I’ll write a 2013 fantasy rookie post about Trevor Bauer, too. It’s inevitable. Even after Bauer was called up to the majors and produced a 6+ ERA, his stuff was still undeniable. There will be time to go over Bauer. Let’s shine some light on Tyler Skaggs so he doesn’t remain Barbara Hersey to Bauer’s Bette Midler. Sure, Skaggs doesn’t have the dazzling strikeouts like Bauer. He might not have the upside of a Cy Young contender like Bauer. Shoot, let’s just talk about Bauer… No! We’re gonna talk about Tyler. Skaggs plays second fiddle to no man, not even Steve Miller. Though, Skaggs was just as terrible in his major league call up as Bauer with a 5.83 ERA in 29 1/3 IP only without the beautiful Ks. Okay, enough about Bauer– But his Ks are really purdy– No, this is about Skaggs. So what can we expect for 2013 fantasy baseball?
I’m gonna write Skaggs’s 2012 off as nerves. Unlike Bauer, Skaggs doesn’t have severe control problems. He did have solid Ks in the minors, too. In Double-A, he had a 9+ K-rate. His fastball is only 89+ MPH though, so there’s no high expectation that he’ll be a 9+ K guy in the majors. In fact, in Triple-A, his K-rate dropped to 7+. Then in 29 1/3 IP last year in the majors, he K’d people just over 6 per nine. He reminds me of another Diamondback prospect that isn’t named Trevor Bauer, and isn’t even still in the Diamondbacks’ system. Skaggs reminds me of Jarrod Parker. The same Parker who gave top 40 starter value last year and had a K-rate just under 7. Parker is three years older than Skaggs, so the comparison isn’t quite there. Then again, Parker was in the AL…Then again again, the A’s play in a pitchers’ park and the Diamondbacks don’t. Then again again again, Parker needed some luck to have a 3.47 ERA. Then again again again again that means if Skaggs isn’t lucky he won’t have a 3.50-ish ERA. Then again ag– Skaggs will probably be around a 4 ERA guy with above-average Ks. That’s solid for an NL-Only pitcher, but he’ll be a wait-and-see for most mixed leagues. For 2013, I’ll give him the line of 10-7/4.10/1.29/140 in 180 IP. So, how about that Trevor Bauer?
