There's no denying Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has been one of the more disappointing Fantasy options to start the season. His high walk rate has gotten him into plenty of trouble, and Wheeler is feeling the urgency to "turn it around," as he said after his latest loss Sunday against the Nationals.
While it's time to bench Wheeler in Fantasy, it's not time to give up on him entirely. You know he's too good of a talent, and it appears he's ready to work on what needs to be fixed.
Perhaps one of the more encouraging stats is that his FIP -- which is an estimate of what his ERA would be using the factors that a pitcher can influence directly, including strikeouts, walks, hit batters and home runs -- is 3.84, which is just over a point lower than his actual ERA (4.89), per FanGraphs.com. His BABIP is also .340, which is well above the league average for starters (.296).
As you would expect, there are plenty more numbers we could throw at you showing Wheeler is off the norm, but his rocky start is a good indication of that. Wheeler did have a high walk rate in the minors (4.0 BB/9), but he counteracted with a good strikeout rate and giving up less hits than he is now. Wheeler has the potential to get back to that level, which is why I'm more inclined to bench him than drop him.