As a Yankees fan myself it pains me to write this but it is clearly evident that CC Sabathia is no longer the pitcher that he used to be. Last season Sabathia had by far the worst Era of his career and had a very mediocre strikeout to walk ratio of 2.69. Sabathia is also suffering from major fastball velocity as he averaged only 91.3mph in 2013 and is hovering around 88.5 mph so far in 2014.
Despite never having suffered from any major arm injuries it appears as if all the innings Sabathia has racked up over the years are finally catching up to him. Not counting this season Sabathia has thrown an astonishing 2,776 innings in just 13 seasons which comes out to an average of 213.5 innings per year. That is a ton of wear and tear on CC’s arm and is likely the main culprit of such a fast decline. At only 33 years old it’s surprising to see the former ace struggle so mightily so fast as 33 years old is not a bad age for a pitcher especially one that had been as successful as CC. If you drafted Sabathia hoping he would find his former glory you are going to be disappointed. Through seven starts Sabathia has given up at least four runs in five of them. However there are signs that Sabathia may prove himself to be a useful fantasy pitcher this year.
One silver lining this year for Sabathia is that he owns a 44:9 strikeout to walk ratio. Sabathia has pounded the strike zone early this year and even though it’s only been one month he actually has his highest K/9 in his career at 9.7K/9. Such a good strikeout to walk ratio leaves a glimmer of hope that Sabathia can turn his season around and at least finish with an adequate ERA and WHIP making him a useful fantasy option.
I think by the end of the season CC will at least be able to provide adequate fantasy numbers. His strikeout to walk ratio is far too good right now for someone to maintain a 5.75 ERA. While I believe he will be a decent option by the end of the season he’s not someone that I would consider buying low on. Chances are fantasy owners will not want to sell him too low and it is risky to trade too many pieces for a guy who may not pan out in the end. However if someone drops him I would recommend picking him up and stashing him on your bench in hopes that he can turn his season around. CC has always been a slow starter so if he is going to turn his season around it’s going to start relatively soon.