Astros Joe Musgrove: Deep Waiver Wire Add

Joe Musgrove’s has been stellar during his short time with the Astros. But, should fantasy owners start to take notice, and potentially make him an add off the wire?

The Houston Astros are fighting tooth and nail in an effort to secure a playoff spot in the American League. After they got off to a miserable start, they went on a torrid stretch that has put them right back into contention. They were banking on riding the arm of Lance McCullers down the stretch, but his recent elbow scare has put him on the shelf. Opening the door for, Joseph Musgrove, to shine.

Musgrove was a 1st round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. He came over to Houston in 2012,as a part of the deal that sent J.A. Happ to Toronto. After a mediocre 2013 in Rookie ball, he turned a corner in 2014 at A ball, and has cemented himself as one of the better pitching prospects in the Astros’ farm system ever since.

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Joe Musgrove burst onto the prospect scene in 2015, where he would post a, 1.88 ERA/0.92 WHIP/99 K/8 BB line, over 19 games. He has spent time starting and coming out of the bullpen, offering the swing man type of versatility that has accelerated his journey to the majors.

At AA and AAA this season, he continued his dominance by posting a 2.74 ERA over 14 starts while make most of his starts in the hitter friendly PCL. The Stros’ initial plan was for Musgrove to take the vacated swing man spot that the trade of Scott Feldman left, but with McCullers going down, they where in need of a quality arm to step into the rotation.

Musgrove caught alot of people’s attention when he came in during the middle of the game that McCullers exited against the Blue Jays. He threw four scoreless innings, while striking out eight, and allowing only one hit. The Astros were more than impressed, and Musgrove’s award was a big start against the Rangers on Aug. 7th.

Even though the Astros lost the game, it was of no fault of Musgrove. He was brilliant against a tough Rangers’ lineup, tossing seven innings of one run ball, while striking out six. He only allowed five hits, while walking only one, further showing why he should stick in the rotation.

Scouts are torn on Musgrove’s ceiling, some project him as a back-end of the rotation arm or solid swing man, while others say that he could become a mid rotation arm. Musgrove ‘s arsenal consists of a low-90s fastball, sinker, nasty curveball, and changeup.

His 6’5 frame only enhances his secondary stuff, and his curveball has undoubtedly became his out pitch. One other enticing part of his game, is his pitching approach. Musgrove makes it no secret that he wants to attacks batters, and that has not only allowed him to excel, but is also a major part in why he only averaged 1.1 BB a game over his minor league career.

He may lack the overpowering stuff that scouts and fantasy owners crave, but his pitch mix and command provides plenty of value. While he only has one start under his belt, he has looked extremely impressive so far. His next start happens to come against the Blue Jays in Toronto this upcoming weekend, so it will serve as another major test.

Next: Week 18: Top 5 Waiver Wire Adds

Fantasy owners should make Joe Musgrove a player to watch over the next week, and those in deeper leagues, can look to him immediately as a waiver wire add. His makeup and arsenal bode well, and the early results are there. It would not be surprising to see Musgrove become a vital piece for the Astros moving forward, and a fantasy value down the stretch.