Jordan Montgomery (SP, NYY) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Jordan Montgomery has been consistently effective this season, something unusual for a rookie starter. While he isn't the front-end rotation presence the Yankees need, he can give fantasy owners back-end stability in their rotations. Montgomery has a 3.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 8.7 K/9 in 14 starts thus far. Most of his numbers are only slightly better than league average, but he ranks ninth in the AL with a 129 Adjusted ERA+ and 10th with a 3.83 FIP. That already gives him solid AL-only value, but his continued progress has made him viable in mixed leagues as well.

In five June starts, Montgomery is 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and exactly one strikeout per inning. The main area of concern is his increasing proclivity to give up the long ball. Pitching in Yankee Stadium won't make it any easier, but the other side of that coin is that he should continue to get enough run support to keep the wins coming. In keeper leagues, Montgomery has no business being on the waiver wire. He doesn't stand out in any one area, but just having a starter who won't hurt you in any category and keeps his ratios low is becoming more valuable as the season progresses. He'll have a tough task in his next start on the road against the Astros, but he's proven to be fairly bullet-proof despite his inexperience.