Athletics: Daniel Mengden worth a waiver wire add?

Daniel Mengden has fired off three consecutive solid starts for the Athletics. But, is he now worth a waiver wire add during the fantasy playoffs?

The Athletics are quite the interesting team. While their record speaks to them being one of the worst teams in the league, they have plenty of intriguing players. One of their more intriguing players though, and no it is not because of his great mustache, is Daniel Mengden. After twirling great starts in his last three outings, is he now worth a waiver wire add?

Mengden came over to the A’s from the Astros in the Scott Kazmir deal a few years ago, and all he has done is skyrocket through the minors. The 23-year-old is by no means a top prospect or have the overpowering stuff that usually gets the hype, but he rather has multiple deliveries and angles that he uses against hitters.

He has four pitches at his disposal and makes sure to feature each one every outing to keep batters off-balance. His repertoire can go anywhere from a 71 mph curve to a 93 mph fastball, all the while coming from different arm slots and motions.

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The variety of motions and deliveries can both be a positive and a negative. Guys like Johnny  Cueto have found immense success as of late with hesitations, and we see more and more starters in today’s game do it. But, for Mengden, fastball command is a must have as he can not overpower hitters.

Most scouts limited his ceiling because of him at times battling his command because of his delivery  Yet, over his last three starts for the Athletics, he has had no problems commanding the zone. He has walked only two batters, both coming during his first start of this hot streak, showing he can limit his wildness.

So far this month, Mengden has faced the Phillies, Astros, and Tigers. He blanked both, Detroit and Philly, over 16 innings while striking out 11 total batters. He held his own against Houston as well, limiting them to only two runs over six innings while striking out four.

Mengden gets Seattle at home for his next outing, a team that has only scored eight total runs their last three games.  He can not get any hotter on the mound, has honed in his command, and is funky enough to make anyone he faces an uncomfortable at-bat.

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Fantasy owners should be willing to roll the dice on the mustached righty during the final stretch.