Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays sent starting pitcher James Shields to the Kansas City Royals as part of a trade back in December, and got a few top prospects in return. Most notable among the prospects the Rays got from the Royals is outfielder Wil Myers, but pitcher Jake Odorizzi is also very highly touted.
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Odorizzi made his first two major league starts for the Royals in 2012, and allowed four runs in 7.1 combined innings (4.91 ERA). He started this season in Triple-A, going 4-0 with a 3.83 ERA and a 47:15 K/BB ratio over eight starts (44.2 innings), and got called up by Tampa Bay when David Price (left triceps) went on the disabled list earlier this month. With Price likely to be sidelined for at least a few more weeks, should fantasy baseball owners consider adding Odorizzi?
Odorizzi made his debut for the Rays last Monday against the Cleveland Indians, allowing three runs on five hits over five innings along with six strikeouts and one walk. All three runs he allowed came over the first two innings, but an elevated pitch count (92 pitches) kept him from staying in the game longer. Odorizzi’s next start had been scheduled for Sunday against the New York Yankees, but he was pushed back to Monday against the Miami Marlins, which is a much more favorable matchup for the young right-hander.
Odorizzi is currently owned in just 11 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so mixed league owners with a need for starting pitching should keep a close eye on his outing on Monday afternoon. Those in AL-only leagues could consider adding him and deploying him immediately if they can still do so, since he will be a two-start pitcher this week with his next outing currently slated for Saturday against the Indians.
Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
