Spencer Howard (SP, PHI) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: In a season with much more day-to-day urgency than any we have seen before, some teams are finding it to be the right time to give the major league call to some of the organization's top prospects. On Sunday, facing a doubleheader, the Phillies called up 24-year-old top-50 prospect Spencer Howard.

Mind you, in that start, Howard allowed four earned runs and seven hits to the Braves, though he did net four strikeouts and allowed only a single walk. Despite the results of his debut, and Vince Velasquez's solid outing earlier in the day, the Cal Poly alum remains an excellent roll of the dice for the rest of the 2020 season. Howard has always been a prospect of interest with a career minor league ERA of 3.28 and a 1.14 WHIP in 211.1 IP, but he took that to a new level in 2019 to earn his blue chip status.

Last season, in 71.0 IP across 15 starts at the Rookie, A+, and Double-A levels, Howard produced a 2.03 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, and 11.9 K/9, not to mention his 2.11 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 27 strikeouts, and zero HR allowed in six starts (21.1 IP) in the Arizona Fall League. With Vince Velasquez's move to the bullpen still seeming like an inevitability, Spencer Howard's ability to control his pitches and produce strikeouts make him a high-rewards bet as Philadelphia moves forward with plenty of games to make up.