Tag: Erik Bedard

Bedard Watch- 2014

Every year Erik Bedard teases us fantasy owners with some of his brilliant pitching.

Analysis: This year Erik Bedard has been special through six starts. He is currently the thirteenth rated fantasy stater over the last two weeks of the season. He has a 2.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 6.12 K/9 through 32.1 innings of work. He has been his usual self- walking about four batters per nine innings and throwing his fastball and cutter in the high 80s. Bedard has allowed just two earned runs in his last four starts.

But… we have to consider the red flags as well. His xFIP is 4.96, his FIP is solid at 3.11. His HR/FB ratio is 9% below his career average at… 0%(he hasn’t allowed a home run in 32.1 innings this year). His strand rate is sustainable so there aren’t any issues there.

Erik Bedard is available in 95-99% of fantasy leagues. That number is a bit high for a pitcher who has only allowed two earned runs over his last four starts. He has to improve the strikeouts a bit and limit the walks for more consistent quality starts. He’s an “add at your own risk” guy but he still has middle tier upside.

Erik Bedard Valuable When Healthy

Erik Bedard has some of the best stuff in baseball but he hasn’t started more than fifteen games in a year since 2007.

Analysis: Erik Bedard is 2-0 in his last four starts while never allowing more than two earned runs per start during that stretch. He’s also struck out 24 to only 6 walks in that four game span. Bedard’s fastball velcoity may be a notch below his career average and the velocity he was briefly thowing last year but his command has been pinpoint. He still has his wicked curveball but he hasn’t been throwing it as much as the past few years. It really seems like he’s finally pitching and not relying on his stuff quite as much. Safeco is a wonderful place to pitch in and he has significant value for the time being. He is a major health concern but you still need to pluck him off the wire and ride him until he lands on the disabled list. Bedard is still available in about eighty percent of fantasy leagues so act now and pick the lefty up.

Projection: Bedard will land on the disabled list and he will not be able to recover his form once he’s hit the DL- that is assured, but while he’s healthy you just cannot ignore his fantasy impact. Expect a sub 3.8 ERA with an 8K/9 line from Bedard until he gets banged up.

Erik Bedard Makes First Major League Appearance In 18 Months

It only took the Mariners southpaw nine pitches to retire the Padres in order yesterday, after spending all of the 2010 season on the DL.

Analysis: Arriving in Seattle in February of 2008 as part of the Adam Jones deal, Bedard was expected to provide a stabilizing force toward the front of the M’s rotation. Coming off a 2007 campaign in which he averaged 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings and finished fifth in Cy Young voting, hopes were high for the Canadian with the wicked curveball. While on the mound Erik did deliver as promised, putting up impressive numbers in both 2008 and 2009. However, the key phrase here is “while on the mound”, as Bedard was only able to make 15 starts in each season due to shoulder issues, the most serious being a torn labrum. Now Bedard is back, inking a non-guaranteed contract in December with the same team who traded a package of prospects for him over three years ago. Folks in Seattle are hoping that their investment finally pays off in 2011 and that the 31-year-old lefty can stay healthy for 28+ starts.

Projection: Most Fantasy owners are aware of Bedard coming into their drafts, but these same owners will be understandably gun shy when it comes to this type of risk. My stance on Bedard is a bit different as the potential upside, especially when it comes to strikeouts, is tremendous. Yesterday was only one inning in late February, but it’s more than we’ve been able to see from the former Orioles ace in what feels like an eternity. Nothing is guaranteed for Bedard right now, including a spot on the Mariners Opening Day roster. If I was forced to draft my team today, however, I would take a flyer on him in the later rounds. This is a veteran who has worked his way back from what is considered to be one of the most devastating injuries for a pitcher, and he will be pushed along carefully over the next four weeks. This is also a guy who could still have an exciting career ahead of him. My crystal ball may still have some snow covering it, but a closer look shows Bedard fitting in nicely behind King Felix and winning 12-14 games in 2011.