Fantasy Baseball Week 4: Top 5 Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Adds
By Bill Pivetz
If you are in need of a Madison Bumgarner replacement or just looking to improve your pitching rotation, here are five pitchers to add off the waiver wire.
When Jason Vargas and Ervin Santana are your ERA leaders, you know it’s been a rough couple of weeks. There have been plenty of injuries and pitchers struggling out of the gate. If you have a pitcher that falls into either category, then you are looking through the waiver wire for a replacement.
You can about this in two ways. One, taking it day-by-day and adding a new pitcher every day. This could hurt as much as it helps because if one pitcher has a bad outing, you will need to add a pitcher to do well and also repair the damage the previous pitcher created.
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Two, adding a season-long option to start (almost) every game. It’s harder to find a consistent like that on the waiver wire, but there are some names that stand out after three weeks.
Either way, you are taking a risk by adding someone that the rest of your owners haven’t picked up yet.
What pitcher you add all depends on your needs. There are those that do just enough for the win or quality start. Others can go deep into games and provide a lot of innings and then some can strike out 10 batters. Everyone’s sense of value is different.
Four of the five pitchers listed are available in over 60 percent of ESPN leagues. The fifth is available in about 34 percent of leagues, which is still too low based on his performance. If you go through and all five of these pitchers are owned, here are some honorable mentions.
Jesse Hahn (OAK), Matt Andriese (TB), Wade Miley (BAL)
Antonio Senzatela, 34.1 percent owned.
Senzatela has a 2.08 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and four walks with a 3-0 record. He’s made four starts split between home and away. Senzatela has pitched seven innings in his last three starts. In his most recent outing against San Francisco, he allowed one run in the first and pitched six scoreless after that.
He doesn’t strike out many batters, only three in each of his last two starts. The upside is that he doesn’t walk many batters. Most the damage has come from opposing hits.
You may hesitate because of where he pitches. We all know about the Coors Effect. If you want to start him only when he is on the road, I can’t blame you. However, he is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA, 0.714 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB ratio. His next start comes on April 27 at home against the Washington Nationals.
Lance Lynn, 25.7 percent owned
After just pitching in 10.1 innings in his first two starts, Lynn has gone 13 innings in his last two. He owns a 2.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 2-1 record. He also has 20 strikeouts and eight walks.
Lynn missed all of 2016 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. It’s tough to gauge how successful a pitcher will be when he recovers. Some go on to be even better while others fade to black. Lynn, so far, is looking like the former.
Lynn has limited his walks and hits in his recent outings. He has three walks and six hits in his last two. I think he can continue that success in his next start. Lynn pitches on April 28 at home against the Cincinnati Reds. They have a .250 average and a .440 slugging percentage.
Chase Anderson, 35.3 percent owned
Anderson is one of those pitchers that do enough for the win or quality start. He has just one start that went seven innings. Anderson is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB ratio.
He pitched six shutout innings against St. Louis. He gave up six hits and one walk while striking out six. The Brewers offense is first in slugging (.462, thanks, Eric Thames) but 19th in OBP and 18th in batting average. They are giving him enough run support to get the win.
Despite the short outings, Anderson gives you a lot of strikeouts, 8.3 K/9. Anderson’s next outing will also be on April 28 at home against the Atlanta Braves. They are a middle-of-the-road offense that Anderson can take advantage of.
Amir Garrett, 67.8 percent owned
Garrett has a great last outing. In seven innings, he allowed just two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out 12 against Baltimore. For the season, he has a 1.83 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB ratio.
After his game against the Orioles, his ownership percentage skyrocketed, up 27.3 percent over the last week. I believe most, if not all, of those owners are chasing his strikeouts. He never had a K/9 over nine throughout the minors, so those 12-strikeout games may be few and far between.
Garrett has the soonest upcoming start. He pitches on April 24 on the road against the Brewers. Miller Park leans more hitter-friendly, but he can induce a lot of swing and misses.
Joe Ross, 36.0 percent owned
The Washington Nationals made the interesting decision to send Ross to the minors at the start of the season. He pitched well in the last two years, 3.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 35 games. They decided to keep Jeremy Guthrie on the 25-man roster, and we know how that start went.
He made his first 2017 start on April 19. Ross went seven innings and gave up three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven against the Braves. He does a good job with his control and limits base runners. He had a 2.6 BB/9 and 7.5 K/9 in 398.2 innings while in the minors.
Ross is only 23 years old, but I think the leash is off this season. If you want a top-35 starting pitcher, Ross may be your last shot. He faces the Rockies on the road on April 24. I would add him, but maybe not start him here.
All of these pitches have proven over multiple starts that they need to be owned. Depending on your league structure, these pitchers may or may not be still available on the waiver wire. While I do believe in all five of these players, you are not risking a lot to add them. You can easily drop them and find another pitcher to try.
Pitching is a dangerous game. One bad outing can ruin your week. These pitchers, however, will help you.