Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Mat Latos: Leave off the last T for tremendous

Mat "Don't Call Me Matt" Latos has been a fantasy revelation in 2010. The 22-year-old Padres hurler just dominated the Rays on Tuesday for his eighth victory of the year, pushing his record to 8-4.


Even better than the wins are the rest of his numbers - an ERA that's fallen to 2.94; a WHIP that's under 1.00 (79 Ks/22 BBs); and more than 8 strikeouts per 9 innings. Latos has been on an impressive roll - he notched his fourth straight win Tuesday, and if not for a few rocky starts in April, Latos would be among the league leaders in most pitching categories.

There's a decent chance he was dropped or unowned back then (I picked him up off waivers May 16 in my league, and he's been almost lights out since then). Now he's one of fantasy's top pitching commodities and is making his case to be a keeper. The 6-6 righty has the benefit of pitching home games in Petco Park, and his career minor league stats suggest none of this is a fluke. While fatigue and innings limits are always a concern with young hurlers, I wouldn't be looking to move Latos anytime soon, keeper league or otherwise. He's been one of fantasy's most pleasant surprises.

Photo by The Associated Press

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