Here at the offices of "Stud or Shelton" we examine players who seem to be outperforming expectations to see if they are for real, or instead a flash in the pan like former Tigers hotshot Chris Shelton. As always, we apologize for rubbing salt in the wound of the Shelton family.
If the San Francisco Giants started the season with one strength, it was the starting pitching. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum represent two of the most promising young starters in all of baseball and – at least before the season started – Barry Zito seemed like a decent #3 pitcher (even if he is the highest paid pitcher in the history of the game.) The rotation was set to be rounded out with Noah Lowry and Kevin Correia, but an injury to Lowry opened up a spot for Jonathan Sanchez.
Sanchez has absolutely taken advantage of this opportunity, though he got off to a rough start against the Brewers, allowing seven ER in just four IP. Owners who have hung tough with him since then have been quite happy, thanks, as Sanchez has only allowed another six earned runs in an additional 29.2 innings. Overall, this season he's 2-1, with 40 K against just 16 walks, with a 3.48 ERA and a respectable 1.28 WHIP. The kid has been dealing, that's for sure. The question is, is he a stud, or a flash in the pan?
Sanchez is definitely worth believing in. First of all, he has something that all managers (and, subsequently, fantasy owners) crave -- a left-handed throwing arm. Better yet, it's one that can rack up some strikeouts, as evidenced by the 10 K's he collected against the free swinging bats of the Cincinnati Reds on April 26.
Owners worried about his lock on a rotation slot should also breathe a sigh of relief – not only is Sanchez making a case on his own, but the competition for those slots is ebbing somewhat as well. As is now obvious to anyone not named Brian Sabean, Zito represents the single worst free agent signing since Mike Hampton, and has been relegated to the bullpen, at least temporarily. Additionally, Lowry has yet to recover from his injury and just recently suffered a setback that should delay his return by about a month.
That's bad news for the Giants, but good news for Sanchez and his owners. While no Giant pitcher is going to be a good bet for wins, Sanchez helps you in the three other starting pitching categories. For NL-only leagues, he's a no brainer from here on out. In mixed leagues, he's certainly worth stashing on your bench – if you have to put Phil Hughes on the shelf, for instance (and you actually want to hold onto him), Sanchez would be an ideal replacement.
