Los Angeles Dodgers Brandon McCarthy: Deep Waiver Wire Add

By Brad Kelly | Jul 9, 2016

Apr 25, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy (38) pitches during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Brandon McCarthy has made his way back to the Los Angeles Dodgers after undergoing elbow surgery. Should he now be on fantasy owner’s radar?

The Dodgers have seemingly struggled all season to find quality innings from any starter other than, Clayton Kershaw. They have had multiple arms on the mend, including Brandon McCarthy, who has recently made his return. McCarthy has had an up and down career, which has been riddled with injuries, but he has the potential to be a solid waiver wire add moving forward.

McCarthy made his debut in 2005, but has never really found his footing in the big leagues. The major cause of this, has been both injury related and general inconsistency, yet the talent has always been evident. After missing the entire 2010 season, McCarthy finally broke through with the Oakland A’s. He had a two-year stretch where he did not post an ERA over 3.32, that was only cut short by a scary come-backer that struck him in the head, which nearly cost him his life.

He then found himself in Arizona for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, yet struggled once again, but looked like an entirely new guy when the Yankees decided to trade for him at the 2014 deadline. The move to New York looked to be a disaster waiting to happen, but as the Yankees let him begin to throw his cutter again, he revived his career.

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Over his fourteen starts with the Yankees, he posted a magnificent, 2.89 ERA. The Yankees were not able to resign him as the Dodgers stepped in and inked him to a lucrative free agent deal, and fantasy owners began to target McCarthy as a potential breakout candidate heading into 2015.

Unfortunately, he was terrible in his first four starts with the Dodgers, and eventually test results would reveal that he had to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The news of the surgery was just another injury hurdle that McCarthy has had to overcome, and there were questions whether he could make his way back yet again. McCarthy went down last April, yet once again was able to make a return with the Dodgers earlier this month versus the Rockies.

Brandon McCarthy surprisingly looked better than ever after his 14 month hiatus, throwing five shutout frames while striking out eight. He only surrendered two hits, and touched 94 mph with his fastball. The velocity was certainly encouraging to see, as it is always a wildcard in TJ surgery recovery, but there seemed to be no drop off his pre-surgery days.

His command was sharp as well, he only walked one batter, and the late movement he had on nearly all his pitches should have piqued fantasy owners interests. His next start is slated to come against the Padres on July 9th, offering owners another showcase start before he becomes a potential hot waiver wire commodity.

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In deeper leagues, he is a recommended speculative add, as the potential is certainly there. If he looks solid again versus the Padres, Brandon McCarthy will surely start to snagged off the wire. With the fantasy playoffs methodically coming closer and closer, players like McCarthy can have huge implications down the stretch.

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