Fantasy Waiver Wire Pitchers: Dixon’s Picks for Week of June 16

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to Dixon’s Picks, our weekly look at the week’s top two-start fantasy waiver wire guys.

Let’s see what my seasonal numbers look like after the weeks of Ryan Vogelsong and Josh Collmenter.

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I also recommended Jason Vargas for assignments against the Yankees and White Sox last week. His Monday start was rained out so he went Tuesday against the Indians instead of the Yankees, meaning he’s also missing an outing against the Pale Hose. Although he did well against the Tribe, I’m not counting that outing in the running total, as it came against a different opponent than expected. Get it? Got it? Good!

One last note before we look at these waiver wire guys — The general standard for eligibility here is 50 percent (or greater) availability in ESPN leagues. With that in mind, I generally like to put these together pretty close to Sunday. This last week, I had to put the list together earlier in the week, so the availability certainly could have changed. Still, even if they don’t hit that standard, these guys are all fantasy waiver wire pitchers.

Happy father’s day to all of you dads out there. My dad does not play fantasy baseball, so this list would be lost on him. But for all of you fantasy playing dads out there, consider this look at this week’s two-start fantasy waiver wire pitchers my gift to you.

Who are this week’s guys? Let’s have a look.

• Chris Young, Seattle Mariners — Probable Starts: Monday vs. San Diego Padres, Saturday at Kansas City Royals

Yes, Chris Young has had some rough starts this season, but a 3.68 ERA/1.25 WHIP is pretty good for a guy nearly unanimously available.

Oh, and both of these offenses have consistently struggled all year long. Young doesn’t even need to be his best to put up a good weekly line. These are the kinds of offenses that veteran pitchers should handle just fine.

Obviously, there are no guarantees, but the odds are with you here.

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• Tanner Roark, Washington Nationals — Probable Starts: Tuesday vs. Houston Astros, Sunday vs. Atlanta Braves

He shouldn’t be on any list of fantasy waiver wire pitchers. But while fantasy owners are getting there, plenty of space exists on the Tanner Roark bandwagon. Much like Andrew Cashner last year, I’m having a hard time completely grasping that, but streamers should take it as a good thing, as he’s likely still available.

With Roark, just know that this run of success isn’t a short-term thing. He’s been pitching at an extraordinarily high level now since the beginning of 2013. Really, when you’re stringing success together for that long, it’s not a fluke, good luck, or anything dismissive. It’s just good pitching.

The Astros and Braves both have good hitters, but Roark has done fine against better offenses than either of them boast. I’m expecting a good week from Roark and really, a good remainder of 2014.

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• Wei-Yin Chen Baltimore Orioles — Probable Starts: Monday at Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday vs. New York Yankees

With the possible exceptions of the aforementioned Cashner and Jose Quintana, I don’t think any player has appeared in Dixon’s Picks more than Wei-Yin Chen over the last three seasons. As luck would have it, Chen not only enters the week as the hottest of the fantasy waiver wire pitchers on this week’s list, he enters as one of the hottest in the game.

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One walk in three outings? I love it. That’s a great way to succeed in this league, and is good enough for a spot on this week’s list.

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