatigue should be the only concern for the Braves Ace. With 116 2/3 innings on the year so far, he is quickly approaching the 131 2/3 he pitched last year. While I don’t think he will be given the “Eury Perez Treatment,” monitoring his velocity and overall performance will be interesting as he treks into uncharted innings territory.
Andrew Abbott (8 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 SO, 106 Pitches)
Pitching Report
Andrew Abbott pitched excellently against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday as he enjoyed the longest start of his rookie campaign. Abbott earned 15 swings-and-misses in his first scoreless outing since the first two major league starts of his career back on June 1oth. His fastball was not impressive on Thursday, as it only worked a 25% CSW with five whiffs. Giants batters also destroyed the pitch as it possessed an average exit velocity of 95.1 mph. Abbott’s best pitch of the day was his sweeper, which amassed seven whiffs with a 33% CSW. Given that he surrendered nine hard hits, how he managed to limit the Giants to a single hit is somewhat perplexing. During his nine-start current stint with the Cincinnati Reds, Abbott has allowed two or more walks six times.
Andrew Abbott, Nasty Breaking Balls. 😨 pic.twitter.com/nzz205YSfV
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 20, 2023
Fantasy Analysis
I am not as high on Abbott as some are. Don’t get me wrong; I do not think he is a poor pitcher. His 26.8% strikeout rate and 3.61 xERA showcase his remarkable talent, especially considering this is his rookie campaign. Part of my wariness with the Reds left is the ballpark he plays in. As he has only managed to keep the ball on the ground 22.1% of the time this year, he is playing in one of the worst ballparks possible. Baseball Savant said his eight surrendered home runs would be five or fewer if he played for five teams not called the Cincinnati Reds. Additionally, his 4-seamer and curveball give up hard contact over 30% of the time.
Ultimately, while I’m not partaking in Andrew Abbott’s fantasy festivities, I think there’s enough to like about his arsenal to say that his fantasy situation is purely a matter of personal preference. You can ignore my subjective take if you believe in his excellent strikeout ability and expect him to reduce his hard contact percentages. If, like myself, you are wary about his hitter-friendly ballpark and shockingly low ground ball rate, this could be an excellent time to cash in and sell high on Andrew Abbott.
Photo Credit: © David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
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