BALLER MOVE: Pickup in All leagues
OWNED IN: 22% of Fleaflicker Leagues
ANALYSIS: Mat Latos had about as rough a start to the 2015 season as a pitcher can have, only managing two outs in his 2015 debut while giving up a whopping seven runs on six hits and two walks. Nothing like starting the season with an ERA of nearly 100. Since then, however, the 27-year-old right hander has been solid, giving up three runs or less in seven of his nine other starts despite being bothered by injuries that eventually landed him on the DL about a month ago.
Now healthy, Latos pitched 7 strong innings of 1 run baseball last week while striking out 11 batters, dropping his season ERA to 5.44 (4.22 excluding his first start debacle). Even more significant was his average fastball velocity of 93.8 MPH, nearly 2 MPH faster than any of his previous 2015 starts and a promising sign that he may still regain the velocity that made him dominant in the past. While Latos struggled Thursday night @NYY, that is one of the toughest matchups in baseball for a right handed pitcher. He still recorded a 6:2 K:BB ratio and his velocity was strong early. If he can continue reaching 93-94 MPH on his fastball, Latos could reemerge as a dominant pitcher and be a waiver wire steal.
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