Pitching performances across the Roger Dorn Baseball League have been a wild ride for clubs as we approach the end of Period 3. Some veteran starters with significant contracts are off to rough starts, leaving clubs like the Lunatic Fringe and Las Vegas Aristocrats in a tough spot as they look to fill out their weekly lineup.
On the positive side of 3 Up, 3 Down, we focused on three under the radar performers thus far that are standouts for their respective clubs through the first 2+ weeks of 2021.
Carson Kelly, Taters
Kelly quietly leads all catchers in scoring while slashing .440/.545/.760 in the early going. The Taters activation has hit safely in all but one of his nine games this season and stands out as one of the organization's top values while looking to be a building block in the future for GM Mike Friedrich.
Yuli Gurriel, Hammerheads
While the rotation, Byron Buxton and Corey Seager have stolen the headlines for the Hammerheads hot start, Yuli Gurriel has been as productive as his teammates. The 36-year-old is slashing .429/.547/.593 through 42 at-bats with four doubles and a home run.
Mitch Haniger, Falcons
It's hard to not root for Haniger who has battled injuries over the last two seasons but looks fully back to his former All-Star form in 2021. The Falcons are in search of pieces they can build around and Haniger's $11 contract figures to slot right into that effort. The outfielder is slashing .321/.333/.623 with four home runs in 53 at-bats thus far.
Stephen Strasburg, Aristocrats
Strasburg just didn't have it on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing eight runs -- seven earned -- in just four inning. The raw stat line was the least of his worries. What's even more concerning is that he generated just three whiffs and his velocity was down across the board on all of his pitches with his average fastball velocity at just 90.9 mph while topping out at only 92.9 mph. Strasburg explained it by saying his mechanics were so out of whack that he had to slow down just to locate, and his five walks would suggest velocity wasn't his only problem. A mechanical issue is preferable to a health issue, but the explanation seems a little too simple. The right-hander has a 5.30 ERA and 1.60 WHIP with 7.0 total points through two starts.
Jesus Luzardo, Clovers
It wasn't long ago that Luzardo had a case for the most valuable pitching asset still under a Minor League contract in the RDBL but things look quite different today. The Clovers lefty is off to a rough start in 2021, allowing 12 runs on 19 hits through 13 innings thus far. His command has been a trouble spot, walking seven so far while his underlying statistics offer some worries on his spin rates to start the year. He's plenty talented to right the ship but the Clovers are not in the mode where they can be overly patient as they chase a league title.
Patrick Corbin, Fringe
The Fringe faced a difficult decision this Winter as they wrestled with the $31 option on left-hander Patrick Corbin. A dominant 2019 season had Corbin looking like a supreme value for GM Tony Guglielmi but a small sample size of struggles in 2020 cast doubt on his roster spot. The Fringe elected to retain Corbin but would likely love to have that decision back if they could. In two starts, the 31-year-old has given up 15 earned runs in 6.1 innings with a 6:7 K:BB while posting -55.0 points so far.
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