Jhoulys Chacin

Chacin went from being the Brewers' Opening Day starter to released in less than five months. The Opening Day nod was well deserved given what he did in 2018, when Chacin racked up 15 wins with a 3.50 ERA, but last season Chacin lost another five percentage points off his groundball rate -- it's down 10 percentage points over the last two years. That was a losing formula in 2019. With more balls getting up, and the ball carrying further as a result of (whether intentional or not) reduced drag on the baseball, Chacin's HR/FB more than doubled and his HR/9 shot from 0.84 to 2.18. He also missed extended time with a lat strain. The results were even uglier after he signed with Boston, though Chacin did have a 31.3 K% during his short time with the Red Sox. Chacin will have to rediscover his slider and add back to his groundball rate to have any chance at a return to relevance.

Chacin's signing fell a bit under the radar, but it turned out to be one of the best contracts of the offseason, as he was the Brewers' most reliable pitcher over the course of the season. Chacin won a career-high 15 games last year, his WHIP was easily the lowest of his career and his strikeout total was his best as well. Chacin's average fastball fell over a full mph from the year before -- most of his success can be attributed to a slider that was one of the best pitches in baseball in 2018, according to FanGraphs. Chacin signed a two-year contract with the Brewers, and he is the favorite to head up the club's rotation again in 2019. He doesn't bring anything flashy to the table, but as the top pitcher on a team that won the most games in the NL a year ago, he could provide plenty of value after more notable pitchers are off the board.

Chacin came back to the NL West after a year away and picked up where he had left off with Arizona. He was a cheap source of wins, earning 13 to go with decent ratios and a slightly-better-than-average strikeout rate (7.6 K/9). The problem is that he struggles with lefties as they have had a .792 OPS against him over the past three seasons while righties have had a much tougher time with a .647 OPS. He's a heavy groundball pitcher, and that skill allowed him to post a 1.79 ERA at home last season. His home park will be far less favorable in 2018, as he inked a two-year deal with Milwaukee in the offseason. With that, Chacin is likely better left for NL-only leagues.

After somewhat of a bounceback season in 2015, Chacin came back to reality in 2016. The veteran began the season as a member of the Braves' rotation, and although he acted as a somewhat serviceable option (outside of a horrific eight-run outing that bumped his Atlanta ERA to 5.40), he was shipped to the Angels to try to help resolve their rotation issues. He ended up shifting in and out of the rotation throughout the season, but the right-hander finished up the season on a high note by posting a 0.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over his final four starts. Chacin doesn't have a whole lot of upside given his inconsistency and awful 1.90 K/BB rate over his career. However, he's a groundballer and should have a rotation spot all year long in San Diego, so Chacin may have some utility as a streaming option in deeper leagues.

Chacin breathed new life into his career late in the 2015 season. His 2014 season in Colorado was a disaster, as he posted a 5.40 ERA before being shut down due to injury. He was released by the Rockies in March and signed with Arizona on June 19. He started 13 games at Triple-A Reno, going 6-3 with a 3.84 ERA, before being called up to the majors in late August. Chacin made five appearances (four starts) for the Diamondbacks, going 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 26.2 innings. Still just 27 years old, Chacin could push for a spot in the Braves rotation in spring training, having inked a minor league deal in the offseason, and even if he starts in the bullpen or at Triple-A, he will likely find his way to a handful of big league starts. Never a huge strikeout guy (career rate of 6.9 K/9), Chacin is probably best utilized as a matchup play in fantasy if he gets a chance to start.

Expected to be a pillar of the Colorado rotation last season, Chacin was dogged by shoulder soreness in spring training and was never able to overcome the injury. He spent the first month of the season on the DL and showed a stark decline in his velocity once he returned, resulting in a 5.40 ERA and a jump in his walk rate (3.9 BB/9) over 11 starts. The Rockies determined the right-hander was still suffering from inflammation of his throwing shoulder and opted to shut him down the rest of the way to prevent the issue from worsening. Chacin should be ready to go for spring training, and though he’s still just 27 years old, there’s no telling if he’ll be able to regain the lost velocity that helped make his off-speed offerings more challenging on hitters. Even at his peak in 2013, Chacin thrived on inducing groundballs and suppressing damage on flyballs rather than striking batters out, creating a low ceiling on his fantasy appeal should he fully bounce back from injury.

