Gavin Williams DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams posted his best outing of the season against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. The right-hander went five innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, and struck out seven batters in the win. He gave up a run in the first inning, but settled down nicely after that. In fact, Williams retired 12 of his last 13 batters before exiting the game at 94 pitches. The 25-year-old has the potential to be a top of the line starter, but he's not quite there yet. Williams will get a challenging matchup against the Baltimore Orioles during his next start. Fantasy managers might want to wait and see how that goes before jumping on the waiver wire to add Williams.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams tallied six punchouts across 2 1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. Williams struck out the side in the opening frame. In the second, Williams allowed two baserunners, one via a hit and the other by a hit by pitch. However, he managed to tally three strikeouts to escape the jam. He was given an opportunity to pitch in the third but allowed a leadoff double that eventually scored on an RBI single. Through 4 1/3 innings of work this spring, Williams has tallied nine punchouts and held a 2.08 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP. Last season, the 25-year-old logged 76 innings of work and held a 4.86 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his strikeout upside during camp, as he could be taking the next step in his development. He is expected to operate as the No. 2 starter in the Cleveland rotation this season behind Tanner Bibee.

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams will make the start in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday at Progressive Field against the New York Yankees. Williams made only 16 starts due to an elbow injury for the Guardians during the regular season and went 3-10 with a 4.86 ERA (3.67 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP with 79 strikeouts and 32 walks in 76 innings in his second big-league season, so he'll be a true wild card and a risky DFS option on Thursday against the Bombers in what will be his first start since Sept. 22. In his lone start against the Yankees in the Bronx on Aug. 22, Williams took the loss, allowing three earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking four and striking out five in 4 1/3 innings of work. The 25-year-old was also worse at Progressive Field in 2024, sporting a 6.55 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in his seven starts.