Jakob Junis

Jakob Junis

32-Year-Old PitcherRP
Cincinnati Reds
2024 Fantasy Outlook
San Francisco has a strong track record of taking pitching castoffs from other organizations and making them into useful assets. In the case of Junis, it was almost an extreme makeover because Kansas City's pitching development did little to make Junis better and even Junis's first year with the Giants could only get so much out of him as a starter. The club decided to turn Junis into a reliever in 2023 and he rewarded them and NL Only fantasy managers with a 20.4% K-BB% along with 96 strikeouts in 86 innings and 4 wins. The righty's best pitch has always been his slider, so the Giants encouraged him to spin it early and often, and he did so throwing it 62.5% of the time. It is a good thing he did too because his sinker was safely put into play 42% of the time and his changeup 27% of the time. Junis is at his best in a White Castle Special of heavy sliders, but the lack of an effective second pitch pigeonholes his role in the pen. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#410
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Brewers in February of 2024. Traded to the Reds in July of 2024. Contract includes mutual option ($3 million buyout) for 2025.
Allows two runs in no-decision
PCincinnati Reds
September 25, 2024
Junis did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Guardians, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with three strikeouts over five innings.
ANALYSIS
Junis shook off a leadoff homer by Steven Kwan and mostly pitched well, throwing 48 of 72 pitches for strikes. The 32-year-old has completed at least five innings while yielding two earned runs or fewer in each of his last four starts. He'll finish the season with a 2.69 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 67 innings with the Brewers and Reds.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
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2023 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
39
Last 10 Games
48
Last 5 Games
69
How many pitches does Jakob Junis 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 Jakob Junis 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
 
 
 
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8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-12%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-11%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-5%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-23%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .273 459 92 25 116 29 4 16
Since 2022vs Right .240 639 153 29 143 39 1 17
2024vs Left .218 105 20 3 22 2 1 5
2024vs Right .193 148 31 5 27 10 0 3
2023vs Left .259 126 28 11 29 10 1 4
2023vs Right .274 241 68 10 61 13 0 8
2022vs Left .307 228 44 11 65 17 2 7
2022vs Right .235 250 54 14 55 16 1 6
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-1%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-40%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-28%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-9%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 3.78 1.15 126.1 3 4 0 9.0 1.9 1.0
Since 2022Away 3.83 1.21 138.2 10 6 2 7.7 1.8 1.2
2024Home 1.99 0.63 31.2 1 0 0 7.4 1.1 0.3
2024Away 3.31 1.05 35.1 3 0 1 6.4 1.0 1.8
2023Home 4.62 1.32 37.0 0 1 0 11.4 2.2 1.2
2023Away 3.31 1.27 49.0 4 2 1 9.0 2.2 1.3
2022Home 4.21 1.32 57.2 2 3 0 8.4 2.0 1.2
2022Away 4.64 1.27 54.1 3 4 0 7.3 2.0 0.8
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Jakob Junis compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 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 30 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
6.38
 
