Kevin Gausman

Kevin Gausman

32-Year-Old PitcherSP
Toronto Blue Jays
2023 Fantasy Outlook
After signing a five-year, $110 million contract with the Blue Jays last winter, Gausman had to pay his toll to the BABIP Gods. He did so in the form of a .363 BABIP, which inflated his numbers well beyond where they probably "should" have been. In fact, Gausman had the second-best FIP among all qualified starters at 2.38, trailing only Carlos Rodon. The split-finger pitch is what helped Gausman take his career to the next level, and it's not usual for splitter-slider pitchers to see a good deal of BABIP variance though Gausman is not a particularly heavy groundball pitcher. Gausman shaved his walk rate to a career-low 3.9% and the surface stats seem destined to get in line with the skills in short order. He will look for better results at Rogers Centre (4.57 ERA last season). Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#66
ADP
$Signed a five-year, $110 million contract with the Blue Jays in November of 2021.
Not dealing with injury
PToronto Blue Jays
March 25, 2023
Gausman is not dealing with an injury and will pitch in a minor-league game Sunday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
ANALYSIS
Gausman was originally scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Tigers, but it looks like the Blue Jays simply altered their plans. He could have pitched in a Grapefruit League game against the Yankees on Sunday, but he'll face minor-leaguers instead to give the Yankees' big-league bats fewer reps against him.
Read More News
Pitching Stats
Loading Pitching Stats...
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2022 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Pitching Game Log...
2021 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Pitching Game Log...
2020 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Pitching Game Log...
2019 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Pitching Game Log...
2018 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Pitching Game Log...
2017 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Pitching Game Log...
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Pitching Game Log...
Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
90
Last 10 Games
90
Last 5 Games
87
How many pitches does Kevin Gausman 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 Kevin Gausman 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 2020
 
 
-10%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-16%
BAA vs LHP
2021
 
 
-3%
BAA vs RHP
2020
 
 
-5%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2020vs Left .225 800 229 39 170 35 7 16
Since 2020vs Right .249 943 281 55 218 39 3 27
2022vs Left .244 291 76 6 69 14 2 4
2022vs Right .292 434 129 22 119 21 2 11
2021vs Left .213 385 114 26 76 14 3 8
2021vs Right .206 390 113 24 74 15 1 12
2020vs Left .217 124 39 7 25 7 2 4
2020vs Right .229 119 39 9 25 3 0 4
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-40%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-50%
ERA on Road
2021
 
 
-32%
ERA on Road
2020
 
 
-28%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2020Home 4.03 1.25 196.1 12 12 0 11.3 2.2 1.0
Since 2020Away 2.40 1.03 229.0 17 7 0 10.3 1.8 0.9
2022Home 4.57 1.41 80.2 4 7 0 10.6 1.6 1.1
2022Away 2.30 1.09 94.0 8 3 0 10.5 1.3 0.5
2021Home 3.44 1.05 83.2 6 4 0 10.8 2.7 0.8
2021Away 2.33 1.03 108.1 8 2 0 10.6 2.1 1.1
2020Home 4.22 1.34 32.0 2 1 0 14.3 2.8 1.1
2020Away 3.04 0.86 26.2 1 2 0 8.8 2.0 1.4
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Kevin Gausman 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
7.32
 
