Derek Law

Derek Law

34-Year-Old PitcherRP
Washington Nationals
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Derek Law in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#598
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Nationals in February of 2024.
Activated from injured list
PWashington Nationals
September 2, 2024
The Nationals activated Law (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
Law has been shelved since mid-August with ulnar nerve irritation in his pitching elbow but recently faced hitters with no issues, clearing the way for his return. The veteran reliever will return to a middle-relief role for the Nationals.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2019
2018
2017
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
18
Last 10 Games
20
Last 5 Games
14
How many pitches does Derek Law 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 Derek Law 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 2022
 
 
-13%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-28%
BAA vs LHP
2023
 
 
-4%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-5%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .229 279 64 32 56 9 1 5
Since 2022vs Right .263 418 74 26 99 13 1 11
2024vs Left .197 129 36 12 23 3 0 2
2024vs Right .273 236 40 12 59 8 1 5
2023vs Left .245 113 21 14 24 4 1 2
2023vs Right .234 127 24 12 26 2 0 4
2022vs Left .300 37 7 6 9 2 0 1
2022vs Right .286 55 10 2 14 3 0 2
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-22%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-4%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-24%
ERA at Home
2022
 
 
-58%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 2.76 1.15 91.1 7 2 2 7.0 2.2 0.9
Since 2022Away 3.56 1.47 73.1 6 11 1 8.2 4.4 0.9
2024Home 2.55 1.11 49.1 3 1 1 7.1 1.6 0.9
2024Away 2.66 1.25 40.2 4 3 0 8.2 3.3 0.4
2023Home 3.16 1.09 31.1 2 1 1 6.6 2.9 0.9
2023Away 4.18 1.77 23.2 2 5 1 8.4 6.1 1.1
2022Home 2.53 1.50 10.2 2 0 0 7.6 2.5 0.8
2022Away 6.00 1.67 9.0 0 3 0 8.0 5.0 2.0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Derek Law 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
3.17
 
