Tyler Glasnow is flat out dominating

The former fifth-round draft pick in 2011 began the 2017 season at the major league level with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 12 major league starts, Tyler Glasnow pitched 54.1 innings, allowing 45 earned runs, 75 hits and 29 walks. His struggles prompted a demotion to triple-A Indianapolis, where he has since been baffling hitters with his mid-to-upper 90s fastball, high-80s changeup and devastating sweeping curve.

In 15 starts with the Indianapolis Indians, Glasnow has pitched 93.1 innings, allowing only 57 hits and 32 walks while striking out 140 batters. The 24-year-old has been dominant in the minors throughout his career.

Through 245 innings in triple-A, Glasnow has recorded a 1.95 ERA and 321 strikeouts. He has yet to have a season in the minor leagues where his xFIP, or expected fielding independent pitching, has been above 3.5, which is considered above average by fangraphs.com.

To better understand xFIP, one must under FIP, which according to fangraphs.com “measures what a player’s ERA would look like over a given period of time if the pitcher were to have experienced league average results on balls in play and league average timing.” I chose to use Glasnow’s xFIP opposed to his FIP because xFIP “removes some of the randomness in the pitcher’s actual performance… [in order] to give you a better view of how well we think a pitcher pitched over a given period of time” (Fangraphs.com).

Major adjustment

The major adjustment Glasnow has made this summer has been to his mechanics, as he is now pitching from the stretch opposed to the windup. This lets the 6-foot-8 hurler simplify his motion, allowing for better repetition of his mechanics. According to CBSSports.com, Glasnow himself said the change “has allowed him to relax mentally, and [throw] his fastball [in the] high 90s”.

According to Rotoballer.com, Glasnow has yet to be called up due to service time issues, although Rotowire.com has reported that Clint Hurdle said he “doesn’t anticipate… making any call-ups at all until the playoff seasons are over for Altoona and Indy,” which are the Pirates double and triple-A affiliates.

This means Glasnow isn’t likely to be promoted until mid-September, although once he receives the call, he promises to be a staple in the Buc’s rotation for years to come. He has been on fantasy radars for years, although because of his major league struggles, he was dropped in a majority of fantasy leagues. If you play in a deep keeper or dynasty league, adding Glasnow now as a flier would be a great move due to his incredible upside.

Featured Image by BCSN.TV

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