Ben Lively

Ben Lively

32-Year-Old PitcherSP
Cleveland Guardians
2025 Fantasy Outlook
In his first year with Cleveland, Lively saw his most extended run as a starting pitcher in the majors. The righty made a career-high 29 starts and recorded a solid 3.81 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 151 innings, which was also a new career best by a wide margin. Lively continued to be more of a pitch-to-contact player, as he recorded only 118 strikeouts for a 7.03 K/9, in line with his career figure of 6.93. The 32-year-old features a fastball that sits in the low 90s while mixing in a sinker, sweeper and changeup. With a good defensive unit behind him, Lively can continue to eat up some innings for the Guardians, though his fantasy ceiling is limited due to the lack of strikeouts. Fantasy managers can deploy the veteran in 2025 but may want to use him as more of a matchup play versus a regular option. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the Guardians in November of 2024.
Inks new deal with Guardians
PCleveland Guardians
November 22, 2024
Lively signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the Guardians to avoid arbitration Friday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
ANALYSIS
Lively was an effective member of the Guardians' rotation in 2024, maintaining a 3.81 ERA with a 118:49 K:BB across 151 innings. He battled some inconsistency due to his contact-heavy approach, but he is a strong candidate to begin the season in the rotation.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2019
2018
2017
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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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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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
81
Last 10 Games
71
Last 5 Games
55
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 2022
 
 
-3%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-9%
BAA vs LHP
2023
 
 
-18%
BAA vs RHP
2022
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .256 504 94 46 117 20 3 26
Since 2022vs Right .248 510 103 28 118 20 3 17
2024vs Left .229 303 58 31 62 10 2 13
2024vs Right .252 328 60 18 77 16 2 10
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
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-14%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-6%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-20%
ERA at Home
2022
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 4.04 1.28 113.2 10 5 0 7.4 3.2 1.7
Since 2022Away 4.71 1.29 126.0 7 12 0 7.4 2.4 1.6
2024Home 3.70 1.27 75.1 8 3 0 6.6 3.0 1.3
2024Away 3.93 1.22 75.2 5 7 0 7.5 2.9 1.4
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
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
2.41
 
K/9
7.0
 
BB/9
2.9
 
HR/9
1.4
 
Fastball
90.2 mph
 
ERA
3.81
 
WHIP
1.25
 
BABIP
.274
 
GB/FB
1.15
 
Left On Base
77.7%
 
Exit Velocity
82.7 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
4.1%
 
Spin Rate
1957 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
24.6%
 
Swinging Strike
8.1%
 
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
Added to ALCS roster
PCleveland Guardians
October 15, 2024
The Guardians added Lively to their ALCS roster Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Left off ALDS roster
PCleveland Guardians
October 5, 2024
Lively is not included on the Guardians' roster for the American League Division Series versus Detroit.
ANALYSIS
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Tagged with 10th loss
PCleveland Guardians
September 28, 2024
Lively (13-10) took the loss Saturday against the Astros, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks while striking out four over four innings.
ANALYSIS
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Sharp in 13th win
PCleveland Guardians
September 21, 2024
Lively (13-9) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over five innings in a 5-1 victory over the Cardinals. He struck out two.
ANALYSIS
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Delivers scoreless appearance
PCleveland Guardians
September 15, 2024
Lively (12-9) allowed four hits and a walk over five-plus shutout innings Sunday, striking out two and earning a win over the Rays.
ANALYSIS
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