Framber Valdez Stats
- Height / Weight
- 5' 11" / 230 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 11/19/1993 (30)
- Experience
- 6
- College
- None
Framber Valdez Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Framber Valdez News
Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (elbow) played catch on Friday, and manager Joe Espada said the hope is that Valdez could throw off a mound on Saturday or Sunday. Valdez is currently on the injured list while dealing with left-elbow inflammation, but there's no structural damage and he's already throwing again after being sidelined on April 9. The 30-year-old southpaw won't come off the IL when he's eligible next week, but a minor-league rehab assignment may not be far off. In the meantime, his fantasy managers will be hoping he'll return sometime in May. Keep Valdez stashed in all fantasy formats until then. The Dominican starter had picked up where he left off in 2023 through his first two starts before his elbow injury, giving up just three earned runs while striking out 10 in 12 1/3 innings.
Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (elbow) played some light catch at Minute Maid Park on Monday. Head coach Joe Espada said last week that Valdez was getting close to playing catch again. It's a good sign for the 30-year-old southpaw, but he could still have a ways to go before coming off the injured list and rejoining Houston's starting rotation. He's dealing with left-elbow inflammation and is hopeful that he can come off the injured list when he's eligible on April 23, but that remains to be seen. Regardless of how long it is before Valdez returns, he needs to be stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy formats. The two-time All-Star allowed just three earned runs on 11 hits while walking six and striking out 10 in 12 1/3 innings in his first two starts of 2024 before his elbow started barking.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (elbow) is scheduled to play catch on Tuesday. The 30-year-old went on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, but he hopes to return when first eligible. His confidence bodes well, but fantasy managers will still have to wait and see when he ultimately rejoins the rotation. Valdez pitched well to start the season, posting a 2.19 ERA with 10 strikeouts through two starts. He should be rostered everywhere prior to his return.
Batting Order
1 | Jose Altuve |
2 | Yordan Alvarez |
3 | Alex Bregman |
4 | Kyle Tucker |
5 | Yainer Diaz |
6 | Jeremy Peña |
7 | Chas McCormick |
8 | José Abreu |
9 | Mauricio Dubón |
Framber Valdez Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Jose Altuve |
2 | Yordan Alvarez |
3 | Alex Bregman |
4 | Kyle Tucker |
5 | Yainer Diaz |
6 | Jeremy Peña |
7 | Chas McCormick |
8 | José Abreu |
9 | Mauricio Dubón |
Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez makes his living getting hitters to swing into ground balls. He did that again in 2023 (only San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb had a higher groundball rate than Valdez's 54.2%), but that was a 12-percentage point drop from his 66% in 2022. Fewer ground balls meant more fly balls and home runs. His flyball rate jumped to 25%, accompanying a 37.4% hard-hit rate that was seven percentage points higher than in 2022. What Valdez will be looking to do in 2024 is return to the 100th percentile, elite levels of inducing grounders. In 2022, Valdez was 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA and was top five in Cy Young voting. Despite how he regressed, Valdez did have a career-high 200 strikeouts last season and struck out more than a batter per inning. If he can put that strikeout rate with the 2022 ground ball rate, this could be a Cy Young winner, considering the strong offense he has at his back. Valdez is currently the 20th pitcher off the board in drafts, but give me his track record over more inconsistent pitchers like Freddy Peralta and Tarik Skubal. ATC projects Valdez with a 3.46 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 9.09 K:9 across 198 innings in 2024, making him a solid pick at his current NFBC ADP of 62.