Michael Pineda made the American League All-Star team in 2011, and is nearly set to make his Yankees debut. Photo courtesy of Keith Allison.
This is the time of year where you start to worry about your fantasy team’s worthiness of a championship. One of my rules of thumb is that you can never have enough pitching.
In a best case scenario you will use 70% of your bench to stash pitching. My reasoning for this is to have three or four quality pitchers to rotate in and out of your lineup depending on matchups. Two-start guys and advantageous matchups will add up quickly in your standings.
This year there is a cornucopia of pitching talent coming off of the disabled list between now and the All-Star break. You can get top-level talent for the bargain basement price of a waiver wire addition.
The following pitchers are ranked by their scheduled return date.
Matt Garza – Chicago Cubs
It looks like Garza will be available for the Cubs as early as next week. The former Tampa right-hander has one more rehab start before he is activated. He has been an injury machine since joining the Cubs, including a dead arm set back while rehabbing a month ago.
His low to mid 90’s fastball will get you a K/9 rate around 8.5. His slider and change up are average and that is why he hasn’t had huge success in the win column up until now. Pitching for the perpetually rebuilding Cubs will limit his wins this season also.
Expect an ERA under 4 from Matt Garza and if his ground ball rate can stay above 40%, you could see an ERA under 3.50 with a good BABIP.
Michael Pineda – New York Yankees
The big righty will look for a return from shoulder surgery around the all-star break. He has not pitched in a regular season game since joining the Yankees before the 2012 season.
Pineda can be dominant with his repertoire. His slider could be considered more dominant than his fastball. At times he has control issues just like C.C. Sabathia did when he was younger.
It’s difficult to forecast what he will bring to the table for this year. His ERA will be in the high 3’s with a K/9 above 9. He will get plenty of run support and could rack up wins even when he doesn’t pitch very well.
He will be limited by his lack of experience. He has only played one season in the big leagues. Of course, he will go through some growing pains as he continues to adjust to big league hitting in his second full season.
There is a lot to like from Pineda. He has already been clocked at 95 mph on the gun in an extended spring training session. He will be supported with plenty of run support in a surprising first place A.L. East offense. To top it off, he will have Sabathia mentoring him in the Yankee dugout when things aren’t going his way.
He will be picked up off of the waiver wire soon. I would not wait for June to roll around to grab him. As reports continue to come in touting his progress, someone will grab him early. Be smart and pick him up before your competition does.
Cory Luebke – San Diego Padres
This isn’t the first time I have written about Luebke. So, I’ll direct you there again for more in depth stuff.
I will say that he is the best kept secret in baseball this year based on his talent. He is scheduled to return around the All-Star break. He will be an absolute steal.
Daniel Hudson – Arizona Diamondbacks
If Cory Luebke is the best kept secret in baseball then the return of Hudson to the Diamondbacks lineup will be the second biggest surprise in the second half. He is scheduled to return a few starts before the All-Star break.
He has been a forgotten commodity in baseball. He too has undergone Tommy John Surgery.
Unlike some of the other pitchers on the list, Daniel Hudson has an extended period of success at the big league level. In 2011 he went 16-12 with an ERA of 3.49.
Big things were expected from his 2012 season and he made it through an entire five innings before getting injured. I should know. I drafted him.
He will get you wins based on his control and how he limits his mistakes. His WHIP will be in the 1.20 area and you can possibly expect a number south of 1.20.
He is not a strikeout an inning pitcher but his K/9 rate in 2011 was a respectable 6.85. He will not walk a lot of hitters and he is not prone to the long ball. He will average well under a homer per nine innings.
He is a very similar pitcher to his teammate Patrick Corbin. Corbin is one of the hottest pitching commodities in baseball. You can expect the same in the second half for Daniel Hudson.
There is a lot to love about Daniel Hudson when he makes his return after being out for over a year. He will give you some good to great stats in all five categories for your team. He will be an under the radar steal for the second half of the season.
Danny Duffy – Kansas City Royals
Duffy is very similar as Michael Pineda. He doesn’t have a lot of experience at the big league level, having only thrown 132 innings for the Royals.
Just like Pineda, Danny Duffy brings electric stuff to the table but from a lefty perspective. He will return from Tommy John Surgery around the All-Star break.
His K rate will be elite but his walk rate could be a problem because he can be walk prone and command is the last thing to come around after Tommy John surgery. This could be detrimental to Duffy but we won’t know until he gets a few starts under his belt.
I would take a flyer on him, but not until you get some of the pitchers above under your teams control. He does have a lot of upside but they may not come until next season. Keep an eye on him.