Aside from missing nearly six weeks with a strained oblique, there wasn't much about Alex Cobb's 2014 season for the Rays that Fantasy owners could complain about. He still made a career-high 27 starts and posted his second straight season with a sub-3.00 ERA, while trimming his WHIP to 1.14. Yet there is still plenty of room for Cobb to improve in 2015.
In a recent blog post, I identified five starting pitchers whose sagging strikeout rates could spell trouble next season, but even though Cobb's K/9 ratio fell from 8.4 to 8.1, he was not included. Though Cobb's strikeout rate was merely average for a standard mixed league starter, the surge in his swinging strike rate from 9.9 to 11.9 percent suggests he could be far from ordinary. Cobb's strikeout rate was dampened by decreases in called strikes and foul balls, but higher rates in both 2012 and 2013 show he is capable of getting more strikes, and in the process, more Ks.
From his return from the disabled list on May 22 forward, Cobb was the 28th-ranked starting pitcher in standard Rotisserie leagues and 31st in Head-to-Head leagues, but owners can expect far more from Cobb next season. Not only is he poised for a boost in strikeouts, but he should rebound from the majors' ninth-lowest level of run support among qualifying starters. Cobb deserved much better than a 10-9 record, and when you couple an increase in wins with an enhanced ERA, WHIP and strikeout total, you have the makings of a potential ace.