The first half of 2017 was not a good time to be a Masahiro Tanaka fan. Beginning with the very first day of the season, in which Tanaka pitched an absolute stinker against the Tampa Bay Rays, it seemed like every fifth day brought a new low for Tanaka. However, he improved markedly in the second half, posting a 3.77 ERA and pitching gems in all of his postseason starts.
About a month ago, I argued that Tanaka was poised for a similar second-half performance in 2018 as well. I noted that Tanaka’s mediocre first half wasn’t the result of a decline in ability, as he wasn’t allowing hard contact on the daily.