Day-To-Day
Injury Ankle
2020 Stats
W-L
5-4
ERA
3.74
WHIP
1.38
K
92
SV
0
2021 Projections
2021 Fantasy Outlook
One of the greatest pitchers of his generation, Scherzer is still going strong at 36 years old. He was famously scratched from Game 5 of the 2019 World Series with neck and back spasms, and dealt with a side issue in spring training before the season was suspended. The right-hander then battled a hamstring injury early in August, but Scherzer ended up taking the ball 12 times for the Nationals and totaling 67.1 innings (23rd in MLB). While the results may not have been quite what we have come to expect from Scherzer, he remained among the elite starting pitchers in terms of strikeout rate (31.2%). His opponents' hit rate and HR/9 were career worsts, and his 7.8 BB% was his worst mark in a decade, hinting at a bit of lost command as Father Time closes in. The dip in performance and recent injuries have created a slight discount as he's going in the second or third round on average in early drafts. Read Past Outlooks

Tracking toward Friday start
Scherzer (ankle) is lined up to start Friday against the Cardinals if his bullpen session Wednesday goes well, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Scherzer came into camp carrying a left ankle sprain, though the Nationals have never seemed particularly worried about the issue. He's being brought along somewhat cautiously but still has plenty of time to get up to speed by the start of the season. The veteran has yet to throw a live batting practice session, but the team is comfortable throwing him right into game action as long as he checks out fine after his bullpen session.
Scherzer came into camp carrying a left ankle sprain, though the Nationals have never seemed particularly worried about the issue. He's being brought along somewhat cautiously but still has plenty of time to get up to speed by the start of the season. The veteran has yet to throw a live batting practice session, but the team is comfortable throwing him right into game action as long as he checks out fine after his bullpen session.
Pitching Stats
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2020
2019
2018
2017
2020 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
101
Last 10 Games
100
Last 5 Games
112
How many pitches does Max Scherzer generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Max Scherzer generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2018
-21%
BAA vs RHP
2020
-37%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2018vs Left | .236 | 283 | 67 | 200 | 28 | |||
Since 2018vs Right | .187 | 349 | 39 | 161 | 21 | |||
2020vs Left | .314 | 40 | 12 | 43 | 5 | |||
2020vs Right | .197 | 49 | 10 | 24 | 3 | |||
2019vs Left | .255 | 102 | 23 | 76 | 11 | |||
2019vs Right | .193 | 141 | 10 | 68 | 7 | |||
2018vs Left | .197 | 141 | 32 | 81 | 12 | |||
2018vs Right | .179 | 159 | 19 | 69 | 11 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2018
-12%
ERA on Road
2020
-34%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2018Home | 3.01 | 1.03 | 263.1 | 12.5 | 2.3 | ||||
Since 2018Away | 2.65 | 1.02 | 197.0 | 12.2 | 1.8 | ||||
2020Home | 4.42 | 1.45 | 36.2 | 12.8 | 3.7 | ||||
2020Away | 2.93 | 1.30 | 30.2 | 11.7 | 2.3 | ||||
2019Home | 3.16 | 1.09 | 94.0 | 12.4 | 2.2 | ||||
2019Away | 2.64 | 0.96 | 78.1 | 13.0 | 1.1 | ||||
2018Home | 2.51 | 0.87 | 132.2 | 12.6 | 2.0 | ||||
2018Away | 2.56 | 0.97 | 88.0 | 11.8 | 2.3 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Max Scherzer compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
4.00K/9
12.3BB/9
3.1HR/9
1.3Fastball
94.7 mphERA
3.74WHIP
1.38BABIP
.380GB/FB
0.97Left On Base
79.7%Exit Velocity
81.5 mphBarrels/BBE
5.0%Spin Rate
2308 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
23.5%Swinging Strike
15.6%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
For the first time since 2012, Scherzer failed to eclipse the 200-inning plateau as he visited the IL twice. His first stint was due to an inflamed bursa sac, requiring a cortisone injection. Soon after coming back, Scherzer returned to the IL, this time with a rhomboid strain. He was activated Aug. 22 and it wasn't long before he was back to being Mad Max, fanning 54 over his final 38 innings. Scherzer had another scare in the playoffs as he was scratched from Game 5 of the World Series before starting Game 7. By the numbers, Scherzer's strikeout and walk rates were typically elite but his average exit velocity was the highest since Statcast began tracking in 2015, leading to his highest WHIP since 2014. Scherzer's 35-year-old arm has a lot of mileage and injury concerns are real. The result is Scherzer will be discounted. He's still elite, but could be risky for the "one year too late" crowd.
More Fantasy News

Could move to live BP soon
Scherzer (ankle) looked good in Friday's bullpen session and could be ready to throw live batting practice beginning this week, Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Turns in another bullpen session
Nationals skipper Dave Martinez said that Scherzer (ankle) completed a 40-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Throws off mound
Scherzer (ankle) threw off a mound Tuesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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Throws from 60 feet
Scherzer (ankle) felt good after throwing from 60 feet Sunday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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No long-term concerns with ankle
Scherzer has no long-term concerns about the health of his sprained ankle and is ready to get back on a mound as soon as he's cleared to do so, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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