Tanner Roark

Tanner Roark

38-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Tanner Roark in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
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From Preseason
$Signed a one-year contract with the Braves in May of 2021. Released by the Braves in September of 2021.
Parts ways with Atlanta
PFree Agent  
September 5, 2021
Roark was released by Atlanta on Sunday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Roark was sent to Triple-A Gwinnett after a brief stint in the majors, during which he didn't pitch, and he'll return to free agency after posting a 2.14 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 44:16 K:BB over 46.1 innings for Gwinnett. The veteran right-hander began the season with the Blue Jays and gave up five runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks across seven innings, and he hasn't pitched in the majors since being released in May.
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Pitching Stats
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Tanner Roark See More
Bernie on the Scene: Trade Deadline Edition
July 26, 2021
Bernie Pleskoff looks at players who could be moved at the trade deadline. Will the Mariners trade Mitch Haniger?
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
June 27, 2021
If you believe Keston Hiura can recapture past glory, Jan Levine thinks he's worth spending up for.
DraftKings MLB: Sunday Breakdown
April 11, 2021
Dan Marcus says Marcus Stroman may not be the flashiest pitcher today, but he's about as safe as it comes facing the Marlins.
FanDuel MLB: Sunday Targets
April 11, 2021
WIth a superior record at home and versus righties, Chris Morgan likes Max Kepler to produce against Chris Flexen and the Mariners.
FanDuel MLB: Tuesday Targets
April 6, 2021
Chris Bennett checks out Tuesday's slate and sees GPP potential in a volatile Rangers stack topped by Joey Gallo.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Roark wasn't particularly effective from 2017 to 2019, but he struggled mightily over the abbreviated 2020 season. His 6.80 ERA would have ranked worst among starters if he had qualified, and while his 5.36 SIERA and 5.84 xFIP were slightly more encouraging, they were still career-worst marks. He'll likely begin the season as a back-end starter for Toronto, but he's no lock to remain in the rotation, especially if he struggles once again in 2021. The 34-year-old's recent production is a long way from his stellar results in 2016 as he enters a contract year this season. Roark's groundball rate remained low at 35.9%, and he was unable to limit meaningful contact again, posting a 39.0% hard-hit rate. He also struggled with command as his walk rate spiked to 10.5%, an increase of more than three percentage points. Roark isn't guaranteed a starting spot in 2021, and his recent output limits his fantasy value.
Roark began the year in the Reds' rotation before being traded to the A's at the end of July. The final numbers were far from good from a fantasy perspective, but he was capable in real life, providing 2.0 fWAR in 165.1 innings. The sinkerballer saw another dip in groundball rate -- he's lost 12 percentage points off his GB% over the past two seasons -- and the balls that got up did more damage. The long ball was especially problematic late, with Roark surrendering nine homers in his final 18.1 innings. Despite the poor finish, Roark's ability to eat innings (30 or more starts in five of the last six seasons) landed him a two-year, $24 million deal with the Blue Jays this offseason. His breakout season in 2016 is firmly in the rearview mirror and the floor his durability provides is not particularly high; gamble on upside instead as there will be a million Roarks available on the wire.
Roark posted sub-3.00 ERAs in 2014 and 2016, but his HR/9 has increased the past two years, and in 2018 his groundball rate was a career-low 40.7% -- bad news for a sinkerballer. Roark stayed afloat for stretches by riding his surprisingly effective slider, and before the All-Star break, he looked like he fixed his mechanics and revived that sinker, though those improvements didn't stick late in the year. The right-hander limped to an 8.4% swinging-strike rate in 2018, and his already-weak fastball velocity dipped again. As he enters his age-32 season, Roark is increasingly dependent on limiting walks and good fortune from the BABIP gods. With a ton of job security following a December trade to the Reds, Roark still warrants some consideration in the later rounds, but the lack of strikeouts means a lot is left up to chance from start to start.
During his breakout 2016 season, Roark compensated for shaky command with a high rate of soft contact. In fact, he ranked third among starting pitchers in soft contact percentage (23.1). That number tumbled to 16.7 percent in 2017, and in turn his BABIP returned to league average and his ERA climbed nearly two full runs. Roark also lost confidence in putting away batters early in the season, perhaps due to his spring preparation being corrupted by the World Baseball Classic. Deeper into 2017, the right-hander gradually regained trust in his two-seam fastball, which led to a return of the weak batted balls that carry his game and allowed him to post a career-best 10.1 swinging-strike rate and 9.6 second-half K/9. The 31-year-old has five useful-to-great pitches, hurls for one of the National League's best teams and will probably be discounted a little more than he should coming off the disappointing year, so this a decent buying opportunity.
