UNCBlue012
Well-known member
Elder is definitely not an ace or even close to a TOR arm lol this is just a linsanity run. However, he's potentially transforming into a solid back-end piece and I couldn't be more thrilled.
2026 : Around the League
- Thread starter bravesfanforlife88
- Start date
Mad Dog Murph
Well-known member
Elder is this generations Sandy Koufax. Maybe better
To convince me that he’s better than a number 3? How about not having an FIP over 3?
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
Basesd off fangraphs xfip less than 5 SP would qualify. That's a brutal standard. I dont onie uniform fip is different. Xfip has x in it thus it must be superior.
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
Blasphemy. Elders has two legit plus pitches. The slider and his new cutter. Its caused the rest of his stuff to play up because he has 5 pitches. He is "overachieving" right now because his best pirches are death to lefties and teams stack lefties against him. Elder is the real deal and we all need to come to terms with that.
He has an expected ERA of 2.98. That’s very good, but it’s not elite.
Like I said, he’s a solid number 3 who is getting number one results right now. But, if a number 3 is truly who he is, which is looking increasingly likely, that is incredible and we should all be thrilled. I’m not sure why you’re taking it as a knock.
Nerfherders
Well-known member
Even last year I would argue he was quite valuable. He had 14 QS, which was 50% of his starts. To put that in persective, one of my fantasy teams last year had a roster full of all-stars and could only muster a 40% QS rate. And you scoff and say "Yeah but 6 IP and 3ER is a 4.5 ERA." Well that's the minimum of a QS, and even that is saving a bullpen and keeping your team in the game. BTW the team was 13-15 in his starts in 2025.
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
Only 11 pitchers better. What are these standards.
You think there are 10+ number one starters in MLB?
Metaphysicist
Not Actually Brian Hunter
Among starters with 1000 IP in the last ten years, there are only two with a FIP under 3 in that span, and both of them are fragile (Sale, DeGrom).
Player Pitching Season & Career Stats Finder - Baseball | Stathead
Find single seasons, combined seasons data for player with most strikeouts in single or combined seasons and more. Get all of this data on Stathead and create your own leaderboard.
www.sports-reference.com
Elder's current FIP would put him at 8th on that list.
And Elder isn’t going to have a FIP under 3 after 1000 innings, or even for the next 1000 innings.Among starters with 1000 IP in the last ten years, there are only two with a FIP under 3 in that span, and both of them are fragile (Sale, DeGrom).
Player Pitching Season & Career Stats Finder - Baseball | Stathead
Find single seasons, combined seasons data for player with most strikeouts in single or combined seasons and more. Get all of this data on Stathead and create your own leaderboard.
Elder's current FIP would put him at 8th on that list.