Pablo López's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez threw seven one-run innings in a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. Lopez was brilliant in this one, allowing just four hits while striking out seven and walking none. The only damage against him was a leadoff homer from Maikel Garcia, after which he was nearly perfect. This is just another reminder that you have to take Spring Training numbers with a grain of salt, as Lopez had a pretty brutal spring with a 7.07 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. He should be a fantasy ace as long as he can remain healthy.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez has not looked like the ace-tier fantasy option fantasy managers are hoping for this spring. The 28-year-old has gone 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. While this is not encouraging for fantasy managers, they should remember that spring samples are small and that established players like Lopez may use the time to work on aspects of their game without concern for results. Lopez should still be considered a high-end fantasy option, as he had a solid 3.66 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 29.2% strikeout rate in 32 starts and 194 IP in 2023.

Minnesota Twins Opening Day starter Pablo Lopez and closer Jhoan Duran were beat up in the team's 12-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. In total, Twins pitchers allowed 17 hits. Lopez, who struck out two and gave up three hits in his two innings of work, surrendered a two-run homer to infielder Ramon Urias. Fantasy managers should take spring results with a grain of salt. Duran, a 26-year-old Dominican reliever, saved a career-high 27 games for the Twins in 2023 and has been excellent in his two seasons in Minnesota, sporting a 2.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 35 saves, 41 walks and 173 K's in 130 relief innings. He's also one of the league's hardest throwers, as he led baseball with 473 pitches thrown at or above 100 mph. Not only does Duran strike out a lot of hitters, but he also keeps the ball on the ground. He is RotoBaller's fourth-ranked fantasy closer.

Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli announced on the radio on Wednesday that right-hander Pablo Lopez will be the team's Opening Day starter in 2024. It's a pretty early announcement, but it speaks to the confidence the Twins have in Lopez, who made his first All-Star team in 2023 and went 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA (3.33 FIP) and 1.15 WHIP while walking 48 and striking out a career-high 234 batters in 32 starts covering a career-high 194 innings in his first year in Minnesota. The 32-year-old has now made 64 starts in the last two seasons, but he's still never gone over 200 innings in his six years in the big leagues and is still somewhat of an injury concern. Adding a sweeper to his repertoire led to a career-high 29.2% strikeout rate. Assuming he can stay healthy all year again, Lopez is a fine target as a high-end No. 2 fantasy starter.