K/9
10.6
 
BB/9
1.4
 
HR/9
0.8
 
Fastball
95.0 mph
 
ERA
3.35
 
WHIP
1.24
 
BABIP
.376
 
GB/FB
1.27
 
Left On Base
73.8%
 
Exit Velocity
80.4 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.7%
 
Spin Rate
2024 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
21.9%
 
Swinging Strike
15.9%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
Loading Advanced Pitching Stats...
Defensive Stats
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Stats Vs Today's Lineup
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Kevin Gausman See More
RotoWire Roundtable: Fantasy Baseball Top 300 Final Update
2 days ago
The RotoWire Roundtable crew is back with their final update of the spring, with injuries shaking things up as early as the back half of the first round.
Top MLB Win Total Bets For 2023
4 days ago
Drew Silva checks out the MLB win totals market and identifies his favorite bets as Opening Day nears. Can Corbin Carroll fuel a big season in Arizona?
Collette Calls: My AL Tout Wars Team
5 days ago
Jason Collette breaks down his AL Tout Wars roster, which features Mariners phenom Julio Rodriguez leading the way.
Mound Musings: A Look at Pitching in the AL East
10 days ago
Brad Johnson continues his analysis of pitching in each division with the AL East, where in Toronto Johnson anticipates Alek Manoah will have another spectacular season.
RotoWire Roundtable: Mid-March Fantasy Baseball Top 300 Update
11 days ago
The RotoWire Roundtable Rankings feature a new player at the top, with Ronald Acuna slipping past Trea Turner to lead a tightly-packed top five.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
Gausman was non-tendered by the Reds on Dec. 2, 2019. He agreed to a five-year, $110 million contract with the Blue Jays on Nov. 28, 2021. The payday was well deserved for Gausman, who emerged to become one of the National League's premier arms in his two seasons with the Giants. The name of the game with Gausman is the splitter which has proven close to unhittable in the low-80s while playing off his mid-90s four-seam fastball. He does not have the high groundball rate one might expect with the heavy split-finger approach (41.9 GB% the past two seasons), and that could prove somewhat problematic in the brutal AL East. However, there is nothing to suggest this new profile he's established will collapse soon from a performance standpoint, and he's been a workhorse, reaching 30 starts in four of his last five full seasons. Invest with confidence despite the relatively late career breakout.
Gausman doubled his salary with his 2020 performance, landing an $18.9 million qualifying offer for 2021 after signing with the Giants for $9 million last winter. The right-hander did not rack up enough innings during the shortened 2020 season to qualify, but among the 81 pitchers who threw at least 50 innings, Gausman ranked 11th in strikeout rate (32.2 K%) and 16th in FIP (3.09). Gausman leaned heavily on his split-finger pitch to balance his 95-mph four-seamer, and opponents combined to hit just .106 with a .202 SLG against the splitter (411 thrown). The west region was generally favorable with the geographical scheduling last season, though all but one of Gausman's five road appearances were against the Dodgers or Rockies. There are simply not a lot of holes to poke in his season, and Gausman's health history has been mostly spotless over the past half decade aside from some shoulder trouble in 2019.
Last year was a tale of two seasons for Gausman. Atlanta tried to get one more season out of him as a starter, but a sore shoulder in spring training was a sign of things to come, and he was waived by Atlanta in late July. He could still miss bats, but his two-pitch approach led to too many hits as a starter. Cincinnati claimed him off waivers and threw him in the bullpen, and that is when things got interesting. Gausman had a 26.8 K-BB% while striking out nearly one-third of the hitters he faced and reduced his opponents' batting average by 33 points while adding nearly two mph to his fastball. He was nonetheless non-tendered by the Reds and then signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Giants. He will likely be given a chance to re-establish his value as a starting pitcher, with the fallback option of letting him dominate in the bullpen. Either way, he could be trade bait at the deadline.
Maybe it was leaving Camden Yards, the AL East, moving to the National League or simply the uplifting feeling of pitching on a playoff-bound team, but being dealt to Atlanta agreed with Gausman. After the deadline trade, he registered a 2.87 ERA and 1.14 WHIP despite fanning just 44 in 59.2 innings. Gausman recorded a 4.43 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with Baltimore, but his 4.06 xFIP before the trade was actually better than the 4.46 mark recorded after. His 16.7% HR/FB pre-deal was over twice as high as the 7.8% level post-swap. In addition, Gausman's BABIP with the Orioles was .317 compared to .260 with the Braves. The factors listed above likely helped Gausman's numbers, but he was due for some positive regression. With a full year in Atlanta on tap, expect another correction from last season's two-month sample. Unless he improves on last season's 19.1 K%, Gausman will remain subject to the whims of variance.