K/9
7.6
 
BB/9
2.4
 
HR/9
0.7
 
Fastball
95.0 mph
 
ERA
2.60
 
WHIP
1.18
 
BABIP
.297
 
GB/FB
2.03
 
Left On Base
78.0%
 
Exit Velocity
82.4 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.0%
 
Spin Rate
2208 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
23.8%
 
Swinging Strike
13.2%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Derek Law See More
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313 days ago
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Todd's Takes: Clearing My Chest and Runs Galore
April 4, 2023
Todd Zola shares his thoughts from Monday's box scores, which included another strong showing from the potentially overlooked Trevor Larnach.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
Law's outstanding 2016 rookie campaign continues to look like a mirage as the right-hander has failed to come close to that season's production in the three years that have followed. While his 4.90 ERA in his first season with Toronto was an improvement over the marks he posted the previous two campaigns, it was hardly reason to celebrate and was accompanied by a career-worst 14.0 BB% that ranked ninth-worst in the majors among qualified relievers. Law did do some things well -- he induced a 23.1 Soft%, 10th-best among relievers, and notched a career-high 23.5 K% -- but was stung by one of the highest WHIPs in the league (1.66). Law earned five saves and eight holds for the Blue Jays last season, but he was non-tendered by the club in December. His strikeout ability alone makes him likely to latch on with another team in 2020, but he has a lot to prove before he can be trusted in high-leverage situations.
After regressing during the 2017 season, Law failed to make the Opening Day roster. In the end, he only managed to log 13.1 innings in the majors all season. When he did pitch, he was less than effective, allowing 11 runs on 16 hits and eight walks. He struck out nearly a batter per inning (12 strikeouts), but another high home-run rate (1.4 HR/9) hurt him. A whopping 88.9% of the batted balls against him were of the medium- or hard-hit variety. His numbers in the minors were considerably better -- 2.45 FIP, 9.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.4 HR/9 -- but it's not as impressive given it was his third tour of the Pacific Coast League. He's not a lock to make the Giants' bullpen out of spring training, though the fact that he's out of minor-league options helps his cause. Either way, Law isn't much of a fantasy commodity.
After a breakout rookie season that saw him finish near the top of the Giants' closer depth chart, Law took a major step backwards, putting up a 5.06 ERA in 37.1 innings and earning a demotion to Triple-A for most of the second half of the season. Law's walk rate ballooned from 4.2 percent in 2016 to 8.3 percent last year. He also suffered a significant drop in groundball percentage, falling from an above-average 50.3 percent in 2016 to a below-average 38.3 percent in 2017. Law projects to return to the Giants' bullpen in 2018, but the results will need to improve if he's to climb back up the hierarchy.
While Hunter Strickland had all the preseason buzz as a potential breakout reliever, Law was the true San Francisco surprise, posting stellar numbers during his rookie campaign, including 14 holds and a 5.56 K/BB. He was consistently the Giants' best reliever while he was healthy and even served as the team's closer for a brief period after Santiago Casilla was demoted from the position. Law has four reliable pitches, headlined by his mid- to high-90s fastball. San Francisco added Mark Melancon this offseason to shore up that mediocre bullpen, so Law does not project to get many saves in the foreseeable future. However, he would be in that mix if Melancon were to suffer an injury. For now, Law will serve as a source of solid ratios and strikeouts for owners in deep leagues.
While his 4.56 ERA with Double-A Richmond may not say it, Law had a very successful return from Tommy John surgery in 2015. His ability to strikeout batters at a high clip returned (11.2 K/9) and he corrected the control issues that popped up before his elbow gave out (2.8 BB/9). He continued to limit the long ball (0.35 HR/9) and his 2.22 FIP shows that he suffered some poor luck, likely a result of his 61.2 LOB% with Richmond. With another offseason of rest under his belt, Law will look to make his case for the 2016 Opening Day roster after being one of the final cuts in 2015.
Law's walk rate nearly tripled with the move up to Double-A Richmond in 2014 (from 1.6 BB/9 to 4.5 BB/9), but the right-hander still finished with a 2.57 ERA, marking the fourth time he has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in as many professional seasons. A ninth-round pick out of Miami-Dade College in 2011, he also saw his strikeout rate dip by more than four per nine innings in 2014 (from 13.8 K/9 to 9.3 K/9), but Law has been able to sustain success as he has moved up the organizational ladder, making the decision to protect him from the Rule 5 draft with a spot on the 40-man roster a relatively easy one for San Francisco. Law, who complements a heavy, sinking fastball with a potential plus curveball and a slider, has also proven plenty capable in high-leverage situations, saving 27 games in the minors the last two seasons. It's well within the realm of possibility that he could work himself into the setup mix late in 2015.
More Fantasy News
Throwing live BP
PWashington Nationals
Elbow
August 30, 2024
Law (elbow) will throw to live hitters Saturday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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MRI comes back clean
PWashington Nationals
Elbow
August 20, 2024
The MRI on Law's right elbow revealed only ulnar nerve irritation, but he hasn't been cleared to throw yet, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Lands on IL with elbow strain
PWashington Nationals
Elbow
August 17, 2024
The Nationals placed Law on the 15-day injured list Saturday due to a right elbow flexor strain, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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Seeing massive workload
PWashington Nationals
August 9, 2024
Law leads all big-league relievers with 72.1 innings pitched so far this season, posting a 2.99 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 60:18 K:BB with six wins, 11 holds and a save in 58 appearances.
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Picks up first save
PWashington Nationals
July 4, 2024
Law threw a scoreless ninth inning to get his first save of the season in Thursday's 1-0 win over the Mets.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could be moved
PWashington Nationals
July 24, 2024
Law is a candidate to be traded by the Nationals ahead of Tuesday's deadline, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.
ANALYSIS
The right-handed journeyman posted a 3.60 ERA in 54 outings for the Reds in 2023 and has continued to pitch well for the Nationals this year with a 3.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 53:17 K:BB over 60 innings. Law won't significantly move the needle for contending teams, but his work in middle relief could still provide a boost to an undermanned bullpen.
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