Kevin Gausman DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman logged six innings and allowed two earned runs and three hits en route to earning the victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday evening. He struck out four and served up one free pass. He did not allow a baserunner in the first two innings. His first blemish came in the third, when Jackson Holliday hit a solo shot. Later in the fourth, Gausman would run into some more trouble as he served up a leadoff walk to Adley Rutschman, who would eventually score on a Tyler O'Neill sacrifice fly. Over his final two innings, he would only allow one hit to conclude his outing. This was a strong start for Gausman as he struggled to find consistency throughout the 2024 season, as he posted a modest 3.85 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He will look to have another quality start on Wednesday when he faces the Nationals.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman threw a live batting practice session on Sunday in camp and will have one more "and then get into games," according to manager John Schneider. Gausman isn't dealing with a specific injury, but he's a little bit behind the other starting pitchers in spring training. However, the 34-year-old should be fully stretched out for Opening Day at the end of March. He notably bulked up in the offseason in order to help him navigate the rigors of a full season in 2025 after he saw his strikeout rate fall to 21.4 percent in 2024. In addition to that, Gausman also had a 7.4 percent walk rate, which was his highest mark since 2017. He made 31 starts last year but also had a shoulder injury last spring, which might have been the culprit for his velocity being down. At his age, it's fair to wonder if he'll be able to get his strikeout rate back up in 2025.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman has put on some weight this offseason, making him appear "sturdier," according to manager John Schneider. Gausman said that adding some weight is typical, knowing that he'll lose some of the added pounds as the season progresses, but intimated that this might be the first time he remains over 200 pounds for the entirety of the campaign. Nevertheless, the 6-foot-2 hurler is expected to fill the ace role again for the Jays in 2025, although he may not be an ace for fantasy any longer. Last season, the righty posted a 3.83 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 14.0% K-BB%. Even though he finished strong by recording a 2.22 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over his final nine starts, many of his underlying stats contradicted that outcome, with his K%, BB%, SwStr%, xFIP, and SIERA coming in worse when compared to his first 22 starts, so make sure not to overpay when drafting.