Andrew Triggs (SP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 10% of Yahoo leagues

ANALYSIS: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Andrew Triggs has averaged nearly 11 K/9 through his first two starts and has been getting hitters to whiff consistently with his breaking pitches. While he did not have a strong 2017 season, these numbers were influenced by a hip/back injury that ended his season in June. Pitching through injury, Triggs saw his below-average velocity decline, and he surrendered 14 runs in 7 1/3 innings in his final two starts. If we subtracted those two starts from his overall numbers, he would have had a 2.64 ERA and 3.54 FIP in 58 innings while fully healthy.

Triggs is an interesting player for a couple reasons. He has a sidearm delivery, but despite this low arm slot his grip is closer to that of an overhanded delivery. That has helped him maintain even platoon splits during his short career. He has two breaking pitches that can notch strikeouts. Last season Triggs had double digit whiff rates on both his slider and curveball, and had a 10.4% swinging strike rate overall despite a below average 6.89 K/9. Triggs also throws a 90 MPH that can most generously be described as deceptive, but he does manage to get groundballs with it. For his career ,Triggs has a 59.8% groundball rate with his sinker. This sinker-curveball combo makes Triggs look a poor man’s Zack Godley. Godley’s stuff is simply better, but Triggs could find success the same way Godley did last season to a lesser degree.

Triggs has the stuff to get strikeouts and can keep the ball on the ground. He gets little recognition since he has zero pedigree and plays for a small team, which explains his 10% ownership rate in Yahoo! (as of 4/9).  He will not maintain a 2.53 ERA or 10.97 K/9 all season, but he is worth using in all but the toughest of matchups.