Tampa Bay Rays: Matt Andriese vs. Jose De Leon
While we expect the Rays to be surprisingly good in 2017, we don’t think they’re a playoff team. So this pitching battle may not have the same postseason impact as the one going on in Los Angeles. Still, it’s similar.
Andriese isn’t a veteran like Kazmir or McCarthy, but he represents a similar option — the safe play. His two years in the majors haven’t been bad. Still, there’s nothing about Andriese to indicate that he’s anything other than a bottom half of the rotation guy.
The same is not true for De Leon, one of baseball’s top prospects.
De Leon struggled in his brief time with the Dodgers in 2016. Still, he’s been nothing short of dominant at every stop along the way in the minors. In his MiLB career, DeLeon has a K/9 rate of 12.1. Even in a strikeout heavy era, that’s well above average for a starting pitcher.
De Leon is certainly young, and his brief 2016 MLB stint showed that he has to learn the art of pitching. But his stuff is absolutely overwhelming.
https://twitter.com/SandyKazmir/status/832629734567653377
A starting rotation of Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Cobb, Blake Snell and De Leon would at least have the potential to be one of the best in the American League.
Tampa still has a long way to go on offense before it can call itself a contender. But a strong spring training from De Leon is a sign that the team’s starting pitching is headed in the right direction.