Jake Peavy Impressive In Spring Debut
Watching MLB Network is a regular in my house, but today I was ready to flip the TV with added anticipation of watching Jake Peavy’s spring debut against the Angels. Peavy suffered a shoulder injury (torn right lat) last July and was done for the season. With an injury like this one, it was hard to know for certain when Peavy would pitch again, and if he would have his regular stuff.
Projections throughout the offseason had Peavy returning sometime around June but early on in spring Peavy was showing positive signs in his recovery. This encouraging news, grew into optimism and continued positive bull pen work gave way to a March 4th spring training start.
Like many starting pitchers at this point in spring, Peavy only worked two innings as he threw 26 pitches, striking out two, walking one and giving up zero hits. While Peavy did look sharp in this game, throwing an array of pitches and topping out on the radar gun at 92 mph, he probably still needs to build up his strength for more innings.
All in all, it looks like Peavy could make his case to break camp with the team and not wait until the first month of the season is over. The White Sox will be careful and hopefully the ultra competitive Peavy will keep an even head about the progress he made in his spring debut.
Fantasy Outlook
Take a look at the numbers below to get an idea of Peavy’s career at this point.
| Year | Age | W | L | G | GS | CG | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 4.52 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 97.2 | 106 | 54 | 49 | 11 | 33 | 90 | 1.423 | 9.8 | 8.3 | 2.73 |
| 2003 | 22 | 12 | 11 | 4.11 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 194.2 | 173 | 94 | 89 | 33 | 82 | 156 | 1.310 | 8.0 | 7.2 | 1.90 |
| 2004 | 23 | 15 | 6 | 2.27 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 166.1 | 146 | 49 | 42 | 13 | 53 | 173 | 1.196 | 7.9 | 9.4 | 3.26 |
| 2005 | 24 | 13 | 7 | 2.88 | 30 | 30 | 3 | 203.0 | 162 | 70 | 65 | 18 | 50 | 216 | 1.044 | 7.2 | 9.6 | 4.32 |
| 2006 | 25 | 11 | 14 | 4.09 | 32 | 32 | 2 | 202.1 | 187 | 93 | 92 | 23 | 62 | 215 | 1.231 | 8.3 | 9.6 | 3.47 |
| 2007 | 26 | 19 | 6 | 2.54 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 223.1 | 169 | 67 | 63 | 13 | 68 | 240 | 1.061 | 6.8 | 9.7 | 3.53 |
| 2008 | 27 | 10 | 11 | 2.85 | 27 | 27 | 1 | 173.2 | 146 | 57 | 55 | 17 | 59 | 166 | 1.180 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 2.81 |
| 2009 | 28 | 9 | 6 | 3.45 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 101.2 | 80 | 41 | 39 | 8 | 34 | 110 | 1.121 | 7.1 | 9.7 | 3.24 |
| 2010 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 4.63 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 107.0 | 98 | 55 | 55 | 13 | 34 | 93 | 1.234 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 2.74 |
| 9 Seasons | 102 | 74 | 3.36 | 232 | 232 | 8 | 1469.2 | 1267 | 580 | 549 | 149 | 475 | 1459 | 1.185 | 7.8 | 8.9 | 3.07 | |
As you can see, when Peavy is healthy he can be an absolute stud for fantasy baseball. Supporting a career 1.18 WHIPS and 3.36 ERA, gives you the confidence that he can produce regularly and win games. Add in his 8.9 career strikeout per nine innings and you have a bounce back candidate who is worth drafting in the middle rounds.
Factor in that the White Sox will have one of the top offenses in the majors, a respectable bull pen (Chris Sale should stay in relief) and Peavy is looking strong, even if he only goes five or six innings a start.
In the end, Peavy may not break camp with the team, but he is still worth a mid round selection (let’s say fourteenth round) as long as he doesn’t suffer a setback before your draft. At that price, you can easily recover if he doesn’t workout, but he gives you solid upside if he does. Judging from what I saw in his debut, Peavy may surprise some people with his overall numbers this season.
| 2011 | Innings | Wins | K’s | ERA | WHIPS |
| Projected Stats | 170 | 13 | 161 | 3.42 | 1.18 |
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