Fantasy Baseball: 7 Mid-Round Starting Pitching Targets for 2018

Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds

ADP: 100.53

Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo is currently listed as the team's fourth pitcher on their depth chart, but by the end of the season, he could end up being the team's ace. He was outstanding in his rookie season, producing a 3.12 ERA in 89.1 innings of work. His fielding independent pitching (FIP) of 3.74 is solid, and the kid came into the league striking folks out, averaging 9.87 strikeouts per nine (K/9) that helped him to a strikeout rate of 27.3%.

Out of 153 starting pitchers who threw at least 80 innings last season, that 9.87 K/9 was tied with Jose Quintana for 22nd, and his 27.3% strikeout rate was tied with Jimmy Nelson for 17th. Perhaps even more impressive, though, was his 58.8% ground-ball rate (GB%), which was sixth-highest in baseball. Hitters batted just .198 against him as a result, and he was equally effective against both right-handers (.211 average) and lefties (.181).