10 Spring Training Position Battles With Major Fantasy Baseball Implications

Cleveland Indians' Fifth Starter

This one may have been decided already with last week's announcement that Danny Salazar was likely to miss opening day due to an offseason shoulder injury. But why would we turn down the chance to gush about Mike Clevinger?

Prior to Salazar's injury, it seemed as if Clevinger would be forced to duel with Salazar and Josh Tomlin for the Cleveland Indians' fifth spot in the rotation. The Salazar injury gives Clevinger a bit of extra wiggle room, and his performance could help him stay in the rotation should he make it from the start.

Clevinger made 21 starts for Cleveland last year, and he showed out well with a 2.84 ERA. While that number would likely go up in a larger sample, Clevinger showed he has talent by striking out 27.1% of his opponents. That gives him major upside should he hold down a rotation spot the entire year.

The big bugaboo for Clevinger that does give you a bit of pause about investing is his 11.6% walk rate as a starter. Although that's lower than it was both as a reliever and his time in the majors in 2016, it's still enough to make you a bit uneasy. But with Clevinger coming off the board as the 83rd-ranked pitcher in February NFBC drafts, that risk is already baked in. He's worth a gamble, especially if we get definitive word that he'll be starting in April.