Reds: Sal Romano a trustworthy fantasy add down the stretch?

Sal Romano is quietly throwing the ball well for the Reds. But, is he worth a waiver wire add down the stretch?

The Reds are in the middle of a full rebuild, leaving them devoid of a plethora of fantasy friendly options. They certainly have their fair share of offensive producers but owners are more than aware of the fact that they offer rarely any trustable pitching options. But, could Sal Romano be one?

Sal Romano could probably not be picked out of a crowd by the common fan as a MLB pitcher, yet the 24-year-old  has fired off five solid starts for Cincy since mid-Aug. He entered the season ranked as one of the Reds’ top-20 prospects but was well off the fantasy radar, as are most Reds’ hurlers anyway.

Romano would actually make a spot start for the Reds in April, but would resurface in July and has remained a fixture ever since.  He did struggle over his initial handful of starts. Yet, since Aug. 18, he has not surrendered more than three earned runs in any start while striking out an average of five batters per start.

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He brings an interesting arsenal to the table. His fastball can touch 97 mph, and his slider has wipe out movement. His progression will come if he can develop a consistent third pitch, most likely it being his change up.  When things are all clicking, his changeup plays well off the fastball, but even so, he has the stuff to find success.

Digging deeper into his batted ball data, he is only surrendering a 17%  LD rate, while forcing a 50% GB rate. He limits hard contact and gets ground balls, a great balance for any pitcher.

In terms of making him a waiver wire add down the stretch, Romano gets the Pirates for his next outing. For the short-term, it is a solid matchup that owners can exploit. Owners can see the success he is having, and his profile supports his success.

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Is he a pitcher that will win an owner their owner a championship, no. But, he is a pitcher that is consistently offering solid starts and can be inserted into a back of a fantasy rotation for those needing quality innings during the most important time of the year.

Make the move.