• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • In-Season Rankings
    • Standard
    • PPR
  • Waiver Wire
  • Members Only
    • DFS LU TOOL
    • Player Tracker
    • Forum
    • Cheat Sheets
    • Log In
  • Join
Fantasy Knuckleheads

Fantasy Knuckleheads

Fantasy sports news, rankings, sleepers, cheat sheets, stats and tools.

Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Hisashi Iwakuma

January 18, 2013 by Kurt Turner

Hisashi Iwakuma. Do ya know who he is? Perhaps to the seasoned veterans out there, the answer is yes. But for many fantasy baseball early-birds the answer is probably no.

An intriguing young pitcher out of Japan, Hisashi Iwakuma wound up being an average fantasy consideration in 2012, but that could all change this season.

Hisashi Iwakuma boasts a five-pitch repertoire that includes three fastballs (a four-seam, a two seam sinker and a wonderful split-finger), a sinkerball and a curveball that saw little usage in 2012.

Iwakuma primarily utilized his fastball collection to yield strikes. Over the course of 125+ innings last year, Iwakuma struck out 101 batters (good for a 7.3 K/9) which mainly came from that split-finger beaut he throws.

Iwakuma did struggle away from his own digs however.

A far better pitcher at home, Hisashi Iwakuma finished with a 4.20 road ERA. While he gave up less hits and walks on the road, his strikeout totals also were cut nearly in half.

Iwakuma’s end line was a 9-5 record with a 3.16 ERA and 101/43 K/BB ratio.

Fantasy Spin: I think what we’re going to see from this kid is an uptick in his performance this season, but a lot of what he offers will also rely on his surrounding cast which right now isn’t that good on paper.

Iwakuma possesses the talent to be something special in the majors as well as fantasy baseball for sure, but many owners will probably shy away from him at draft time due to his inconsistency—an aspect that almost always shrouds a first-year pitcher.

Don’t be that guy. Iwakuma struggled on the road yes, but also pulled things together towards the end.  And considering he’s being pegged as a late-round flyer (196.28 ADP currently) you could do FAR worse. He boasts four quality pitches with one average out pitch, plays in the most pitcher-friendly park baseball has to offer and has nowhere to go but up.

Pull your britches up and grab the guy when he becomes available. You’ll thank me later for the advice.

Be sure to also stay on top of our Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

Category - Fantasy Football News and Analysis - Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Hisashi Iwakuma

Dominate Your League

About Kurt Turner

Kurt's fantasy advice is featured on USA Today Sports, Bleacher Reports, SiriusXM and Fox Sports. He is the owner of FantasyKnuckleheads.com and has been butchering topics here for over 15 years. Follow him on Twitter

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Fantasy Football Draft Psychology: How To Outsmart Your League Mates

    Fantasy Football Draft Psychology: How To Outsmart Your League Mates

  • Which Quarterback Should You Draft in 2021?

    Which Quarterback Should You Draft in 2021?

  • Team Defense Committee vs Streaming Draft Strategy

    Team Defense Committee vs Streaming Draft Strategy

  • Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

  • Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

Need To Know

  • Fantasy Football Rankings
  • Average Draft Position (ADP) Report
  • Fantasy Football Draft Projections
  • The Best Waiver Wire Picks
  • Best Optimal Lineup Tool
  • ESPN Insider Coupon Code
  • Premium Fantasy Football Draft Guide
  • Fantasy Football Projections Video Series

Footer

ABOUT US

Established in the summer of 2009, Fantasy Knuckleheads is devoted to providing quality fantasy football news, advice, cheat sheets, tools and services. We’re not a mega-sports-site that churns out content by the pound. We’re simply a small, tight knit group of fantasy experts turned writers that love what we do, especially when we’re right. We strive to tell you something you don’t already know that’s actionable and at the very least, informative.

Fantasy Blog Network

Get This <a href="https://fantasyknuckleheads.com" title="Fantasy Football Rankings"><b>Fantasy Football for all you knuckleheads</b></a>

INFORMATION

  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Write For Us
  • Fantasy Sports Widget

Copyright © 2023 · Fantasy Knuckleheads ·

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in