Hey, everyone, let’s stand and cheer! This week, baseball is back in living color! Of course, we here at Belly Up Sports are ready for the first pitch. Speaking of pitchers, specifically starters, there are a few candidates that could stand a comeback season. These players had down years in 2020, whether due to injury or simple ineffectiveness. Identifying these starters would go a long way to a successful fantasy campaign. We last looked at bounce back position players in our fantasy series. This time we dive right in to examine the fantasy baseball rebound starters!

Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

Certainly, Max Scherzer isn’t a starter that needs a major bounce back. We are talking about a pitcher that had a 3.74 ERA in 2020, which isn’t terrible by any means. However, that is not the Max Scherzer that the baseball and fantasy worlds are used to seeing. Prior to the mini season, Scherzer had an ERA below 3.00 for five straight years. He was also instrumental in the Nationals winning the World Series in 2019.

In addition, Scherzer finished in the top three for the Cy Young Award, winning two, between 2016 and 2019. He led the league in FIB and strike outs per nine in 2019. All that Scherzer needs to do is stay healthy and avoid the advances of age for one more season and he will be a valuable member of any fantasy pitching staff. Scherzer will get the ball from Washington on Opening Day and is primed for an outstanding season. Best of all, with a late second round ADP of 23, Scherzer will have real value in 2021.

Corey Kluber, New York Yankees

Unlike Scherzer, Corey Kluber has a lot to rebound from. Over the past two seasons, Kluber has pitched a total of 36.2 innings. Only one of those innings happened in 2020. Kluber has been plagued with injuries like few other pitchers. In 2019, Kluber suffered a fractured right arm. Last season, he endured a shoulder injury. Those are facts that can make anyone leery of adding Kluber to their fantasy roster.

However, New York isn’t worried, as they signed him in the offseason. After an excellent training camp, the Yankees announced Kluber will follow Gerrit Cole in the rotation. Even though Kluber is 34 years old, the lack of innings the past couple of years could be a major benefit. He stands to gain from the mighty Yankee lineup that will support him. Expect drafting him will return close to Kluber’s 2016 through 2018 season numbers- 18 wins, around a 3.00 ERA and 180+ innings. With an ADP of 145, Kluber is at the head of this fantasy baseball rebound starters edition.

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Like Kluber above, Shohei Ohtani has injury issues that must be put to rest this season. Ohtani started just two games last year. He was then shut down the rest of the way because of a strain to his right forearm. That was on the heels of Ohtani missing the 2019 season after Tommy John surgery. In addition, Ohtani had a surgical procedure on his left knee that same year. With an injury history such as that, how can any fantasy manager have faith in Ohtani in 2021?

His performance during this spring training provides the answer. With the exception of Monday’s start against the Dodgers, Ohtani has been dealing in Arizona. It was disclosed after the start against LA that Ohtani had a blister. Ohtani insisted the blister will have no affect on him when he takes the mound for his first regular season start Sunday. The fact he is taking the mound should encourage fantasy managers. In his previous exhibition, Ohtani struck out five in four innings. His pitches have regularly been in the high 90’s this spring. This looks like the year his pitching production will match his potential.

Ohtani is swinging a hot bat

Of course, pitching is not all that Ohtani brings to the table. He swings the bat as well and has hit five homers this spring. He is scheduled to hit at the top of the Angels’ order during the season. Hitting in front of Mike Trout certainly has its advantages. If Ohtani comes anywhere close to his capabilities, he will be a steal at his current 159 ADP. Ohtani is clearly one of this season’s best bets on this fantasy baseball rebound starters list.

Marcus Stroman, New York Mets

It is clear why Marcus Stroman has flown under the fantasy radar this spring. This is a pitcher that has won just 14 games the past three years and didn’t pitch at all in 2020. That is the end of the bad news, though, as Stroman has pitched well this spring. As of this writing, Stroman is 2-0 with a 3.44 ERA with a 1.091 WHIP in Florida. In addition, he has struck out 17 in 18.1 innings.

Most importantly, Stroman will begin by pitching the second game of the season for the Mets. New York has the look of a contending team. It certainly appears that Stroman can match or better his 2019 season in which he went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA. With a 194 ADP, there is little risk in selecting Stroman to round out a fantasy rotation.

Nathan Eovaldi, Boston Red Sox

When talking about after thoughts, Nathan Eovaldi very possibly could be the poster boy. This is despite the fact the Eovaldi didn’t pitch all that poorly in 2020. He was 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. That was actually an improvement over 2019 in which he won only two games. An even bigger indictment is that Eovaldi has won just 12 games in the last three seasons.

Obviously, the question is why the confidence? The easy answer is that Eovaldi really pitched well down the stretch last year. In his three September starts, Eovaldi allowed just one earned run. Eovaldi won three of his last four starts. Everything looks good coming into the 2021 season.

It was expected that Eduardo Rodriguez would open as Boston’s number one starter. However, Rodriquez is dealing with arm issues and will likely start the season in the injured list. Because of the Rodriquez injury, Eovaldi was selected to start Opening Day for the Red Sox. There aren’t many Opening Day starters that can be found with an ADP of 245. However, that is the case here. Go ahead and pick him up. It won’t take long to figure out if Eovaldi is worth any kind of investment.

Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers

When it comes to Matthew Boyd, a bounce back isn’t really what fantasy managers are looking for. It is simply for him to arrive as a back of the rotation starting pitcher. He has had a winning record in just one of his six major league seasons. 2020 was a complete disaster as Boyd had a 3-7 record with a absolutely horrid 6.71 ERA. What makes him a candidate for this column?

Unfortunately for the Tigers, all of their pitchers are back of the rotation types. Boyd is the best they have and will take the ball on Opening Day. As is the case with Eovaldi. starters pitching on the first day of the season with such a high ADP are rare. Boyd’s ADP is 283. Just like Eovaldi, the risk is small and the potential reward is high. Boyd is at least worth sending out for one start. If it doesn’t work, send him to the showers (waivers) and pick up someone else. No harm done.

Other starting pitchers to keep an eye on:

Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals, David Price, Los Angeles Dodgers, Jake Odorizzi, Houston Astros, Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

Thanks all for joining me for this fantasy baseball rebound starters edition! As always, I welcome input and suggestions from all of my readers. Let me know how your rankings differ from mine. Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Picks for all the latest MLB and sports news!