5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pivots to replace Triston McKenzie

1. Graham Ashcraft, Cincinnati Reds

Ashcraft had a very nice spring, with a 2.60 ERA, an 0.87 WHIP, 25 strikeouts and just two walks over 17.1 Cactus League innings. In his final spring start, as reports of a new slider grip had surfaced, he had 10 strikeouts against the Padres.

Over 105 innings (19 starts) with the Reds last season, Ashcraft posted a 4.89 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP along with a 6.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. But his cutter and sinker were both theoretically plus pitches (to say the least), with average velocities over 97 MPH, while he had a 32 percent whiff rate with his slider. He also had an elite-level ground ball rate (54.6 percent).

Pitching in the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati is a nightmare for pitchers. But Ashcraft keeps the ball on the ground very well in his debut season, and there’s no reason to think he can’t keep it up to minimize the impact of making his home starts in a bandbox.

Ashcraft should naturally be more consistent this season. He allowed two runs or less over at least six innings six times last season, along with seven other starts where he allowed four or more earned runs over 5.1 or fewer innings.

High-end velocity did not translate to the requisite strikeout levels for Ashcraft last year, and it’s not like he walked a ton of batters. The upside alone is worthy of a mixed-league roster spot, and those who’ve lost McKenzie should take a very long look here.

Yahoo! Ownership: 37%
ESPN Ownership: 5.3%

Others Worth Considering: Hayden Wesneski (Chicago Cubs), Michael Wacha (San Diego Padres), Jared Shuster (Atlanta Braves), Jameson Taillon (Chicago Cubs)