Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco was one of the American League’s top pitchers in 2018 but regressed last year in part due to an illness. That he pitched at all was inspiring. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Carrasco’s and the Indians’ 2020 MLB season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Carlos Carrasco Awards Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- AL Cy Young Award: Carrasco is +4000
- Odds to win AL Central : Indians are +275 second-favorites
was a combined 60-36 from 2015-18. He posted double figures in wins each year. In 2017 and 2018 he pitched a combined 392 innings in 64 appearances (62 starts).
was named AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2019 even though he finished with pretty lousy numbers: 6-7 record, 5.29 ERA in 80 innings. However, just the fact he pitched at all was a huge victory. His last ML start came on May 30 at the White Sox (6ER/6.1IP) and as a starter he posted a 4-6 record with a 4.98 ERA in 12 starts (65.0IP, 74H, 36ER, 79SO).
was placed on the injured list in June with a blood condition and it was learned a month later that the illness he was battling was chronic myeloid leukemia. After battling through extreme fatigue in the last few starts before he learned what was wrong with his body, the righty returned with full energy in his minor league rehab assignment.
He returned to the Indians in a relief role in September. In his final six outings, Carrasco had a 3.60 ERA over 10 innings. In his return, Carrasco was greeted with a standing ovation, from fans and players alike, in a road game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“Everybody cares about him,” Manager Terry Francona said. “We’d just like to see him put it all together because we think what’s in there, he can be a pretty special pitcher.”
In October, the 33-year-old right-hander from Venezuela won the Roberto Clemente Award presented for the character he’s shown on and off the field. Then the next month, the AL Comeback Player of the Year.
He has also donated $300,000 to a Venezuelan refugee camp in Colombia and collected more than 12,000 books to promote literacy for children. Through a foundation he formed five years ago, Carrasco has raised more than $2.7 million, mostly for medical supplies in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
“It’s something that I love to do, helping a lot of kids and families,” said Carrasco, a father of five. Carrasco is the third Indians player to win the Clemente award, joining Hall of Famer Jim Thome (2002) and Andre Thornton (1979).
ranks eighth in team history with 1,223 strikeouts and third in club history with an average of 9.37 strikeouts per nine innings, behind Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. Last year, despite his illness, Carrasco struck out 96 batters in 80 innings.
split-changeup is a unique offering that he can use to strike out left- and right-handed batters at any time and in any count, and it’s the reason Carrasco remains a key piece to the Tribe’s rotation for 2020 and beyond. From 2016-18, Carrasco’s strikeout percentage went up from 12.0% to 15.3% and his walks per nine went down from 2.1 to 2.0. He was doing that all while his fastball usage dropped from 52.7% to 44.8%
has the longest tenure of any player on the Indians. He arrived as a prospect in July 2009 — when Cleveland traded the ace starter Cliff Lee to Philadelphia.
This spring, Carrasco was dealing with mild right elbow inflammation and had to slow down his throwing program. Carrasco’s MRI turned up nothing more than minor elbow inflammation, though GM Chris Antonetti still then he thought it unlikely Carrasco would be ready for the start of the season. That shouldn’t be an issue now.
“Every spring after his first outing, he gets mild elbow inflammation,” manager Terry Francona said then. “I would call it more maintenance than anything.”