Following what seemed to be a sustainable breakout year, hopes were high for Gausman in 2017. Despite an unsightly 4.68 ERA and 1.49 WHIP, things weren’t as bad as they appear. In fact, if you snatched him off waivers for the second half, you were rewarded with a 3.41 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Gausman is on record as explaining he altered his mechanics mid-season, squaring his shoulders more towards home plate as opposed to edging a bit to the third-base side. He credits the change for gaining confidence in his splitter. The numbers agree as before the adjustment, he was sporting a 6.1 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 as compared to 10.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 after. Unfortunately, homers remained an issue until September when he only allowed three long balls in 35 stanzas, his only month with a HR/9 below 1.23. For the season, he surrendered 29 homers in 186.2 innings. It’s a risk, but if you have some dependable innings in the bank, Gausman offers the kind of upside needed to win leagues.
Gausman was essentially the same exact pitcher in the 2015 and 2016 with a nine percent difference in strand rate accounting for the ERA drop. He also added 67 innings for a career-high 180. Despite a carbon copy final line, he improved in-season. His curveball went from being a disaster to a plus pitch in the final two months while his splitter went from plus to plus-plus. He wound up with a 2.83 ERA and 3.6 K:BB in 76.1 innings over those final two months. Homers have been a problem in three of his four seasons and he needs to keep the ball in the yard if he's going to cash in on the No. 2 starter upside of his stuff and skills. He did have a 1.1 HR/9 in that late season stretch, but that's only good in comparison to the 1.7 he had the first four months. Considering this was just his first full season and he's still only 26, we can grant him some leeway and still bet on the upside.
The growth of young players is not linear. It’s a mantra worth repeating, especially for young pitchers. Perhaps it should be altered with the tag “in ERA” for them, because there is a case that Gausman did take another step forward and show some linear growth from his 2014. His strikeout, walk, swinging strike, groundball, and soft-contact rates all got better, but he tacked 0.68 runs onto his ERA and threw one fewer inning than 2014, so it doesn’t feel like progress from a fantasy standpoint. This is why even 112 innings is still a small sample that can mislead, as two disaster starts cost him 0.75 runs in ERA. Those starts count, we can’t just ignore them, but they have a disproportionate effect on his bottom line and obscure the good in his season. The ideal next step would be the Orioles leaving him in the rotation all season so he can improve the finer points of pitching, like sequencing and working through lineups three times. Shoulder tendinitis has his availability for his first turn in the rotation up in the air, so he should be slightly discounted on draft day.
Gausman’s emergence is one of the reasons that Ubaldo Jimenez's flop didn’t really hurt the Orioles last season. The young righty didn’t even reach the majors until mid-May and he wasn’t permanently installed in the rotation until early June, but they were still able to get a couple wins of value from their prized prospect in just 113 innings. He has a potent four-pitch arsenal, but he needs to learn to trust his changeup more and refine the slider so he isn’t relying on his fastball nearly 70 percent of the time. Of course when you average 96 mph with your heater, it’s easy to lean on that pitch as much as Gausman did. He is still learning to pitch, though, and he showed flashes of putting it all together, especially down the stretch with a 3.45 ERA and 3.0 K/BB ratio in his final 10 starts. There is frontline potential here, but it won’t necessarily all come at once. As a result, don't pay for 200 innings of a low-3.00s ERA just yet.
The Orioles wasted no time in promoting Gausman after eight Double-A starts, but he floundered as a starter, before returning to help as a reliever as the Orioles contended down the stretch. A closer examination of his advanced stats reveals reasons to be encouraged, as he carried a 9.3 K/9 in the big leagues. One issue for Gausman was his 18.6% HR/FB, a number that will certainly come down as he continues to get experience. However, he maintained the velocity for which he was touted, flashing a fastball in the 96 mph range. The Orioles figure to enter spring training with a bevy of rotation candidates, but with an impressive spring showing, Gausman should make the rotation. If he struggles, he'll start the season at Triple-A Norfolk.
Widely regarded as the top college pitching prospect in the 2012 draft, Gausman made a brief set of appearances in short-season and High-A before starting a Double-A playoff game. Gausman throws a fastball and a changeup, but he alternated his use of a curveball and slider during his last college season. As a starter he will probably throw both of them going forward, but they need work. Gausman seems likely to start the season in Double-A with a midseason promotion possible. He could even see time in Baltimore at some point in 2013.
More Fantasy News
Not starting Saturday
PToronto Blue Jays
Undisclosed
March 25, 2023
Gausman was scratched from his scheduled spring start Saturday against the Tigers for undisclosed reasons, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Dominates Bucs on Wednesday
PToronto Blue Jays
March 16, 2023
Gausman allowed two hits and two walks over 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out seven in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Shuts down Atlanta
PToronto Blue Jays
March 10, 2023
Gausman gave up two hits and struck out two over 3.2 scoreless innings in Thursday's split-squad game against Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Fans three in first spring action
PToronto Blue Jays
March 4, 2023
Gausman gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out three over 1.2 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Making first spring start
PToronto Blue Jays
March 3, 2023
Gausman will make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Rays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.