Colby Lewis

44-Year-Old PitcherP

Free Agent

2024 Stats

W-L

0-0

ERA

0.00

WHIP

0.00

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2024 Fantasy Outlook

There was no outlook written for Colby Lewis in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man No

Height 6'4"

Weight 230

DOB 8/2/1979

Drafted 1999

Announces retirement

PFree Agent

January 21, 2018

Lewis announced Friday that he has ended his playing career and has accepted a position in the Rangers' front office, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

ANALYSIS
Lewis, 38, spent 11 seasons in the majors with the Rangers, Tigers and Athletics, with nine of those years coming in Texas. He wraps up his career with a 77-72 record, 4.47 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 233 appearances (195 starts).

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Lewis was enjoying one of his better seasons, including quality starts in 13 of his first 14 games of the year, but he was felled by a strained lat muscle in the back of his throwing shoulder at the end of June, taking him out of action for two and a half months. He was shaky upon his return. That may be putting hit mildly, as the right-hander coughed up 17 runs and six home runs in just 18.1 September innings. His diminutive strikeout rate continues to shrink with each passing season, dipping to just 5.65 K/9 in 2016, an unacceptable frequency in any league that measures strikeouts. The walk rate has remained low, but Lewis has been vulnerable to the home run throughout his career (1.47 per nine last year). Lewis is an aging free agent coming off a season marred by injury, with little in the way of performance upside to fall back on unless he lands in a highly favorable home park.

Lewis racked up a surprising 17 wins while making 33 starts covering 204.2 innings -- all career-highs last season. His 6.2 K/9 continues a three-year trend of decline though a more normal .291 BABIP in 2015 on the heels of a .341 mark the year prior helped to mask the ugliness. It's clear that the hip surgery from 2013 and his advancing age has transformed him from the quietly effective pitcher that he was from 2010-2012 into a far less effective version that we see today. His true value lies somewhere between his 2014 and 2015 campaign. The Rangers will count on Lewis in the back of the rotation again in 2016 after he re-upped with the team on a one-year deal in December.

Lewis lost a year and a half to injury before 2014, so just taking 29 turns and logging 170 innings is sort of an automatic success. The innings on the whole weren’t particularly good as evidenced by his ratios, but he debuted in mid-April and made it the rest of the way without missing time. His strikeout rate was way down and the opposition ripped him to the tune of 11.1 H/9 and 1.3 HR/9. Homers have always been an issue for Lewis, but allowing that many baserunners in addition to the homers made it too difficult to find any success. His issues in the Rangers' ballpark continued as he logged a 5.90 ERA at home, pushing his career mark to 5.16 in 417 innings, but Texas decided to bring him back on a one-year deal regardless to solidify the back end its rotation.

Lewis never returned from last year's torn flexor tendon injury, suffering a few setbacks during the rehab process and then undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in August. He returned to the Rangers on an incentive-laden deal after becoming a free agent during the offseason. Lewis has been a highly effective starter when healthy the past three seasons, though it remains to be seen how he'll recover from his elbow injury, reports during his abbreviated rehab stint had him topping out in the mid-80s with his fastball.

Lewis was limited to just 16 starts, eventually requiring surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right (throwing) forearm that is expected to sideline him until late June at a minimum. When healthy, Lewis continued to be a solid innings eater, posting good peripherals across the board. Texas signed him to an incentive-heavy, one-year deal in late September, keeping Lewis off the free agent market. He's a decent bet to turn in 15 solid starts from late June onward if his rehab goes as planned, so don't dismiss him entirely on draft day.

Lewis enjoyed another fine season, though a spike in home runs allowed raised his ERA over half a run from his 2010 season despite similar peripherals. He posted ERAs of 4.90 or greater in four of the six months, though his post-break peripherals (73:23 K:BB, 80 hits allowed and just 12 homers in 87.1 innings) were a marked improvement over his first-half numbers despite a similar ERA. He allowed a whopping 22 homers in just 92.2 innings pitching at home (compared to just seven allowed in 87 innings at home the year prior). His true value lies somewhere between his past two seasons, which should result in 200 innings, 180 strikeouts, and an ERA around 4.00.

Lewis' return from a few seasons in Japan was a resounding success, despite a poor 12-13 record. He fanned 196 batters in 201 innings, and although his post All-Star break ERA (4.18) was nearly a full run higher than his pre-break numbers, his peripherals remained strong (91:27 K:BB ratio in 90.1 innings) and he's a good bet to be one of the better starters in the AL again in 2011. Go the extra buck or two in leagues that reward strikeouts.

Lewis is headed back to MLB after going 26-17 with a 2.82 ERA in 55 games the last two seasons for the Hiroshima Carp with an impressive 369:46 K:BB ratio in 354.1 innings. He could get a shot to win a spot in a major league rotation given his success in Japan.

Lewis pitched well enough at Triple-A Sacramento to get a look in the majors, but didn't pitch well enough once promoted to convince the A's he could contribute in 2008. Claimed, and later released, by the Royals this winter and Lewis now plans to play in Japan in 2008.

Lewis missed all of last season recovering from rotator cuff surgery. He started throwing in the Instructional League and could make some appearances this spring if he doesn't suffer any setbacks. A rehab assignment at Triple-A will be necessary before the Tigers consider bringing Lewis to the majors.

Lewis, who was claimed off waivers by the Tigers in October, is expected to miss the first half of the 2005 season while recovering from rotator cuff surgery. He has been very successful at the minor league level, but struggled in his major league stint with Texas in 2004. When he does return from his injury, Lewis will probably be sent to Triple-A Toledo and has little chance of making it back to the majors this year.

Another young Texas arm, another disappointing season. It's the same pattern for Lewis as it is with the Rangers' other young pitchers, too: a terrible K:BB rate, to the point where there's no choice but to send them back to Triple-A for a few starts, only to see the pattern repeat itself upon pitching in the bigs again. Lewis went 4-0 in September and lowered his season ERA to 7.30, by nearly a full run. Whether that's a sign for hope or an indication of how futile his season had been prior to September is left up to the reader to decide.

Lewis was jerked between the Triple-A rotation and major league bullpen before finally getting regular work as a starter for Texas in September. Not surprisingly, he struggled with his control in the big leagues and was sent to winter ball to pitch 30 innings to refine his control a bit. Was it a success? Lewis walked 11 hitters in 22.2 innings before being shut down for good with fatigue.

More Fantasy News

Will start Game 3 of ALDS

PTexas Rangers

October 7, 2016

Lewis will start Game 3 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays on Sunday, Rangers VP of Comm. John Blake reports.