Clay Buccholz knocking on elite's door

Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz has to do it for more than 44 2/3 innings, but he is nearly worth being considered an elite Fantasy option. Buchholz has increased his strikeout rate to 9.5 per nine innings, by far the highest number of his career, and a clear sign that he is simply overpowering hitters right now.

Buchholz is not throwing any of his pitches with much more velocity than in years past, and he has not really changed the type or frequency of pitches he is throwing, per PITCHf/x data. Despite that, he has done a good job keeping hitter's off balance at the plate, as they have swung at just 39.4 percent of his pitches, by far the lowest rate of his career. He is also generating slightly less contact on pitches out of the zone, both of which help account for the increase in strikes.

Small improvements have had a big impact on Buchholz's game, and they have turned him into a must-start Fantasy option. Al Melchior has Buchholz ranked just outside the top 10 in his Week 6 (May 6-12) Pitching Forecaster, and with two starts on the way, he should be active in all Fantasy formats.