Braves Mike Foltynewicz starting to deal: Waiver Wire Add?
By Brad Kelly
Mike Foltynewicz is dealing right now for the Braves. Should fantasy owners fall for him once again off the waiver wire?
Stop me if you have heard this before, but Mike Foltynewicz is throwing the ball well for the Braves. Like many in the community, we were all way off on tapping Folty as a breakout candidate last season. Yet, still armed with dominating stuff, it seems that Folty may be turning a corner. But, can fantasy owners fall for it?
The Braves needed to see what Foltynewicz was going to be in 2018 considering he is approaching 27 years old. Over a career-high 28 starts last season, he could only muster a 4.79 ERA/143 K/1.48 WHIP line. He was inconsistent and battled his delivery all of 2017.
In the offseason, he worked on slowing down his delivery and mind while on the mound. So far, things have been working out. Over four starts this season, he holds a 2.53 ERA/26 K/1.26 WHIP line. He is averaging five innings per start, yet has not surrendered more than two runs per game.
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The walks were not an issue, he had not walked more than two in three of his four starts but did walk four against the Phillies in his last outing. Unlike the past seasons though, he did not allow the traffic to hurt him, and he limited the Phils to only four hits. He has faced the Nationals and Phillies twice during his four starts, so he is finding decent success against solid lineups.
He has limited hard contact, 17% LD rate, and upped his GB rate to 47%. By limiting hard contact, and quieting his delivery, it is no surprise to see that he is finally making the right adjustments.
Owners have seen flashes of Folty throw well for the Braves, however, extended stretches of quality starts have been hard to find. No one will question his stuff, his fastball sits in the mid-90s, and his slider still has wipeout movement, it is just a matter of him harnessing it all.
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He gets the Mets at home in his next start so owners can take two approaches in terms of adding him. They can either add him and hope he continues his success, or see what he can do against one of the hotter teams in the league.
With his stuff and the tweaks he has made, owners should feel comfortable in adding him either way. The arm is just too hard to pass up when he is throwing it so well.