Brandon Woodruff (SP, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups Week 1

Jon Denzler profiles Milwaukee starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff as a waiver wire pickup or add target for Week 1 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season. With playing time, and a great ground ball line, Woodruff is a solid SP add in most leagues.

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues

OWNED IN: 30% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: After throwing 42.1 innings down the stretch for the Brew Crew last year, Brandon Woodruff looks set to build upon a strong rookie campaign after earning a starting spot coming out of the spring. There were questions that he might slot into the bullpen, but with injuries, and other needs, here he is getting the call on day three of the season. In that 2019 debut, Woodruff offered five strong innings, allowing two earned runs on hits and one walk. The stuff was there with a K per inning, and that is the type of production that owners should be bank on moving forward. And yet, owners should expect that his season-long K% is down from the 26.7% that he posted last year in a relief role, but the rest of the offering makes this decline worth it.

While pitching in Miller Park, Woodruff does keep the ball on the ground 52% of the time. Add in the 87.7 MPH exit velocity, and 5.2% launch angle, and he should keep the ball in the yard, limiting the ERA spike. Add him knowing there are wins to be had, and the stuff has the upside to prove this writer wrong and keep those Ks coming.