X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 5 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

Welcome to May, RotoBallers! A quick note: Be mindful of how the 2018 season as a whole compares to 2017 with regard to HR/FB rates, swinging-strike rates, etc. when you’re analyzing a pitcher’s performance versus last year’s stats.

It’s been an eventful SP week despite only being Wednesday, Nick Kingham is already owned in too many leagues for this column and a few arms have gone down, so let’s get to business. As always, you can find me on Twitter @NMariano53 and ask any follow-up questions or about other pitchers not touched on here.

You know the drill, we're using Yahoo ownership levels and cutting things off around 30%. Here are my starting pitcher waiver wire targets for Week 5.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets

Mike Soroka (ATL, SP) - 27% owned

All Soroka did to win his Major League debut was toss six innings of one-run ball against the Mets. Ho-hum. He struck out five and walked none, which illustrates his likely strikeout limits (he had 125 K’s in 153 ⅔ IP at Double-A in ‘17) and incredible control (he had a sub-2.0 BB/9 throughout the Minors). That said, he showed some improved whiffs this season before the promotion so I won't rule out some growth there. As hyped as I am for Luiz Gohara, Soroka is not to be overlooked and should offer strong ratio relief with the upside for a strikeout per frame. That 95 mph heater with sink was a thing of beauty!

Fernando Romero (MIN, SP) - 30% owned

Romero is the next young arm to be called up for his MLB debut, which comes today (May 2) at home against the Blue Jays. The rookie has had some spotty control to kick off his 2018 season, but the swing-and-miss stuff is real and if he can pound the strike zone then the MLB-level aggressiveness could play in his favor. A mid-90s fastball and upper-80s slider should get him through the early going, but he’ll need to have his changeup working as a third pitch to succeed deep into the game.

Trevor Cahill (OAK, SP) - 9% owned

I was worried about Cahill facing a star-studded Houston lineup, but he actually did well despite allowing four runs (three earned) over six frames. The 30-year-old righty let up four hits and a walk for a WHIP below 1.00 on the day and now has an even 1.00 WHIP on season alongside his 3.00 ERA/3.36 FIP/.3.12 xFIP/3.29 SIERA. Pick any one of those runs-allowed metrics and you’d be happy, no? His 14 percent swinging-strike rate is a top-20 mark for SPs with at least 10 innings, and he’s one of just 28 starters with a K-BB rate of 20 percent or greater. He can make bats miss and when contact is made, it’s usually rather crummy and on the ground. Mix in Oakland’s spacious home park and I think he’s a legitimate top-50 SP.

Side note: I don't know how Lucas Giolito and his league-worst 7.29 SIERA can still sit at 27 percent owned yet these names can't crack double digits. Are there that many autodrafters out there? Dynasty folks holding on harder than Giolito attempting to grip his curveball? Sheesh.

Caleb Smith (MIA, SP/RP) - 9% owned

The Yankee fan in me is upset that Miami is unlocking this guy’s talent, but the bigger fantasy fan in me is thrilled to see him blossoming. Don Mattingly and the Marlins gave Smith one directive: attack the strike zone. As I understand it, Smith didn’t realize just how good he was at missing bats, particular with his four-seamer, and so he would nibble at the edges. This led to elevated walk rates, high pitch counts and reduced effectiveness of his secondary offerings. However, he’s walked just one batter over his last two starts (and allowed only four hits in those 13 innings!) with 19 strikeouts. That slider is pure filth. The Marlins may not get him many wins and I doubt he logs over 160 innings (he threw only 120 in ‘17), but 180-200 K’s are within reach.

Marco Gonzales (SEA, SP) - 9% owned

Gonzales is showing off some impressive command and limiting opposing bats with a 21.3 percent K-BB rate that’s currently nestled in between Luis Severino and Clayton Kershaw in 20th place on the leaderboard. That’s good company! But, and there’s usually a but with these guys, when batters do manage to make contact off of Gonzales it is loud. The 41.2 percent hard-hit rate and 29.8 percent line-drive rate are feeding that problematic .390 BABIP. Another issue is Gonzales’ modest 8.9 percent swinging-strike rate, which doesn’t give with a 25.4 percent K rate. The general rule of thumb is doubling SwStr for Ks, so we could see some regression there as well. The thing is, you still end up with a great pitcher even if he doesn’t fully realize his current 2.74 xFIP/3.09 SIERA.

Kyle Gibson (MIN, SP) - 14% owned

While Gibson’s outing against the Blue Jays on Tuesday could’ve been prettier (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K), the 30-year-old Twin now has 36 punchouts in 32 innings and continues to limit damage by inducing grounders (49.4 percent on the year, 51.7 percent in his career). We saw this version of Gibson poke its head out last September, and this early 3.38 ERA (3.84 xFIP) with steady whiffs backs the improvement. With already 16 walks, he’s another guy who needs to curb the free passes but you can see the potential coming out.

Tyler Anderson (COL, SP) - 5% owned

Anderson deserves a mention because he’s doing some weird things on the rubber, namely, pitching better at Coors Field. The southpaw looks more comfortable at altitude and has walked only four batters in 12 innings there compared to 11 in 14 ⅓ road innings. The overall 13 percent walk rate is troubling then, but his 13.9 percent swinging-strike rate and resulting 24.4 percent strikeout rate makes him worth monitoring. I’m not going to say only stream him at Coors Field, but that may end up being the verdict down the road.

Matthew Boyd (DET, SP) - 12% owned

Boyd is starting to come up more, so let this be my official waiver-wire blurb about leaving him on the waiver wire. The 21 strikeouts in 29 innings isn’t going to cut it in today’s strikeout-heavy world, and that .238 BABIP and 86.8 percent strand rate are both ripe for regression. We’ve seen spurts of greatness out of him where he defies his peripherals, but he’s a career 5.27 ERA arm with a career 5.01 xFIP. His current 2.48 ERA is backed by a 5.19 xFIP, so I’ll be looking elsewhere. I respect the lower hard-hit and line-drive rates this season, but I see nothing from him that suggests he can continue this.

Domingo German (NYY, RP) - 0% owned

With Jordan Montgomery likely to miss at least one turn in the rotation, if not quite a bit more, German looks to be the one to step into his rotation slot. He's technically a reliever on Yahoo right now, as he came out of the 'pen to relieve the injured JorMont and promptly threw four shutout innings with four K's. He went 7-2 with 81 strikeouts and a 2.83 ERA/1.06 WHIP in 76 1/3 Triple-A innings last season so there's potential here, and anyone who pitches in pinstripes is worthy of fantasy attention. That offense is firing on all cylinders and the bullpen remembered that it's supposed to be good, so I'd throw out a quick bid here and see what happens.

Eric Lauer (SD, SP) - 1% owned

The first four innings of Lauer’s Major League career were rough. After giving up six earned in three innings at Colorado in his debut, he opened his second start by allowing three runs to score in the first in San Francisco. But then he buckled down and didn’t let another runner score, scattering three hits over his next four innings and ending the day with seven strikeouts. I’m not saying he’s suddenly turned a corner, but the 22-year-old rookie won’t live with a .462 BABIP and 51.1 percent strand rate forever. Don’t write him off as a nobody just because we’re spoiled with young phenoms who seemingly skip the “adjustment phase”.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF