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Posted at 10:30 AM EST.

8:05 PM EST. James Paxton’s (LHP) 2016's second-half gains hinted that a low ERA was coming but additional bumps in first-pitch strikes and swinging strikes carried his command and run prevention to new levels last year. Paxton’s outstanding skills trend tells a story that when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best. James Paxton owns a rough 5.57 ERA and 1.29 WHIP after his first four starts of 2018. However, he has a 28/9 K/BB in 22 IP, an indication that his stuff is strong as ever. An elevated and unlucky 37% hit rate has eroded his stats. As long as the early cracks in his control foundation don't stick (54% first-pitch strikes, 39% ball%), Paxton is an upper-tier SP and very worth investing in.

Bartolo Colon has a 1.45 ERA with two walks and 17 K’s over 19 innings. He also brings a 55% groundball rate after two starts and two relief appearances. We routinely ask if age has caught up to guys a decade younger than Colon and it’s a fair question. His approach has long been a case of threading a needle. His pinpoint control + tiny K’s yield more fly-balls and line-drives than groundballs so his 55% groundball rate doesn’t make sense. Colon’s swing and miss rate is 8% thus far, which is better than last year’s 5% but no matter how you break it down, the 17 K’s in 19 frames is not supported. We’re not sure what they’re putting in the hotdogs down in Texas these days but whatever it is, the beefy Colon is loving it. Colon continues to utilize a pitch-to-contact approach and elite control to get the most out of what he has left in the tank. However, with an 87.8 mph fastball he has very little margin for error. His stinginess with free passes means he’ll likely maintain a solid WHIP, but look for his ERA to increase to closer to 4.50 or 5 than the current mark of 1.45.

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