When he averaged 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings in his first six starts, recording more than four for every one walk, I quickly became a believer in the Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu. Perhaps too quickly. In nine starts since, he has averaged 5.2 strikeouts per nine innings, recording less than two for every one walk.
Because he's the first player to go straight from the Korean Baseball Organization to the majors, nobody had much of a scouting report on Ryu coming into the season. We've all had to assess him on the fly, his competition included.
I worry there's been an adjustment along the way. Most publications of any authority projected Ryu as more of a middle-of-the-rotation type, and he was better than that in April. He hasn't been bad during his nine starts since, posting a 2.54 ERA, but with a 1.27 WHIP and poor strikeout rate, he hasn't had the look of a Fantasy mainstay.
Maybe he's overdue for an adjustment period of his own, but right now, I'm thinking middle-of-the-rotation sounds about right for Ryu.