Anthony DeSclafani (SP, CIN) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: 29-year-old former Florida Gator Anthony DeSclafani has been a reliable member of the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff for years, and while he is well on his way to yet another solid year of work from the mound in 2019, he has been particularly on fire over his most recent performances. He holds a 4.07 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 108.1 IP across 21 starts (with an unfortunate 1.7 HR/9), but has flourished over his last three appearances (16.0 IP) with a 2.81 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 21 strikeouts, with just one home run, and four walks allowed. His only weakness to this point in the year has been his proclivity for the power-ball, and his peripherals suggest that he is well primed to minimize damage moving forward.

He maintained a low walk rate of 6.5% over this past month of July while being his strikeout percentage to a season-high 28%. Additionally, DeSclafani was able to limit his opponent's BABIP to .263 by forcing 39.3% grounders and season-best figures of 32.8% for hard contact and 23% soft contact on batted balls (not including his nice start for August). Even though the Reds acquired Trevor Bauer at the trade deadline, they cleared plenty of room in the rotation by moving Tanner Roark to Oakland, so Anthony DeSclafani has an open road ahead for the remainder of 2019 to finish strong. By limiting hard contact (and consequently, home runs), and striking out batters like he seldom is able to, "Disco" is a smart option for nearly any upcoming outing for the Cincinnati Reds.