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Posted at 11:15 AM EST.

4:10 PM EST. Jakob Junis was mostly speculation going into the year but so far, so good. He had a 6/1 K/BB in 7 innings in his first start and his command sub-indicators were even better: 12% swing and miss rate, 76% first-pitch strikes and 29% ball%. After the strong skills he posted with KC in the 2H of 2017 combined with a strong start in 2018 that has seen Junis strike out 38 and walk just nine in 45 frames covering seven starts, all signs are pointing in the right direction for this quality starter. Taking back a tag like this with a winning starter like Junis is almost a must play.

Mike Clevenger went 12-6 with a 3.11 ERA in 122 frames for the Tribe last year. In seven starts this year, Mike Clevinger is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA but the results are better than the skills. Look it, Clevinger is a quality starter but what he is not is a dominant one that deserves to be priced in this range. A vastly improved slider and curve gives Clevinger three pitches with 18%+ swinging strikes, thus fueling a k-rate spike that makes him an instant asset. However, his control and versus lefties warts remain and cast a doubt on his ability to keep this pace up. Expect lots of K’s but holding this level requires more refinement, which Cleveinger has not shown. The good news is that Kansas City is a top-5 team in not striking out. They are perceived in this market as a weak team when in fact, they are a very dangerous offense that puts the ball in play almost more than any team in the majors. When Clevinger faced the Royals back on April 8th, his pitching line looks great (7 IP - 2ER) but that’s a mirage, as the Royals belted out 10 hits, had 13 baserunners and struck out just three times. Clevinger’s xERA against K.C. was 6.22 that day. In fact, when you look at Clevinger against teams that put the ball in play, like Seattle and K.C., the under the hood numbers are ugly. Clevinger is a big risk at prices like this against teams that don’t strike out often. The Royals fit here.

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