The MLB season is only a week old and there’s already been a fluke earthquake in the Northeast, a no-hitter by an Astros pitcher, and a solar eclipse happening on Monday. Whether you’re in the path of totality or not, it is an amazingly rare occurrence.
Aside from the no-hitter, there are other occurrences so far this year. The trio in Toronto are awful. Vladimir Guerrero Jr is hitting .172, George Springer is .143, and Bo Bichette is a woeful .120. Aaron Judge is also below the Mendoza line, only hitting .167. And Julio Rodriguez is batting .161 with no home runs as of yet.
On the pitching side there are too many starters to list that are scuffling, and for closers, Houston’s big free agent acquisition, Josh Hader, has already lost two games.
Pitchers who are starting on “Eclipse Monday”, will be getting two starts for the week. There are seven who have had a nice start to the season, who’ll be making two starts this upcoming week. Hopefully, for them and their owners, their performances will be out of this world.
All of these pitchers have a better than 50% chance of being available in your leagues:
Trevor Williams, Washington Nationals:
Williams had a solid 2022 season as a swingman. He had 30 appearances with nine starts and threw just under 90 innings. He nearly struck out a batter per inning and gave up less than a hit per inning. He sported a solid 3.21 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Before that, he had three subpar years, after a very promising 2018 season. He is the epitome of hit or miss, and this season has started on the right track. It may be fool’s gold with only one game which is too small of a sample size, but he looked really solid in his first start of the year. He made it into the sixth inning, secured the win, and struck out five. He enters San Fransisco with a 3.38 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
Spencer Turnbull, Philadelphia Phillies:
Turnbull was solid in 2020 and 2021 with the Tigers, before getting injured and missing all of 2022. Last season was a disaster for him. In seven starts he posted a 7.26 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. In his first start this season he struck out seven and only gave up three hits over five innings without giving up an earned run and earning the win.
Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs:
The 26-year-old is putting together a solid start to his career. Although less than half of his appearances have been as a starter, he appears to be entrenched in the rotation for the Cubs. With 153 career innings under his belt, he has a 2.94 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. His first start this season was fantastic, getting a win without giving up an earned run over six innings.
Graham Ashcroft, Cincinnati Reds:
He is entering his third season and unlike Assad, he’s been used exclusively as a starter for the Reds. He’s been inconsistent, and for such a big man, 6’2 250lb, he doesn’t strike out enough hitters; only about 6.5 per 9IP. That being said, his first start was solid. Although he took the loss, he only gave up one earned run over six innings. He managed to strike out five and only gave up four hits. He’s at home on Monday, facing off against the Brewers.
Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels:
The Angels signed Anderson last season after his impressive performance in 2022 with the Dodgers. Anderson traded his Dodger Blue for Angels Red, and the results were disastrous in 2023. With a 25-game sample size, his ERA was 5.43 and his WHIP was 1.49. He doesn’t strike out many hitters, only about 7.2 per 9IP over the last three seasons. In his first start this season he pitched seven scoreless innings and only gave up four hits.
Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers:
Although Heaney didn’t get through five innings and took the loss in his first start of the season, he pitched well. He struck out seven batters, only gave up four hits, and didn’t walk anyone. It was definitely a tough loss. He faces the Astros on Monday in what would normally be a tough matchup, but they’ve been struggling so far this season. They say timing is everything, and this may be the perfect time for him to pitch against them.
Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers:
The 24-year-old is in his second season in the Majors. His rookie year was solid with the Tigers, striking out a hitter per inning, with a sub 4.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He carried over that performance into this season. In his first start, he made it into the sixth inning without giving up an earned run and only yielding three hits. Although he didn’t get the win, it appears last season wasn’t a fluke. He matches up with the Pirates on Monday who are off to a pretty good start to the season.
