After allowing five earned runs in his first start of the season, Kyle Kendrick has not allowed more than two earned runs in a start since.
Analysis: Kyle Kendrick is sporting a 2.43 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and has 29 Ks over 40.2 innings pitched. He’s currently the 28th ranked roto pitcher six starts into his season. The advanced stats seem to support the theory that Kendrick has finally turned the corner into a reliable fantasy starter. He has a 3.66 xFIP thus far this season while at no point in his career has he posted an xFIP under 4.00. His walks are down and his velocity is up slightly from previous years.
There are a few red flags here but nothing too serious. His strand rate is an unsustainable 86.6%, his career average is 73.1%. Batters are making contact at an 85.9% clip when swinging at Kendrick’s pitches which is right in line with his career average. That 85.9% is 14th most in all of baseball. There are some good pitchers with high contact rates but Kendrick is by no means a “very good” fantasy starter. He makes a better sell high option but I can understand stashing him on your squad for pitching depth.