Ben Lively

Ben Lively

31-Year-Old PitcherSP
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2023 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Ben Lively in 2023. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year contract with the Reds in November of 2022.
Hits free agency
PFree Agent  
November 7, 2023
Lively elected to become a free agent Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
Lively was removed from the Reds' 40-man roster last month after struggling to a 5.38 ERA over 88.2 innings (12 starts, seven relief appearances) during the 2023 campaign. The 31-year-old right-hander may have to settle for a minor-league contract on the open market this winter.
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Pitching Stats
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2023
2019
2018
2017
2023 MLB Game Log
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Scoring
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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2017 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
73
Last 10 Games
66
Last 5 Games
54
How many pitches does Ben Lively 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+
 
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+
 
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 Ben Lively generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
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 2021
 
 
-18%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-18%
BAA vs RHP
2022
No Stats
2021
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2021vs Left .296 201 36 15 55 10 1 13
Since 2021vs Right .243 182 43 10 41 4 1 7
2023vs Left .296 201 36 15 55 10 1 13
2023vs Right .243 182 43 10 41 4 1 7
2022vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-20%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-20%
ERA at Home
2022
No Stats
2021
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2021Home 4.70 1.30 38.1 2 2 0 9.2 3.8 2.3
Since 2021Away 5.90 1.41 50.1 2 5 0 7.2 1.6 1.8
2023Home 4.70 1.30 38.1 2 2 0 9.2 3.8 2.3
2023Away 5.90 1.41 50.1 2 5 0 7.2 1.6 1.8
2022Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Ben Lively 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.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.16
 
K/9
8.0
 
BB/9
2.5
 
HR/9
2.0
 
Fastball
91.0 mph
 
ERA
5.38
 
WHIP
1.36
 
BABIP
.308
 
GB/FB
1.21
 
Left On Base
73.1%
 
Exit Velocity
82.3 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
5.6%
 
Spin Rate
1949 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
23.8%
 
Swinging Strike
8.9%
 
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
2019
2018
2017
2015
Injuries opened the door for Lively to claim a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day rotation, but the right-hander failed to take advantage of the opportunity. He struggled to a 6.85 ERA and 1.86 WHIP across five starts (23.2 innings) before landing on the disabled list at the end of April with a lower-back injury. Upon activation from the DL, Lively was sent to the minors. A shoulder injury cost the hurler more than two months and limited him to just 52 innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Despite a respectable 2.42 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with the IronPigs, Lively was designated for assignment by Philadelphia in September. He was scooped up by the Royals and spent the remainder of the season in a relief role, posting a 1.35 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB across 6.2 innings. While Lively's exact role remains undetermined heading into 2019, he likely won't be a factor in the fantasy world given his 4.95 FIP and 6.0 K/9 across parts of two big-league seasons.
On the surface, Lively's rookie season looks like something of a success as he posted a respectable 4.26 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 88.2 innings. Dig just a little deeper, though, and it becomes clear that his ERA was far lower than he deserved. He strikes out very few batters (5.3 K/9) and doesn't get many groundballs (38.2 percentage, well below the league average of 44.2 percent). Consequently, advanced ERA estimators suggest that his ERA could have been over a run higher (5.58 xFIP, 5.27 SIERA). He was good at limiting the free passes, issuing walks at just a 2.4 BB/9 clip, but he can't afford much giveback there with all the contact and flyballs. While Lively figures to have a job out of camp, his upside is limited and he could find himself back at Triple-A with a few bad outings.
Lively began 2016 with Double-A Reading, registering an impressive 1.87 ERA in nine starts. This earned him a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley midway through the season. His numbers dipped a little there, but he still fared relatively well. One thing that helped Lively keep his ERA down in Triple-A was a 2.07 BB/9, showcasing his strong command. However, his potential as an eventual major league starter has been limited by his inability to consistently generate strikeouts, which was evidenced by his 6.95 K/9 in Double-A in 2015 and 6.88 in Triple-A in 2016. The Phillies added Lively to their 40-man roster following the 2016 season in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, but it is still likely that he'll begin 2017 in Triple-A, with a shot to join the big league rotation later on.
A fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft out of the University of Central Florida, Lively flew in a little under the prospect radar before last year, but dominated the High-A California League before holding his own at Double-A over the second half of the season. Much like organization-mate Tony Cingrani, scouts aren't in love with Lively's repertoire of pitches, suggesting that his command and ability to use what he has won't last as he progresses up the ladder. For what it's worth, Lively's walk rate more than doubled at Pensacola, suggesting that the scouts might be right about him. He'll likely begin 2015 back in Double-A, and he's behind Robert Stephenson and Mike Lorenzen on the team's prospect list.
More Fantasy News
Sent outright to Triple-A
PCincinnati Reds  
October 18, 2023
Cincinnati outrighted Lively to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Needed for bulk relief
PCincinnati Reds  
September 20, 2023
Lively allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out four over four relief innings in Tuesday's 7-0 loss to the Twins.
ANALYSIS
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Slated for bulk relief Tuesday
PCincinnati Reds  
September 19, 2023
Lively is expected to work as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Fernando Cruz in Tuesday's game against the Twins, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Allows three runs in bulk relief
PCincinnati Reds  
September 15, 2023
Lively allowed three runs on four hits over 4.1 innings against the Tigers on Thursday. He struck out four and did not issue any walks.
ANALYSIS
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Activated, set for bulk duty
PCincinnati Reds  
September 14, 2023
Lively (illness) was activated from the COVID-19-related injured list Thursday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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