K/9
6.9
 
BB/9
1.1
 
HR/9
1.1
 
Fastball
92.0 mph
 
ERA
2.69
 
WHIP
0.85
 
BABIP
.229
 
GB/FB
1.10
 
Left On Base
76.4%
 
Exit Velocity
83.3 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
5.6%
 
Spin Rate
2270 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
30.0%
 
Swinging Strike
11.0%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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42 days ago
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2021
2020
2019
2018
Junis has spent a career trying to find something to go along with his slider and his command of the strikezone, but has yet to find anything else. Kansas City was not exactly known for great pitching development in his time there, so the move to San Franciso was interesting because of their track record of turning castaways into treasure. The Giants had Junis really lean into the slider and took away his very hittable four-seamer to see what would work. The problem became his sinker was even more hittable than his four-seamer, and the changeup they gave him lacks any redeeming characteristics. Junis made 17 starts, but such a limited repertoire in both depth and effectiveness is playing with fire depending on the matchups because he historically has issues with lefties. The best outcome we can hope for here is a full-time conversion to reliever and him going Matt Wisler with the slider and throwing it 90% of the time. Until that happens, he is not worth rostering.
The Royals have a type of pitcher they like, as evidenced by Brad Keller and Junis. Throw fastballs and sliders, and we'll try to see what happens. That has been the case with Junis, and the slider is easily his best pitch. He leveraged it successfully in both 2018 and 2019, throwing it with a high degree of success to hide his rather hittable fastball. Do whatever you will with the small sample of 2020, but the fact remains Junis was getting strikeouts despite his limitations in other seasons. The main issue is his repertoire leaves him susceptible to lefties who have little trouble hitting him, so he attempts to pitch around them and get to the next righty in the lineup. He can contribute strikeouts to your bottom line, but they'll come at the expense of your ratios. He does not walk many, but the non-slider offerings are too hittable.
After being a league average pitcher for a couple of seasons, Junis fell back last year, exhibiting poorer control while allowing harder contact. The result was a bloated 1.43 WHIP along with a lofty 5.43 ERA. The damage could have been worse, except Junis did a slightly better job keeping the ball in the yard despite the reduced-drag ball. Junis features a 92-mph fastball, slider, sinker and change. His slider is his most effective pitch as he throws it 10-mph slower than his heater, whereas his sinker is just a tick below 92 and his changeup is a scant seven-mph slower. Junis' swinging-strike rate has increased the last two seasons, but the overall leap from 8.9% to 9.8% isn't enough to significantly improve his strikeout rate. Junis could revert to 2017-2018 levels, and a league average hurler can be an asset, especially in formats facilitating streaming. However, the days of hoping for more are over.
There has been a push to have pitchers throw fewer fastballs and use their secondary pitches more frequently. It goes against the mantra of getting ahead early with fastballs and putting guys away with non-strikes, but if there were ever a pitcher for this theory, it is Junis. He has a gorgeous slider that looks like a confused Florida tourist as it tries to find the exit for Disney World. It stops, looks around and changes directions without a turn signal. The problem for Junis is that it is his only good pitch, as the rest of his stuff grades out as below league average. This is why he gave up 32 homers in 30 starts while pitching in a division that had just one team with a winning record. The slider is so good that his splits are not as bad as one would assume them to be, but the home runs are a problem that offsets what he brings to the table with a 16.0 K-BB%.
With Junis, the sum is greater than the parts. He doesn't throw especially hard, averaging just over 91 mph with his fastball. His slider has good sweeping movement, but it does not result in a whole lot of swings out of the zone (8.9 percent swinging-strike rate) or groundballs (40.1 percent groundball rate). However, by commanding those two pitches and mixing in occasional curveballs and changeups, Junis found a good amount of success in his debut with the Royals, especially in the second half (3.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 52:9 K:BB). It's impossible to project him for a 3.5 percent walk rate -- his post-ASG mark -- over the course of a full season, but Junis has a strong track record of control in the minor leagues, and workload is not a big concern after he totaled 169.1 innings between the majors and Triple-A last season. He should have a rotation spot out of camp, and the home park is a big plus in his favor.
More Fantasy News
Start pushed back to Wednesday
PCincinnati Reds
September 24, 2024
Junis has been scratched from Tuesday's start versus the Guardians due to personal reasons and will start Wednesday's series finale in Cleveland instead, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Gets no support
PCincinnati Reds
September 18, 2024
Junis didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing one run on two hits with no walks across six innings. He struck out six.
ANALYSIS
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Sharp again in no-decision
PCincinnati Reds
September 12, 2024
Junis didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Cardinals, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. He struck out three.
ANALYSIS
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Strong start wasted Saturday
PCincinnati Reds
September 8, 2024
Junis came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Mets, allowing one hit and one walk over five scoreless innings. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
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Drawing start Saturday
PCincinnati Reds
September 6, 2024
Junis will start Saturday's game against the Mets, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Good chance to stick in rotation
PMilwaukee Brewers
April 4, 2024
Manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday the Brewers will "probably" utilize a six-man starting rotation for most of April, reports Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, so Junis should retain his rotation spot.
ANALYSIS
Milwaukee had a scheduled day off Thursday but now is scheduled for 26 games in the next 27 days, so Murphy apparently plans to use a six-man unit to ease the workload on the starting pitchers. That's good news for Junis, who appeared to be in danger of getting bumped from the rotation with Wade Miley nearing his return from a shoulder injury. Junis was pulled after just four innings during his season debut Tuesday but pitched well with one run allowed while throwing only 47 pitches.
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