Patrick Corbin owners, take a victory lap
Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Patrick Corbin shamed the Dodgers on Wednesday, tossing 7.1 near-perfect innings and striking out 12. He allowed just one hit, one walk and no runs. Only Matt Kemp reached base against him. Corbin retired the first 14 batters he faced. Here’s a highlight. He was outstanding.
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Did we mention that he also went 2-for-2 at the plate with a double and a run scored? Well, he did. Not such a bad day.
Corbin is four full years removed from Tommy John surgery and he was plenty good before the injury, so he really wasn’t the trickiest sleeper call in fantasy. He had a strong second-half last season (3.26 ERA), and he piled up Ks throughout the year (8.4 K/9). Also, he has the humidor working for him, which is nice. There was a ton to like about Corbin entering spring training, and he was reasonably well-hyped around here.
We’re now two starts into Corbin’s season and he’s 2-0 with an ERA of 1.38 and WHIP of 0.77. He’s struck out 20 batters in 13.0 innings. His slider was absolute torture for Dodgers hitters on Wednesday. If you own him, you’re allowed a modest victory lap. And if you don’t own him, maybe check the wire — he’s unowned in 26 percent of Yahoo leagues as of this writing.
You aren’t going to get an ace-level haul if you toss Corbin on the trade block today, so we’re not issuing a sell order. Enjoy next week’s start against the Giants and let’s just see where this thing goes. It’s hardly a stretch to hope for a season that looks a lot like his 2013, but perhaps with more Ks. Whatever you paid for Corbin, you’re likely to profit.
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