Coming off an injury-shortened 2012 campaign, Chacin executed the organization's template for success at Coors Field to perfection last season, trimming his BB/9 rate from 4.2 to 2.8, while inducing more groundballs and cutting his HR/FB rate in half. In much more forgiving road settings, Chacin's dominance could be even better appreciated, as he delivered a 2.44 ERA away from Coors and held the opposition to a .241 batting average. Although he appears to be a very good real-life pitcher, Chacin's pitch-to-contact approach naturally deflates his strikeout totals, capping his fantasy appeal in spite of his useful 3.47 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Still just 26 years old, Chacin still seems to have the potential to improve upon the ERA and WHIP figures, especially if his walk rate continues to trend downward in subsequent years. While he'll probably never be the ace of any fantasy staff so long as he remains in Colorado, Chacin could be an underrated asset in mixed leagues if owners can offset the lack of strikeouts.

After being battered in the early months of the season and being sidelined for nearly four months with a pectoral injury, Chacin quickly asserted himself as the team's top starting pitcher upon returning in late August. Despite being held to roughly 75-pitch outings, Chacin threw five innings or more in six of his last nine starts, providing some semblance of relief to an overworked Rockies bullpen. Chacin's issues with walks and a regression in his K/9 rate for the third straight season remain areas of concern, but when completely healthy, Chacin has proven he can generate groundballs with high frequency. In noting that trait, along with a strong late-season performance reminiscent of his quality 2010 and 2011 campaigns, Chacin appears best poised among the team's holdovers to claim a rotation spot coming out of spring training.

While Chacin's second season with the Rockies might appear to be a step back, there were signs of growth in his results as well. Chacin's swinging-strike percentage tumbled from 10.8 percent in 2010 to 8.2 last season and the result was a significant regression in his strikeout rate from 9.04 K/9IP to 6.96. Around that, he was able to increase his groundball rate nearly 10 percent (56.3), which bodes very well for his chances of maintaining success at Coors Field. For the second straight season, Chacin posted a walk rate (4.04 BB/9IP) higher than anything he delivered in the minors and at age 24, there's reason to think he still might be able to cut back on the free passes. Coors is a difficult place to learn on the job, but the skills he showed in 2010 and the first half of 2011 make him a nice high-upside investment on draft day.

Chacin started 2010 at Triple-A Colorado Springs, before a Jorge De La Rosa injury paved the way for him to join the Rockies' rotation. Once there, he pitched well with a 3.28 ERA and 9-11 record. He struck out more than a batter per inning, but also carried a 4.0 BB/9IP walk rate with him. Should he address those control issues, the sky is the limit for Chacin. For now his nice groundball rate (46.6 percent) and dominance will serve him well as he continues to develop and pitch in Coors Field.

The way Chacin cruised through the minor leagues, there was plenty of reason to believe he could begin the year with the Rockies. Instead, he started the season in the minors, and after appearing in the Futures Game, eventually progressed to the big leagues where he achieved unspectacular results to the tune of a 4.91 ERA. He walked nearly as many as he struck out, and although he showed flashes of complete dominance using his fastball, for the most part he looked overmatched. Look for Chacin to spend at least another half season in the minors before being considered for a roster spot. Once he does surface, keep him in mind as a deep sleeper as a groundball pitcher with strikeout stuff, a skill set that can actually survive at Coors Field.

Chacin cruised through two levels of A-ball last season with a five-pitch arsenal in which everything moves and stays down. In addition to missing bats, Chacin's ability to induce tons of groundballs (2.83 G/F ratio) will play well even at Coors Field. He gets points for his maturity and presence as well. He's a keeper-league find, not someone to target for this season, but he should in line for a rotation spot in 2010.