The Starting Line: Clayton Richard - 5/29/09
The Starting Line
by Evan "the Censor" Dickens
evan@fantasybaseballsearch.com
Clayton Richard @ KC, 5/29/2009
W, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 7 K
I have to be honest with you--in the hunt for young, up-and-coming arms at the beginning of the year, I did not have Clayton Richard on my radar. In fact, I basically implied that the 25-year-old was holding a roster spot for the vastly superior young arm Aaron Poreda. Richard spent a relatively nondescript month as a reliever until Jose Contreras pitched his way into oblivion, and now Richard has his chance to shine as the fifth starter--and so far, he has sure taken that chance, and established himself as someone who needs to be on your radar.
After a transition start at Cleveland that can safely be ignored, Richard now has three good starts under his belt, with great numbers: 20.0 IP, 1.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, and an above-average 2.57 K/BB. He looks composed and ready, and you can likely chalk that up to the three full seasons of minor league ball that he pitched--not many young arms have the luxury of chalking up 450 total IP before beginning their first full major league season. The patience the White Sox have had has paid off, apparently.
If Richard is just now coming onto your radar, join the club; he was completely wasted in a relief role. He doesn't exactly have the dynamite fastball or putaway slider that a spot reliever really needs, and in a relief role he didn't have much of a chance to use his offspeed pitches effect--now we have a chance to see how good his changeup really is.
Richard is definitely a major league starter. Unfortunately, his effectiveness is stopping the world from seeing what Poreda is capable of, but Bartolo Colon is one cheeseburger away from the DL at any given moment. For now, Richard is someone who should at least be on your radar, and is probably already a good option for a sniper start. Expect the K/9 rate to settle somewhere around his career average of 6.06, but his walk rate should stay low and he will be able to limit the home run effectively. Despite the White Sox's near-attempt to waste him in relief, Clayton Richard has arrived and given time, will almost certainly be a boost to someone's fantasy team later in 2009.
Remember--if there's a pitcher you'd like covered in the Starting Line, feel free to leave a blog comment or send me an email.
~Evan the Censor
by Evan "the Censor" Dickens
evan@fantasybaseballsearch.com
Clayton Richard @ KC, 5/29/2009
W, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 7 K
I have to be honest with you--in the hunt for young, up-and-coming arms at the beginning of the year, I did not have Clayton Richard on my radar. In fact, I basically implied that the 25-year-old was holding a roster spot for the vastly superior young arm Aaron Poreda. Richard spent a relatively nondescript month as a reliever until Jose Contreras pitched his way into oblivion, and now Richard has his chance to shine as the fifth starter--and so far, he has sure taken that chance, and established himself as someone who needs to be on your radar.
After a transition start at Cleveland that can safely be ignored, Richard now has three good starts under his belt, with great numbers: 20.0 IP, 1.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, and an above-average 2.57 K/BB. He looks composed and ready, and you can likely chalk that up to the three full seasons of minor league ball that he pitched--not many young arms have the luxury of chalking up 450 total IP before beginning their first full major league season. The patience the White Sox have had has paid off, apparently.
If Richard is just now coming onto your radar, join the club; he was completely wasted in a relief role. He doesn't exactly have the dynamite fastball or putaway slider that a spot reliever really needs, and in a relief role he didn't have much of a chance to use his offspeed pitches effect--now we have a chance to see how good his changeup really is.
Richard is definitely a major league starter. Unfortunately, his effectiveness is stopping the world from seeing what Poreda is capable of, but Bartolo Colon is one cheeseburger away from the DL at any given moment. For now, Richard is someone who should at least be on your radar, and is probably already a good option for a sniper start. Expect the K/9 rate to settle somewhere around his career average of 6.06, but his walk rate should stay low and he will be able to limit the home run effectively. Despite the White Sox's near-attempt to waste him in relief, Clayton Richard has arrived and given time, will almost certainly be a boost to someone's fantasy team later in 2009.
Remember--if there's a pitcher you'd like covered in the Starting Line, feel free to leave a blog comment or send me an email.
~Evan the Censor
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