MLB Opening Day - Pitching Fiasco

 MLB 2021 - April 1 April Fools'Day Joke on Starting Pitching

Where did the Elite Pitching go?

Opening Day was for the most part owned by hitters rather than Pitchers

Gerrit Cole?  Considered by many as the #1 Fantasy Starting Pitcher, Cole lost to Toronto 3-2 and that was one of the lowest scoring games.  Cole allowed 5 hits and walked 2 in 5.1 innings (WHIP = 1.37) and 2 Earned Runs so an ERA of 3.38    

Things would get worse, much worse.

Shane Bieber (CLE)          6 Innings  5 hits, 3 walks  WHIP = 1.33; 3 ER so ERA=4.50

Brandon Woodruff (MIL) 4 innings  6 hits, 2 walks 3 Earned Runs    WHIP = 2   ERA= 6.75

Kenta Maeda (MIN)        4.1  innings  6 hits and 2 walks  but only 1 earned run.  WHIP=1.95  ERA = 2.08

Luis Castellano (CIN)?   Starts the season with an ERA of 21.60 giving up 8 earned runs in just 3.1 innings striking out 0.  Yes 0 Ks for Castellano who entered the contest as one of the top strikeout pitchers in MLB.  Yes I have Castellano on one of my fantasy teams.  a WHIP of 3.22 to go along with the ERA.   

Kershaw (LAD)?  WHIP 2.11   ERA  7.94

Darvish (SD)?  WHIP 2.14  ERA 7.71

and then there were 

Brad Keller (KC) who gave up 6 earned runs in just 1.1 inning (WHIP=10; ERA=40.50); and

Kyle Gibson (Tex) with a WHIP of 70 and ERA of 135.

They picthed against each other.

It was a WILD opening Day for Starting Pitching.

But not all were bitten by the April Fools Bug  Tyler Glasnow and Sandy Alcantara faced off in a pitcher duel down in Florida.  Alcantara yielded 0 runs in his 6 innings of work, allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.  Glasnow pitched better, also going  6 innings, but yielding just 1 hit.  No walks, no Runs.  

Neither pitcher got a decision. 

On to day 2.  The season is early.  The bad start for many pitchers can be put behind them as they build up endurance and innings.  

But to begin the season, hitters reigned.

Under the Radar = Texas Ranger SP Kohei Arihara

 Kohei Arihari is Japanese and thus relatively unknown (thus sleeper) and unheralded in MLB Fantasy circles except by those who get paid to follow and write or broadcast about Fantasy Sports.

He is playing for a Texas Ranger team without name recognition pitchers.

He throws 7 different pitches.  He is playing in a revamped Texas stadium which in shortened 2020 indicated that fly balls wouldn't fly out of the ball.  MLB revised the baseball itself so it has less get up and go and Texas has young unheralded Outfielders (and infielders).

Big league hitters won't have a lot of information on this pitcher.  That gives the pitcher an advantage.  The big question mark for me is run support - will Texas score enough runs for Arihari to get wins or will he throw innings and walk away with a no decision or loss due to lack of support?

I plan to claim Kohei off the waiver wire in one of my leagues today replacing Brad Keller - KC SP.  I added Keller because he has the start today.  Tomorrow it will be Kohei's turn.  Roll the Dice.  The season is young.