After a rough season bouncing between the rotation and bullpen in 2015, Roark returned to a full-time starting gig last year and picked up right where he left off in 2014, posting a career-best 20.1 percent strikeout rate and again significantly outperforming his FIP (3.79). The secret to his success is not an overpowering fastball but a deep five-pitch arsenal anchored by a plus sinker. In fact, the 30-year-old right-hander was one of just four pitchers last season to get positive value from all five of his pitches. The other three names on that list (Madison Bumgarner, Jake Arrieta and Johnny Cueto) sit among the game's elite. Fatigue may have been an issue late in the season, though, as Roark topped 200 innings for the first time, and his 10 percent walk rate in the second half was a far cry from the 7.4 percent mark he posted in the first half. He's never going to be mistaken for an ace, but he will help fantasy owners cautious enough not to treat him like one. View him as a solid depth piece for a mixed pitching staff, but brace for a bit of negative correction in 2017.
The decision last offseason by Nationals GM Mike Rizzo to spend $200 million on an apparent luxury item like Max Scherzer shut Roark out of the rotation despite his impressive 2014, but injuries to Doug Fister and Stephen Strasburg still allowed him to make 12 starts as he bounced between a starting spot, long and short relief throughout the year. The constant role changes didn't do the 29-year-old any favors, though, and Roark's numbers were well off his breakthrough performance. The main culprit was a HR/FB rate that nearly doubled from the year before, soaring from seven percent to 15.5 percent, and as a pitcher who relies more on command and control of a four-pitch repertoire than on overpowering raw stuff, there's no guarantee the increase is going to simply fade away. The departures of Fister and Jordan Zimmermann in free agency put Roark back in the rotation, but don't expect another sub-3.00 ERA from him.
After a breakout season at Triple-A and impressive effectiveness as a swingman for the Nationals at the end of 2013, Roark didn't miss a beat in locking down the fifth starter role for the club last year. He finished with a 2.85 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, numbers which seem baffling given his relatively pedestrian raw stuff. Right-handers with low-90s fastballs and a merely OK assortment of breaking pitches don't impress the scouts much, but his excellent control (1.8 BB/9 so far in his big league career) and the late movement on his pitches prevent hitters from doing much damage off him despite his lack of big-time strikeout numbers. The league might yet figure him out, although his second half splits don't show any sign of it, and his .270 BABIP will probably rise to some degree, but given the defense behind him and the offense supporting him, Roark isn't necessarily a lock to regress the way it might seem at first glance. The Max Scherzer signing bumps him from the Nationals' rotation, but Roark's just a trade or injury away from being back in the fifth starter role.
Roark wasn't on anybody's prospect radar coming into 2013, even going unclaimed in the Rule 5 draft the previous season, but after putting up a superficially solid line at Triple-A he got the call to the majors when injuries wrecked the Nationals' staff down the stretch. Roark promptly shocked the world with a 1.51 ERA. While he doesn't have the strikeout rate of an elite pitcher he does limit walks and home runs, both very useful traits, but the Nats' rotation seems full up heading into the spring so Roark will likely have to head back to Triple-A to prove his September performance wasn't entirely a fluke.
More Fantasy News
Sent to Triple-A
PAtlanta Braves  
June 27, 2021
Roark was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
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Contract selected by Atlanta
PAtlanta Braves  
June 24, 2021
Roark had his contract selected by Atlanta on Thursday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
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Catches on with Atlanta
PAtlanta Braves  
May 10, 2021
Roark agreed Monday with Atlanta on a minor-league contract, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
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Becomes free agent
PFree Agent  
May 5, 2021
Roark became a free agent Wednesday after clearing waivers.
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Designated for assignment
PToronto Blue Jays  
April 30, 2021
Roark was designated for assignment Friday
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Still toeing rubber Tuesday
PCincinnati Reds  
July 30, 2019
Roark will make his Tuesday start as scheduled, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. Roark has drawn trade interest from the Yankees, Braves, Athletics and Phillies, among others.
ANALYSIS
If the Reds are going to trade him, they'll have to wait until he comes out of the home outing against the Pirates unscathed. The right-hander carries a 3.95 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 into his 21st start of 2019. A contending club could view him as least a long reliever but probably as a back-end rotation piece. Roark is a free agent after this season, though, so Cincinnati's return wouldn't be significant.
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