Madison Bumgarner Player Projection No. 68

Key Stats: Madison Bumgarner finished 2012 with a flourish. In the month of August he was the 36th best player in fantasy baseball and in September he was the 11th best player. Overall after the all-star break, Bumgarner had a 2.52 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts in 100 innings. Sometimes splits are over emphasized, but for a player with Bumgarner’s experience (2011 was his first full season), I think the splits are signs of adjustments (for better or worse). Skeptics Say: Bumgarner struck out 8.4 batters per 9 inning last season, but in 2010 there were people that were doubting his ability to strikeout hitters when his K/9 was below in the minors and at the MLB level. Perhaps throwing a harder slider last year (3 miles per hour harder according to Fangraphs) helped him overcome whatever issues he was having. Doubt will linger in his ability to be a pitcher that gets wins. Despite his success and good health last season, he won only 13 of his 33 starts. The Giants offense gets B...