Fantasy Baseball 2018: 3 Starting pitchers you need to own
By Bill Pivetz
Starting pitching is not hard to find. Good starting pitching is. Here are three starters worth adding to your fantasy baseball team.
Fantasy baseball is a marathon if you play in season-long leagues. It’s 26 weeks of adding and dropping players and setting a lineup you think is going to produce the best stats. It’s even more meticulous if you need to do this every day. This is why we’re here, to help you make those difficult decisions a bit easier.
Starting pitching has been rough for fantasy owners this season. There are just 11 starters rated in the top-50 overall players, according to the ESPN Player Rater. Most of them are the names you’d expect to be on the list with a couple of surprises like Blake Snell.
If you missed out on any of those pitchers or have been dealing with injuries, like most of us, then you are likely in desperate need of some starting pitching. And, surprisingly, there are a few good pitchers available on the majority of waiver wires.
Marco Gonzales (SEA)
Even with the number of injuries the Seattle Mariners have suffered to the offense, the starting pitching is holding up. Marco Gonzales got off to a rough start, posting an 8.25 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in his first three starts.
In his last three starts, Gonzales has not allowed a run in a combined 19.1 innings. He’s allowed 11 hits and seven walks with 12 strikeouts in that span.
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The only negative to Gonzales’ game is that he doesn’t pitch deep into games. His seven-inning outing against the Oakland A’s is the longest of the season. He averages just over five innings per start, giving him enough to earn a win but not a quality start.
Gonzales is owned in just 17.7 percent of ESPN leagues and 56 percent of CBS Sports leagues. He’ll make his next start on June 2 against Tampa Bay, a great matchup.
Joe Musgrove (PIT)
Joe Musgrove missed most of the 2018 season while dealing with a shoulder injury. He made his return on May 25, pitching seven shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. He followed that up with another seven-inning start. He gave up just one run while facing the Chicago Cubs.
Musgrove came to Pittsburgh in the Gerrit Cole trade. He had a rough couple of years with Houston before the trade, averaging a 4.52 ERA in 49 games.
Musgrove will take the mound on June 5 at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s owned in 24.8 percent of ESPN and 59 percent of CBS leagues.
Nathan Eovaldi (TB)
Nathan Eovaldi made his first start in almost two years on May 30. With the Rays rolling out an all-bullpen game a couple of times at the end of May, management should be happy to see a healthy Eovaldi take the mound.
In his first start, he pitched six shutout innings. Eovaldi gave up just one walk while striking out four on 70 pitches. He likely could have gone another one or two innings but in his first start after two Tommy John surgeries, it made sense to pull him.
Eovaldi was able to reach 100 MPH on his fastball a few times and averaged 98.5 MPH in the start. He isn’t a big strikeout pitcher but with the number of strikeouts going on throughout the league, Eovaldi could help you in that stat.
Eovaldi is widely available in both ESPN and CBS fantasy baseball leagues, both under 25 percent. He will make his start on June 5 on the road against the Washington Nationals.
As you can see, fantasy owners are already jumping on pitchers who have shown even the slightest hint of value. If you have a need for a starting pitcher, even for a week, then these three pitchers should be at the top of your list.