Fantasy Fallout: Darvish's Return Could Provide the Lift Yu Need
Here are the fantasy repercussions following the Texas Rangers activating RHP Yu Darvish off the disabled list:
Season-Long Fantasy
If nobody drafted and stashed Darvish in your league, go add him immediately. Darvish is one of the top strikeout pitchers in all of baseball. If he was healthy heading into this season, he surely would have been one of the top 10-15 pitchers off the board in most leagues.
In his last full season in 2013, Darvish led all of baseball with 277 strikeouts in 209 2/3 innings pitched, to go along with a 2.83 ERA. He was on pace for another spectacular season until tearing his UCL and undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2014.
The Japanese import is still just 29-years-old. Tommy John surgery is fairly routine this days. Here's a look at how other comparable pitchers have fared in their first season back from the surgery:
| NAME | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | BB/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Harvey (NYM) | 2.71 | 1.01 | 8.9 | 1.8 |
| Jose Fernandez (MIA) | 2.92 | 1.16 | 11 | 1.9 |
| Stephen Strasburg* (WAS) | 2.95 | 1.09 | 10.8 | 2.5 |
*Strasburg had his surgery in August of 2010, but only returned for five starts in 2011, so the stats above include his 2012 season as well as 2011.
It's clear that a dominant pitcher such as Darvish can return to the mound and immediately be a force.
Daily Fantasy
Darvish will toe the rubber on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates boast the fourth-best offense in all of baseball in terms of runs, so Darvish could be in tough. The Bucs have also struck out the ninth-fewest times in the majors.
Darvish is far too risky to be taken in any cash games in his first game back, especially against a potent offense like Pittsburgh's. He can be taken in tournament lineups as a contrarian. His price is much lower at the moment compared to where it will be a few weeks from now. Even though the Pirates don't K often, Darvish's stuff is good enough to stifle any offense.