(05/09/14) Dallas Keuchel averaged 5.9 strikeouts per nine innings over his minor-league career and 4.9 per nine innings in 2012, when he last played extensively there, which is part of the reason I ignored him up until now. He had stretches last year when he looked pretty good as well, but he still finished with a 5.15 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. He wouldn't keep it up.
Except he has now for a full seven starts, the latest coming against a red-hot Tigers lineup. Considering his 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.3 walks per nine innings, nothing about his 3.68 ERA or 1.18 WHIP so far strikes me as unsustainable. Which leads me to believe, for reasons beyond my understanding, he's simply gotten better. Last year, he showed glimpses of it. This year, he's arrived.
It's not another Tom Koehler situation where all the supporting numbers point to regression in the near future. The results are good, and the peripherals are better. Now, we could argue about how valuable an Astros pitcher with a 3.68 ERA and 1.18 WHIP is in today's game, where quality pitchers abound, but in most of my mixed leagues, I could find someone to drop for him.
Not Josh Beckett or Tyler Skaggs, probably, but Dan Straily? Tim Lincecum? Koehler himself? Sure.