Nathan Karns (SP, TB) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Add in AL-Only Leagues

OWNED IN: 20% of Fleaflicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: Nate Karns may still need some work on his command and his changeup - a pitch he may or may not have in his repertoire yet - but I think he has good value in AL only leagues this season. So far, Karns is 3-1 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. His FIP now stands at 4.44, which would lead any fantasy owner to believe he's had a run of good luck on his side, but a deeper look reveals that number is inflated due to two terrible starts (one of which was his first of the season) and also that the number is just 2.49 since April 27th. He's made four starts since that date, and none of the opponents - Baltimore, Texas, and the Yankees twice - are offensive pushovers.

Karns is striking out batters in 23.3 percent of the batters he faces, good for the 28th best mark in the majors in 2015. The walks are a little bit of an issue, but he's limited hits so much that the WHIP is still a very desirable number for a starting pitcher. He's got an above average four-seam fastball that sits around 93-94 MPH and generates a good number of whiffs in addition to a knuckle-curve with great bite. In other words, the strikeouts should keep coming, and since his line drive rate is under 15 percent, there's a good chance his hits per nine innings (currently at 6.35) stays low, too. Grab Karns off the waiver wire if you need starting pitching help in your AL only league.