Nick Anderson (RP, MIA) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 4% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Just in case you missed out on his backstory since he first appeared in the majors for the Miami Marlins as a 28-year old rookie, Nick Anderson hasn't exactly had an easy or typical path to the MLB. With a meandering journey that took him to St.Cloud State, Mayville State University of the NAIA, a couple of years in the Frontier League, and even a few days in jail, it's truly remarkable that he found his way to the mound for the Marlins at all. Once he got a foothold in the minor leagues, he seemingly never looked back, amassing a 2.25 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, and 11.4 K/9 in 183.2 IP.

He may be just 8.2 IP into his first MLB campaign, but Anderson has gotten off to a fantastic start that closely mirrors his stellar minor league production with a 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, just 2.1 BB/9, and a stratospheric 17.7 K/9. Though he has allowed 1.0 HR/9 thus far and allowed 1.2 HR/9 last season at Triple-A when he showed signs of vulnerability with a 3.30 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, the hallmark of Anderson's success has been a consistently low walk rate paired with a ridiculous propensity for strikeouts. Though he is not currently in line for the bulk of Marlins high-leverage situations out of the bullpen, that is certainly slated to change if he continues to perform at this level while pitchers like Sergio Romo, Adam Conley, and Drew Steckenrider continue to struggle.