And we are back! Welcome to another iteration of the 2021 Dynasty Baseball Player of the Week series! Last week I covered a favorite of mine, Kyle Tucker! This week I will be looking at a pitcher who many Dynasty managers are unsure of moving forward, Frankie Montas.
I recently started reading a book called "Homegrown" written about my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox. The book covers the build of the 2018 world series championship team. It starts in the year 2011 through the years leading up to the win. I am currently reading about the 2013 trade deadline.
The Red Sox acquired pitcher Jake Peavy from the White Sox in a three-team deal involving the Detroit Tigers. The deal's main parts were Peavy to the Red Sox, Jose Iglesias to the Tigers, and the Chicago White Sox getting Avisail Garcia. There were also other prospects going to and from their respected teams. One of the prospects that were moved was named Frank Montas, better known today as Frankie Montas.
I highly recommend the book to any baseball fan!
This week's 2021 Dynasty Baseball Player of the Week is Frankie Montas. Take a look at our 128th dynasty-ranked player, and let me know what you think of him in the comments below!
2021 Dynasty Baseball Player of the Week: Frankie Montas
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Frankie Montas: Roller Coaster of value
The heading really says it all; the value of Montas is comparable to your favorite ride a an amusement park.
It started out straight with the looks of a meh pitcher. Slowly it progressed, and to Dynasty managers, it looked like they had a diamond in the rough at the top of their pitching staff.
However, like space mountain, the value plummeted as soon as the height of the value was reached. This drop was due to being hit with an 80 game PED suspension.
Keeping his bags packed
Montas has 261 innings under his belt since his debut in 2015. He made his debut with the team that acquired him in the aforementioned Peavy deal, the White Sox. He started two games in seven appearances and had a high 4.80 ERA.
In December of that year, the White Sox traded Montas to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team deal. Above all, Montas was looked at as the "big get" in the exchange because of his triple-digit fastball out of the bullpen.
Things did not go great for Montas in Los Angeles. He spent a lot of time on the injured list, only pitching 16 innings between AA and AAA.
At the deadline in 2016, Montas was dealt yet again to the team he is currently with, the Oakland A's. The Dodgers sent Montas and more to the Athletics for Rich Hill.
Home
Montas found his home and was now looking for his role. Will Montas be a starting pitcher, or will he come out of the bullpen?
Montas began his 2017 season in AAA. He started eight games and had a 5.22 ERA. This, for some strange reason, earned Montas a call-up. In his stint with the A's, Montas was used exclusively in the bullpen. Montas pitched 32 innings and had an ERA of 7.03.
Frankie went into the 2018 offseason unsure where he stood within the A's future plans.
He began the season in AAA and made 15 starts where held a mid-fours ERA. Montas finished the 2018 season with the A's, making 13 appearances, 11 starts. He showed that he might actually fit in a major league rotation.
Montas earned five wins with an ERA of 3.88 and a WHIP of 1.46. This showing would help him enter the 2019 season primed for a rotation spot.
Know your role
Montas was finally given a chance to be a full-time hurler in the big leagues going into the 2019 season. He took this role and ran with it.
Frankie was an absolute stud and had Dynasty managers salivating over the potential of the 26-year-old righty. 15 starts into the year, Frankie was 9-2 and a low ERA of 2.70. He had the looks of a potential Cy Young candidate.
Yes, I said HAD.
In late June, our guy Frankie got popped with a PED violation. He was suspended for the next 80 games of the season. This lead to speculation around Dynasty circles everywhere.
Montas shareholders panicked and wanted to trade him ASAP. Others sought out Frankie and believed his 2019 run was not PED-inspired but more on the player making progress.
Split Decision
Frankie added a new pitch before the 2019 season, and that pitch was a splitter. He relied on the splitter 18.2% of the time.
In his shortened 2020 season, Montas only used the splitter 12.2% of the time.
The splitter clearly worked, but for some reason, he went away from it in 2020.
Somewhere in-between 2021 and beyond
So what do we think about Frankie Monats this season and for the future of your Dynasty teams?
I am going to be completely honest here. I have changed my mind in the days I was typing this article up. One day I think he could potentially be a bum the next I think he might be a solid Dynasty #2-3 pitcher. I saw a few stats that really helped back up my claims of being a solid SP2 or SP3 in your rotation.
On one hand, Montas' outlier season in 2019, maybe that was just a complete fluke? Montas has yet to reach 100 innings pitched.
But on the other hand, we have other stats that show Montas may actually be closer to that 2019 pitcher. He had incredible control that season in his 16 starts, only walking 23 guys in 98 innings and finished with a 1.12 WHIP.
Could great control be attributed to the PEDs? Well, let's look at the control for Montas in the shortened 2020 season. Montas walked the same amount of batters in 2020 in five fewer starts (43 fewer innings). He held a WHIP of 1.50 compared to the league average of 1.33.
If Montas can go back to his 2019 control he could see some benefits all over the map. Montas was still in the 86th percentile in velocity and in the 65th percentile in whiff rate as well.
Dynasty Verdict
As I said, it has been so tough to really come to a be all end all decision here. I would suggest you hold onto Frankie and see what he's got this season.
I believe, his velocity will always play and if he can regain his control like in 2019 there could be another reemergence of his breakout campaign.
Let me know who you would like to see in the future for our 2021 Dynasty Baseball Player of the Week series.
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