Originally posted at:
http://www.bringingheat.com/2009/11/player-prediction-wandy-rodriguez.html
When you think of the starting pitching in Houston, the name that comes to mind is almost assuredly Roy Oswalt. Yet for the 2010 season and beyond, Wandy Rodriguez looks like the player to keep your eye on.
This 30-year-old lefty has been with the Astros his entire five year career in the Major Leagues. He had a rough rookie season, posting an ERA above 5.50. The season ended in disappointment for Wandy as well, when Houston was defeated in the 2005 World Series. The following season was also a let-down for the young man, posting an ERA in the mid-fives with a 1.60 WHIP. He struggled to stay with the Major League club all season, making trips to and from the minors.
Although Wandy greatly improved his command in 2007 and improved virtually every aspect of his production, he was nothing more than a back-of-the-rotation guy. The crazy point about that season was how completely dominant he was while pitching at home. His record at Minute Maid Park was 6-3 with an ERA of 2.94, and batters hit .220 while facing him. While he was pitching like a stud at home, he was proportionately terrible on the road, with a record of 3-10 and a 6.37 ERA. Players hit .287 against him while outside the confines of Houston.
It wasn’t until the 2008 where Rodriguez began to put together complete, quality seasons. He really has become a staple in Houston’s rotation as of the past 2 years. This last year, Wandy put up a stunning 3.02 ERA in over 200 innings pitched. Fantasy-wise, the man is also a strike-out machine; He set down 193 guys in only 205 innings in 2009.
There is a reasonable amount of risk with Wandy, in real-life and in fantasy-life. He had gone through a few smaller injuries early in his career, yet he still averages 27 starts per season. Another issue is that he mysteriously remains a much better pitcher at home than away. A solid strategy would be to only play Rodriguez when he’s in Houston, yet you don’t want to spend too high of a draft pick on him if he’s only gonna play half the time. Over the course of a full season, he’s going to net you 180+ K’s with an ERA around or below 3.60. His projected WHIP of 1.25 doesn’t hurt your team either.
Wandy Rodriguez deserves much more credit nationally than he’s given. For 2 straight seasons, he’s arguably been the Astros’ ace of the pitching staff, even over the mighty Roy Oswalt. Astros’ fans know exactly who this talented pitcher is, as well as the smarter fantasy baseball fans. With a solid 2010 campaign though, he may finally get that larger recognition as one of the top left-handed pitchers in baseball.
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