Drew Pomeranz (SP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in AL Only Leagues.

OWNED IN: 2.6% of ESPN leagues; 30% of yahoo leagues; 28% of Fleaflicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: Drew Pomeranz found a new home last season in the spacious Oakland Coliseum and his success soared as a result. Pomeranz has the pedigree of a major league ace. He was drafted 5th overall in the 2010 MLB draft and peaked as a top-30 prospect in the Baseball America rankings before the 2012 season.

The peripheral numbers didn't change much from a batted ball perspective, as he gave up approximately the same percentage of ground balls, fly balls, and line drives. However, Pomeranz was able to better his control from past seasons and he certainly benefited from pitching in a bigger ballpark. Pomeranz spent his first three seasons in the big leagues with the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field, the #1 HR hitting ballpark in the Major League. He's since moved to Oakland, a bottom five park for HR, where his HR/FB% has seen a dip of three percentage points. Fly balls that were once leaving the yard in Coors are now being caught by outfielders in the Coliseum.

Pomeranz isn't likely to repeat last year's sub-3 ERA, but his 3.77 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) marks an attainable full season ERA and if he can stay healthy (an issue in the past), Pomeranz should get the opportunity to start more than 25 times this season. Pomeranz generally doesn't pitch deep into games, limiting his wins upside on a lackluster Oakland team. On the flip side, he should continue to produce 8+ K/9 making him valuable on a per-inning basis. Pomeranz should be added in AL Only Leagues for the upside alone, and can be streamed or closely monitored in deep mixed leagues. If he can start getting into the seventh inning of games, he will become a much more valuable commodity.

My Projection: 27 GS, 160 IP,  10 W, 3.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 150 K