Dan Straily

The idea was working half his games in one of the hardest venues for homers would aid Straily, a flyball pitcher. However, he remains the same guy as before, an average MLB pitcher but below average for fantasy given a pedestrian strikeout rate. Further, Straily's walk and whiff rates declined from his first season with the Fish. A .256 BABIP kept his 4.12 ERA in check -- nearly a run below his expected ERA. Flyball pitchers usually post a low BABIP, but Straily's bloated 47% hard-hit rate should have generated a higher mark. To be fair, Straily's 2018 woes could be attributed to a late start after he suffered a forearm strain late in spring training. His season was truncated in early September due to an oblique injury. Regardless of the format, Straily is nothing more than a streaming option and even then, his win and strikeout potential is limited while his ratios are a threat to blow up at any time.

It's safe to say the Reds won the Straily-Luis Castillo trade, but Straily was the Marlins' best starting pitcher in 2017. Jose Urena ended up with more wins and a better ERA, but Straily led the team in innings, and his performance was appreciably better than Urena's by most advanced metrics. Straily struck batters out at a career-high 8.4 K/9 rate and, perhaps most impressively, trimmed his walk rate from 3.4 BB/9 to 3.0, continuing a trend of improved control in recent seasons. He was still far from a bona fide MLB "ace," but Straily was a profitable piece for Miami at a pre-arb price. The right-hander has been much better over the past two years at throwing strikes with his first pitch, and that should help him maintain the uptick in strikeouts and limit the walks. However, the home-run issues figure to keep Straily from every-week starter status in fantasy.

After he spent 2015 primarily in Triple-A, things weren't looking great for Straily. Out of options, he was facing a likely DFA by Houston. Then, his fortune changed as he was traded to the Padres and subsequently claimed off waivers by the rebuilding Reds. With Cincinnati, he moved into the starting rotation by the end of April and never looked back. By the season's end, he had posted a strong 3.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. His peripherals should temper some expectations heading into 2017, as his 4.93 FIP and .246 BABIP point to luck playing a big part in his success while his 162:73 K:BB in 191.1 innings leaves something to be desired. The Marlins traded for him over the offseason, though, which should offer Straily a consistent rotation spot with a team in a much more pitcher-friendly ballpark. This likely boosts his stock a bit, although owners definitely should expect some regression from his surprising 2016 showing.

Traded to Houston in the Dexter Fowler deal last January, Straily failed to impress during spring training and fell out of the mix for the Astros' fifth starter opening. Instead, he spent much of last season with Triple-A Fresno, going 10-9 with a 4.77 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 22 starts with the Grizzlies. The 27-year-old made three spot-starts for the Astros, but he's unlikely to break camp in 2016 in the starting rotation. Straily will continue to serve as organizational pitching depth until injuries warrant a need for his services.

Though there were far more significant pieces in the Cubs-Athletics deal last summer, Straily has the potential to be a nice thrown-in for Chicago. After starting 27 games for Oakland in 2013 and starting the 2014 season in the rotation, he spent most of the year in the minors. He's had outstanding strikeout rates at just about every stop of his five-year professional career, but he just allows too many baserunners to be able to sustain long-term success. Traded to Houston in January, Straily will get a fresh start with the Astros that should include an opportunity to earn a rotation spot during spring training. Consider the organization's recent success turning around other struggling arms (see: McHugh, Collin), Straily may be worth a speculative endgame dart in deeper formats.

After destroying the minors in 2012 (11.2 K/9 in 152 innings), a lot was expected of Straily coming into 2013. He started the season slowly and was inconsistent at times, but after a sparkling September, he ended his first full season in the majors with an ERA under 4.00 to go along with 10 wins. His high strikeout rates have not translated to the majors (7.3 career K/9), but he found his groove later in the year, giving up two earned runs or less in nine of his last 11 starts. If he can parlay that finish and increase his strikeout rate a bit, he could emerge as a nice value in the second half of fantasy drafts.

Straily came out of nowhere (he was drafted in the 24th round and was not even in the Top 30 of the Baseball America A's prospects entering 2012) and absolutely destroyed the minors in 2012, cruising through two levels while striking out an insane 190 batters in 152 innings. He generated a lot of buzz in Oakland and in fantasy leagues upon his callup, and while he was not dominant, he did pitch well in his seven starts, with an ERA under 4.00, but with a more modest 7.3 K/9. Straily is not as overpowering with his fastball as his strikeout numbers indicate, but he has an excellent changeup to go with a solid curveball and slider. Keep an eye on the A's rotation depth and health during spring training, as Straily could emerge with a rotation spot to begin the season.