With the first two months of the 2018 MLB season in the books, the time to act is now when it comes to making the necessary improvements to become a championship contender. There is more than enough information available to target a handful of players worth chasing for fantasy purposes including a group of pitchers in particular that standout. Here is a look at four pitchers to watch in the month of June for fantasy baseball purposes.
Sean Manaea, Oakland Athletics
Manaea struggled mightily in the month of May with a 7.18 ERA over six starts. However, his xFIP over that stretch was just 4.80 so the consensus is that he deserved better in those starts. The underlying numbers indicate that while he might not be as good as he was in the first month of the season when he recorded a 1.03 ERA in six April starts, he should fare much better than he did in May. The fact that he is schedule for home starts against the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels should help his cause. Look for Manaea to bounce back in the month of June.
Jon Gray, Colorado Rockies
Gray has struggled with consistency so far this season but there is reason to believe that good things are around the corner. First of all, Gray has posted a career-best 10.5 K/9 so far this season. Second, his 3.15 FIP is the eighth-best mark in the National League among qualified starters. Gray’s underlying statistics are better than his 5.68 ERA this season would indicate but they could be a signal that better days are ahead for the Rockies starter. The third-overall pick from the 2013 MLB Draft could be in for a strong month of June.
Luke Weaver, St. Louis Cardinals
Weaver absolutely dominated Triple-A in the first half of last season before registering a 3.88 ERA while going 7-2 in 10 starts for the Cardinals. There have been some growing pains for the former first round pick this season. That said, Weaver owns one of the largest differentials between his FIP and his ERA. He also has had some bad luck with 32-percent of base runners scoring against him. Two of his next three starts will be at home with the lone road start against the Cincinnati Reds. With a little luck, Weaver could turn things around and start to pitch at a very high level in June.
Jameson Taillon, Pittsburgh Pirates
It wasn’t that long ago that Taillon was absolutely dominating for the Pirates through the first month of the season. However, Taillon hit a wall after that and enters June with a 3.97 ERA. Taillon has absolutely dominated right-handed hitters and if he can just lower his ERA versus lefties it could make a tremendous difference in his overall numbers. The most noticeable difference in Taillon’s numbers is his home-road splits. Taillon owns a 3.82 ERA at home compared to a 4.13 ERA on the road. With three of his next four starts at home, Taillon could bounce back with some better numbers in the month of June. He is definitely one more pitcher worth targeting for fantasy purposes if you need help at the starting pitcher position.
