Major League Baseball trades places with March
Madness as the sports flavor of the month in April. As we usher in America's
favorite pastime, let's open the season with one of our favorite handicapping
angles - good month pitchers.
Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a
two-to-one or better success ratio in team starts the last three seasons during
the month of April. On the flip side, we've also listed pitchers that struggle
in April team starts, winning 33% percent or less of their efforts. To qualify
pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each
April over the last three years. Note: * designates a categorical repeat
appearance by this pitcher, maintaining status quo from last season's April
list (none this season). In addition also designated are the best and/or worst site
results - home (H) or away (A) - within each pitcher's April results.
I'll be back next month with May's Good Month
Pitchers. Until then, it's time to play ball!
GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:
Hellickson, Jeremy • 9-4 / 5-2 A
In the off-season, Hellickson signed a deal to continue to pitch
with Washington and is regarded as their fifth starter to begin the season.
That means with off days he will probably miss a few early starts and that
might be too bad for both him and the Nationals given his history of getting
off to faster starts. Lacking overpowering stuff, Hellickson relies on command
and getting ahead of hitters and last year threw 67 percent of first-pitch
strikes to opposing hitters, to place the odds in his favor.
Lester, Jon • 10-5 / 6-2 H
No longer having the mid-90's heater, Lester still knows how to
pitch. The Cubs left-hander is now more reliant on his variety of curves and
change-ups to keep hitters off balance and will still bust the fastball up and
in with two strikes to further keep hitters guessing. Granted, Lester has
pitched for a team that has won a lot of games in recent years, but his 50-19
record with a 3.33 ERA is still impressive the last three seasons as he reaches
his mid-30's.
Morton, Charlie • 10-5 / 8-2 H
Morton was given a second chance to revive his career in Houston
and did he ever! Known as No.4 starter who was perpetually injured or
ineffective in Pittsburgh, the Astros showed they know how to make pitchers
better and healthier and Morton was 29-10 the last two years, with an ERA just
over 3.30 and career-lows in WHIP of 1.19 and 1.16. At 35 and with
World Series ring in hand, the right-hander took the money and moved to starting pitcher-starved
Tampa Bay. There is little reason he won't be effective having
the third-best fastball in the bigs last year at 96.6 MPH.
Porcello, Rick • 11-4 / 7-2 H
Porcello won the Cy Young in 2016 and followed that up by trying
to prove he was a different pitcher hurler, getting away from what he does best
and was 11-17 with a WHIP of 1.40, his highest in four years. With Chris Sale
and a healthy David Price, Porcello returned to a middle of the rotation
pitcher, of which he is ideally suited. Last offseason, Porcello was convinced
to throw his slider more as hitters were sitting on his fastball and sinker and
that gave him another pitch to return to being effective.
Wacha, Michael • 9-4 / 7-1 H
After a breakout 2015 season in which Wacha was 17-7, he lost his
way a bit. Last season, the Redbirds righty was having a super season after 15
starts with an 8-2 record, with an ERA of 3.20 and WHIP of 1.23, when disaster
struck with an oblique strain, which ended his year. At 27 and having gone
through an assortment of ailments the last three years, Wacha is probably no
longer ace material but an excellent No. 2 or No. 3 starter in St. Louis with
electric stuff that he just needs to stay within himself to be outstanding.
Cueto, Johnny • 11-3 / 6-1 H
The San Francisco right-hander is still recovering from Tommy John
surgery.
Martinez, Carlos • 11-3 / 7-1 H
Coming off an injury-plagued 2018, Martinez was shut down to start
spring training with shoulder weakness. The two-time All-Star and former St.
Louis ace received a platelet-rich plasma injection which reportedly helped,
but there is still no timetable for his return.
BAD MONTH PITCHERS:
Wood, Alex • 4-9 / 2-7 A
Wood starts his new career in Cincinnati on the injured list with a
back issue that flared up halfway thru spring training. The latest news on a
return is later this month if not early May. In spite of having talent, he
never made the Braves or Dodgers feel comfortable, other than when he was 16-3
in 2017, and even then, he was a not factor in the postseason that year.
Playing for a far worse team in Cincinnati, expect him to struggle in the Reds
bandbox compared to pitching in L.A.
For more on Marc Lawrence click here.