Fansided · Aug 22, 2018
Chris Archer And The Leadoff Batter
Chris Archer has struggled some this season, and he has posted a 4.41 ERA (4.91 in Pittsburgh), which would be a career low. Part of the struggles is that he allows the first batter of the inning to do damage against him.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Chris Archer, the move represented not a move for just 2018, but for three years following with Archer projecting as a 4.0 win pitcher according to Baseball Prospectus in each of those years. While in name recognition the Pirates gave up a lot of talent, the trade, like almost all, was balanced in the projected value being exchanged.