Ben Lively

Ben Lively

31-Year-Old PitcherSP
2023 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Ben Lively in 2023. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year contract with the Reds in November of 2022.
Fans eight in Wednesday's win
PCincinnati Reds
May 25, 2023
Lively (2-2) picked up the win Wednesday, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings in a 10-3 victory over the Cardinals. He struck out eight.
ANALYSIS
It was an impressive showing all around for the Reds, who banged out a season-high 18 hits on the offensive side, but it was especially sweet for Lively as he collected his first win as an MLB starting pitcher since 2017 and first quality start since 2018. The 31-year-old right-hander has looked good in two starts since joining the Cincy rotation, posting a 16:3 K:BB through 11.2 innings while allowing only four runs, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next outing -- currently set for early next week in Boston.
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Pitching Stats
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2023
2019
2018
2017
2023 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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2017 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
66
Last 10 Games
66
Last 5 Games
66
How many pitches does Ben Lively generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Ben Lively generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-9%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-9%
BAA vs RHP
2022
No Stats
2021
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2021vs Left .200 31 6 1 6 0 0 2
Since 2021vs Right .182 35 12 2 6 0 0 1
2023vs Left .200 31 6 1 6 0 0 2
2023vs Right .182 35 12 2 6 0 0 1
2022vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-37%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-37%
ERA at Home
2022
No Stats
2021
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2021Home 2.45 0.95 14.2 2 1 0 10.4 1.8 1.8
Since 2021Away 3.86 0.43 2.1 0 1 0 3.9 0.0 0.0
2023Home 2.45 0.95 14.2 2 1 0 10.4 1.8 1.8
2023Away 3.86 0.43 2.1 0 1 0 3.9 0.0 0.0
2022Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Ben Lively compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
6.00
 
K/9
9.5
 
BB/9
1.6
 
HR/9
1.6
 
Fastball
91.2 mph
 
ERA
2.65
 
WHIP
0.88
 
BABIP
.231
 
GB/FB
1.83
 
Left On Base
92.6%
 
Exit Velocity
79.7 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.8%
 
Spin Rate
1990 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
23.8%
 
Swinging Strike
10.7%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2019
2018
2017
2015
Injuries opened the door for Lively to claim a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day rotation, but the right-hander failed to take advantage of the opportunity. He struggled to a 6.85 ERA and 1.86 WHIP across five starts (23.2 innings) before landing on the disabled list at the end of April with a lower-back injury. Upon activation from the DL, Lively was sent to the minors. A shoulder injury cost the hurler more than two months and limited him to just 52 innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Despite a respectable 2.42 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with the IronPigs, Lively was designated for assignment by Philadelphia in September. He was scooped up by the Royals and spent the remainder of the season in a relief role, posting a 1.35 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB across 6.2 innings. While Lively's exact role remains undetermined heading into 2019, he likely won't be a factor in the fantasy world given his 4.95 FIP and 6.0 K/9 across parts of two big-league seasons.
On the surface, Lively's rookie season looks like something of a success as he posted a respectable 4.26 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 88.2 innings. Dig just a little deeper, though, and it becomes clear that his ERA was far lower than he deserved. He strikes out very few batters (5.3 K/9) and doesn't get many groundballs (38.2 percentage, well below the league average of 44.2 percent). Consequently, advanced ERA estimators suggest that his ERA could have been over a run higher (5.58 xFIP, 5.27 SIERA). He was good at limiting the free passes, issuing walks at just a 2.4 BB/9 clip, but he can't afford much giveback there with all the contact and flyballs. While Lively figures to have a job out of camp, his upside is limited and he could find himself back at Triple-A with a few bad outings.
Lively began 2016 with Double-A Reading, registering an impressive 1.87 ERA in nine starts. This earned him a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley midway through the season. His numbers dipped a little there, but he still fared relatively well. One thing that helped Lively keep his ERA down in Triple-A was a 2.07 BB/9, showcasing his strong command. However, his potential as an eventual major league starter has been limited by his inability to consistently generate strikeouts, which was evidenced by his 6.95 K/9 in Double-A in 2015 and 6.88 in Triple-A in 2016. The Phillies added Lively to their 40-man roster following the 2016 season in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, but it is still likely that he'll begin 2017 in Triple-A, with a shot to join the big league rotation later on.
A fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft out of the University of Central Florida, Lively flew in a little under the prospect radar before last year, but dominated the High-A California League before holding his own at Double-A over the second half of the season. Much like organization-mate Tony Cingrani, scouts aren't in love with Lively's repertoire of pitches, suggesting that his command and ability to use what he has won't last as he progresses up the ladder. For what it's worth, Lively's walk rate more than doubled at Pensacola, suggesting that the scouts might be right about him. He'll likely begin 2015 back in Double-A, and he's behind Robert Stephenson and Mike Lorenzen on the team's prospect list.
More Fantasy News
Sticks in rotation
PCincinnati Reds
May 22, 2023
Lively is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals at Great American Ball Park.
ANALYSIS
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Strikes out eight in first start
PCincinnati Reds
May 20, 2023
Lively (1-2) took the loss Friday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk over 5.2 innings in a 6-2 loss to the Yankees. He struck out eight.
ANALYSIS
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Entering rotation Friday
PCincinnati Reds
May 17, 2023
Lively is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Yankees at Great American Ball Park, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Earns win in bulk relief
PCincinnati Reds
May 11, 2023
Lively (1-0) was credited with the win against the Mets on Thursday, allowing four hits and striking out one batter over three innings.
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To get bulk of innings Thursday
PCincinnati Reds
May 10, 2023
Reds manager David Bell said Lively will handle a "significant amount" of innings in Thursday's series finale against the Mets, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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