Maybe it's because the Red Sox wouldn't commit to either him and Brandon Workman for their final rotation spot in the weeks leading up to the All-Star break, but for some reason, Rubby De La Rosa is owned in 38 percent of Fantasy leagues. On talent alone, he deserves better than that.
And now that he's likely secured his rotation spot with seven strong innings against the Royals Saturday, he deserves better on merit as well.
In seven major-league starts this season, he has a 2.64 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings. What more do you need to know than that? True, the strikeout rate could be higher for a player with his skill set, but simply knowing he has that skill set should only accentuate his performance so far.
Not every start has been a gem, but he's pitched seven innings or more in four of them and has mostly avoided the control problems that popped up from time to time in the minors. Plus, he's eligible at relief pitcher if that matters in your format.
Jeff Locke, Tom Koehler, Francisco Liriano and Chris Young are just a few of the starting pitchers owned in more leagues than De La Rosa who aren't as valuable as him in my eyes.