As I’m sure most of you know at this point, Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber tossed the 21st perfect game in major league history.
Humber was absolutely masterful in Saturday’s 4-0 win against the Seattle Mariners, striking out nine and throwing just 96 pitches.
It was the least number of pitches in a perfect game since David Cone’s back in 1999—he threw 88 pitches in that contest.
That low number of pitches is mostly because of Humber’s ability to avoid three-ball counts. His first three-ball count of the afternoon didn’t come until the ninth inning.
He went 3-0 on Michael Saunders before striking him out, and he also went to a full count on Brendan Ryan before striking him out to end the contest.
I’m sure many of you are in fantasy leagues if you’re reading this article, and I’m sure many of you will have the same question: Should I add Humber?
Well, I’m going to present you with some facts first.
Personally, I am just a member of several CBS fantasy leagues, as I prefer their scoring system and overall layout. So, here is the information on Humber from CBS.
Owned/Started prior to start: 29 percent/22 percent
Owned/Started now (will likely increase): 42 percent/18 percent
Points prior to start: 9.5
Points now: 42 (32.5 came from this start)
Clearly, fantasy managers around the nation have added Humber to their squads in hopes of him continuing his recent success.
If you can afford to drop a player and add Humber to see if he can pitch well yet again, I say, why not?
If you have to drop a player who can help you in the stretch run, I strongly urge you to resist the temptation of picking up Humber.
On the season, Humber is currently 1-0 with an ERA of 0.63 through 14.1 innings.
Last season, his first as a regular member of the rotation, Humber went 9-9 with an ERA of 3.75. Through 163 innings, he struck out 116.
Those numbers are respectable in a major league rotation, but not so much in a fantasy rotation.
In leagues where strikeouts are valuable and wins earn extra points, Humber actually wasn’t that valuable last season. Add in the fact that some leagues actually dock points for losses, and Humber is even less valuable.
I don’t expect much more out of him this season, even though he’ll likely make more starts than he did in 2011 (26).
Overall, I predict a 12-10 season from the 21st member of the perfect game club. He’ll likely throw around 175 innings, but won’t strike out more than 130 batters.
Those numbers translate to a possible injury-replacement fantasy starter, but definitely not someone to keep on your roster for the long haul.
Congratulations, Mr. Humber, on your historic accomplishment. Unfortunately, it still hasn’t warranted you a spot on my fantasy team.
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