Framber Valdez

Framber Valdez

29-Year-Old PitcherSP
Houston Astros
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Valdez was one of just eight hurlers to log at least 200 innings as his 201.1 frames was the fifth most in MLB. He fell six strikeouts short of 200, but as an extreme groundball pitcher, Valdez is more concerned about minimizing barrels which he did, landing in the 75th percentile. Valdez threw his sinker half the time, followed by a 90th percentile spin rate curve. He introduced a cutter (which some classified as a slider), throwing it 10% of the time with a solid 18% swinging strike rate. Further refinement of Valdez's repertoire could improve his 23.5% strikeout rate, but he's likely more focused on improving on last season's 8.1% walk rate. Valdez doesn't fan ample batters to be a fantasy ace, but his volume of innings keeps the raw total sufficient for the next tier. Valdez is a bit of a WHIP risk as grounders often inflate BABIP, but they also limit homers, hence keeping ERA in check. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#81
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $6.8 million contract with the Astros in January of 2023.
Takes fifth loss
PHouston Astros
June 9, 2023
Valdez (6-5) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks over five innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
Valdez had his worst start in almost a month, as he had allowed just one run across his previous three appearances. However, the southpaw still has quality numbers for the season, posting a 2.36 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 89 strikeouts, which ranks seventh in the league. The veteran is tentatively slated to face the Nationals at home in his next appearance.
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Pitching Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
97
Last 10 Games
96
Last 5 Games
96
How many pitches does Framber Valdez 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 Framber Valdez 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
Even Split
2023
 
 
-31%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-16%
BAA vs LHP
2021
 
 
-3%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2021vs Left .221 291 74 31 55 6 0 6
Since 2021vs Right .222 1444 334 114 290 50 3 23
2023vs Left .308 48 12 5 12 2 0 2
2023vs Right .213 288 77 15 57 14 0 4
2022vs Left .192 147 36 14 25 2 0 1
2022vs Right .229 680 158 53 141 22 2 10
2021vs Left .225 96 26 12 18 2 0 3
2021vs Right .219 476 99 46 92 14 1 9
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-19%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-22%
ERA at Home
2022
 
 
-36%
ERA on Road
2021
 
 
-17%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2021Home 3.15 1.25 200.0 14 10 0 9.9 3.2 0.5
Since 2021Away 2.54 1.09 220.0 20 7 0 7.7 3.0 0.7
2023Home 2.12 1.08 51.0 2 4 0 9.4 1.4 0.4
2023Away 2.73 1.03 33.0 4 1 0 9.8 3.3 1.1
2022Home 3.54 1.26 86.1 7 4 0 10.4 3.1 0.3
2022Away 2.27 1.08 115.0 10 2 0 7.4 2.9 0.6
2021Home 3.45 1.37 62.2 5 2 0 9.8 4.9 1.0
2021Away 2.88 1.14 72.0 6 4 0 7.1 3.0 0.6
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Framber Valdez 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
4.45
 
K/9
9.5
 
BB/9
2.1
 
HR/9
0.6
 
Fastball
95.5 mph
 
ERA
2.36
 
WHIP
1.06
 
BABIP
.299
 
GB/FB
3.74
 
Left On Base
76.9%
 
Exit Velocity
85.1 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
4.8%
 
Spin Rate
2318 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
30.0%
 
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
2022
2021
2020
2019
Valdez overcame a finger injury that delayed his season debut, but he produced familiar results once he found his rhythm. He induced a 70.3% groundball rate, which helped him limit his home run rate to 0.8 HR/9. He'll need to maintain that carrying skill, as his 26.4 K% in 2020 predictably regressed due to a static swinging strike rate of 10.2% with a resulting 21.9 K%. While a contact-heavy approach carries plenty of risk, it did help Valdez work deep into games as he completed at least seven innings in eight of his 22 starts - a standout trait in the modern game. Moving forward, there isn't much room to expect Valdez to improve upon his 3.14 ERA in 2021, and instead it appears much more likely that mark regresses. Even so, his skillset should allow him to rack up plenty of volume and his strong team context should put him in the position to rack up wins.
Valdez stepped up in a huge way in the absences of Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy, ascending to previously unforeseen new heights. Valdez was stellar over his 11 regular-season appearances (10 starts) with a 2.85 FIP over 70.2 innings, and continued to shine throughout the postseason, even earning the Game 1 nod over Zack Greinke in the ALCS. The lefty had a 1.88 ERA and 26:10 K:BB over 24 playoff innings. Don't kick yourself if you did not see this breakout coming. Valdez showed flashes in 2018 but had an ugly 13.4 BB% in 2019 before suddenly finding his control and shaving his walk rate to just 5.6% while adding nearly six percentage points to his strikeout rate. With his heavy sinker-curveball approach, Valdez does a good job keeping the ball on the ground (career 62.8 GB%), but he had a very favorable schedule last season and it's fair to wonder how much of the control gains he might give back.
The young left-hander found success with the Astros in 2018 -- mostly working as a spot starter -- with a 2.19 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 37 innings, and he carried that performance through his first 16 outings in 2019. But Valdez had a 9.66 ERA across his final 31.2 innings and wasn't selected for the playoff roster as a result. The 26-year-old's major issue has always been walks, and his 13.8 BB% last season remains a concern. He looked much more comfortable at Triple-A with a 69:17 K:BB over 44.1 frames, but he was unable to carry that success into the majors. Valdez's hard sinker helped produce a 62.1% groundball rate, but the 25.7 HR/FB% illustrates his general inconsistency. He split time between the rotation and bullpen in 2019, but he seems more likely to benefit the Astros in relief this season given the more reliable starting options on the team.
Despite having made just two appearances above Double-A, Valdez was summoned to the big leagues in late August and went on to make five starts and three relief appearances for the Astros, finishing with an excellent 2.19 ERA. Although the results were impressive, there are reasons to be skeptical. He was never viewed as a particularly interesting prospect and was thought to be ticketed for a bullpen role, which still seems likely as he threw his third pitch (a changeup) just 1.7% of the time. He walked far too many batters (15.6%) -- another sign of a potential bullpen future -- which contributed to a forgettable 4.65 FIP. An excellent 70.3% groundball rate makes the lefty somewhat interesting, but he's far from a lock as a future starter and would certainly have far less fantasy appeal if he ends up in a long-relief role.
More Fantasy News
Tosses seven scoreless innings
PHouston Astros
June 2, 2023
Valdez (6-4) earned the win Friday over the Angels, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out seven over seven scoreless innings.
ANALYSIS
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Collects fifth win
PHouston Astros
May 28, 2023
Valdez (5-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over six innings in a 6-3 victory over the A's. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
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Tosses complete-game shutout
PHouston Astros
May 21, 2023
Valdez (4-4) earned the win Sunday, allowing four hits over nine scoreless innings against Oakland. He struck out seven.
ANALYSIS
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Fans eight in no-decision
PHouston Astros
May 15, 2023
Valdez allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks in Monday's 6-4 win over the Cubs. He struck out eight in four innings and didn't factor into the decision.
ANALYSIS
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Dominates across eight innings
PHouston Astros
May 9, 2023
Valdez (3-4) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits over eight innings against the Angels. He struck out 12.
ANALYSIS
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