The National League East is perhaps more wide open than it has ever been in the past. Only six games separate the division leading Washington Nationals with the basement dwelling New York Mets. The Miami Marlins feel as if they can still contend for a surprise top spot in the division, even though they lost their coveted ace in Jose Fernandez when he was sidelined for the duration of the 2014 campaign earlier this season. If the Marlins are willing to give a young-gun pitching prospect a shot to shine at baseball’s highest level on their quest to make the postseason, perhaps you should as well. Here’s a look at why pitching prospect Andrew Heaney should be an immediate addition to your fantasy baseball team.
While his sample size in the majors is still way too small to say that he is the next big thing in South Beach, or perhaps the next big thing that the Marlins are going to get rid of, Heaney has the type of stuff that will bring your fantasy squad a decent amount of swings and misses and a low ERA as well. Although he has somewhat struggled in his first two games with the Mariners, the fact that he has struck out eight batters in 11 innings pitched, coupled with his minor league numbers, Heaney should begin to show his upside over his next few starts. His current 4.91 ERA doesn’t quite matchup to the stats he generated as a member of the Jacksonville Suns and New Orleans Zephyrs.
Between his stints with both minor league clubs, Heaney threw to an ERA of 2.74 and managed to strike out 79 batters in 76.2 innings pitched. Although this is a promising stat to have under his belt, what makes Heaney so special is that batters don’t make great contact with the ball off of the lanky lefty, and he doesn’t give up many walks at all. In those 76.2 innings pitched in the minors in 2014, Heaney has only given up three home runs and has only issued 15 walks. He is sure to continue this trend as a member of the Marlins, just as long as the fish continue to want to give the native of Oklahoma City, OK the shot that he deserves.
If your fantasy squad needs a quick bolster in regards to its pitching stats, and if you have a lot of innings to spare, Heaney may very well be your guy. He’s only owned in 40% of most leagues, so the option to pick him up is more than likely there. His ability to rack up a lot of strikeouts, and the inability that his opponents have to hit the ball hard off of him, Heaney should most definitely be on your fantasy radar, should your team need the help.