If you like what you’re reading then you will like my 2015 Fantasy Baseball Guide! Last year’s fantasy guide was more than 150,000 words and had 440 player profiles (of hitters and pitchers). My approach to player evaluation is to ask questions about what the player has done in the past and what he may do in the future. I certainly provide a narrative on how I feel a player will perform, but I also ask a lot of open ended questions that I hope will get you thinking about the information I’ve provided.

What’s not to like about Max Scherzer? Since 2009 he’s made at least 30 starts every year. In past three seasons he’s averaged 241 strikeouts with a 3.24 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.

One troubling trend is the lower strikeout rate last year compared to 2013. The reason for the lower strikeout rate was because he threw the slider less; instead opting to throw the curveball more. Some fantasy owners may be concerned about the decreased fastball velocity, but it’s important to note his velocity has varied wildly from year to year. Also, a decrease in velocity does not mean it will negatively affect his performance and statistics. Most of the reason why his velocity was “down” was due to the first month of the season. Once the season got going his velocity improved. The last thing I’ll say about his velocity is his max velocity 98.2 mph was on par to the max velocity he’s shown in the past.

Scherzer can be fly ball heavy, but in the last two years he’s been able to limit the HR/FB rate to 7.5-7.6%, which is substantially lower than in the years prior. This indicates he’s figured out a way to limit home runs.

In regards to him landing with the Nationals I couldn’t think of a better situation for him to land in. He leaves the AL, gets the face to the NL East, the worst division in baseball and to a slightly better ballpark. He’s in his prime and is one of the safest bets heading in 2015.

My 2015 projection for Scherzer is 210 IP, 2.95 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 237 Ks and 14 wins.