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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 11 (June 3 - June 9). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. These are SP options to consider that might be good additions to your fantasy roster, especially for streaming.
Last week, we recommended some starting pitchers to scoop up whose rostership was lower than they should be. For those of you in deeper leagues, we will split that into another section, looking at starting pitchers rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo! leagues. We also look at pitchers beyond this coming week and look for tasty matchups a bit further down the road. One consideration for many fantasy players is that the bottom portion of your roster in deeper fantasy leagues should be churned frequently. That means you are playing matchups and looking for pitchers who can exploit weak-hitting teams. Start anybody pitching against the following teams: Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies.
Another caveat here: you are unlikely to find guys on the waiver wire that will strike out tons of hitters or be extremely exciting in most instances. What I look for are guys who can contribute to my bottom lines: a win perhaps (although chasing them is foolish and tricky), while not destroying my carefully manicured ratios. Keep your expectations modest; think it will do no harm and hope for the best. Let's get after it.
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Let's take a look at some pitchers who could help you over the next few days.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs (rostered in 42% of leagues)
The one caveat I will throw out on Brown is that I do not know how long he will be in the rotation here. In his last start, Brown was spectacular against the Milwaukee Brewers, pitching seven innings and striking out 10 in a no-decision. In a small sample size of 11 innings as a starter, Brown has 16 strikeouts and has surrendered only one hit and four walks. Personally, if he doesn't remain in the rotation, he would be a dynamite closer. One concern is that Brown only has a two-pitch mix right now which could preclude him from starting. He's a must-roster in deeper leagues.
Ben Lively, Cleveland Guardians (rostered in 41% of leagues)
Lively continues to surprise here and has been on this list for two of the last three weeks. Yet fantasy players continue to doubt, which I understand. Last week, Lively earned a win over the Los Angeles Angels with five strikeouts over seven innings, surrendering only four hits and two runs. On the season, he has four wins, a 2.80 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and a usable 43 strikeouts in 45 innings. If you are looking to fill the back end of your rotation with someone who does no harm, Lively could be your guy.
Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers (rostered in 35% of leagues)
Gasser is an interesting study. The lack of strikeouts makes many fantasy players shy away. For example, he only had six total strikeouts in his first three starts, including none in a May 21 start against the Miami Marlins. However, Gasser then struck out seven Chicago Cubs en route to a no-decision last week. But, as shown below, the 48% GB% plays, as does the paltry 1.1% BB% and 84.5 mph average exit velocity. My point is that Gasser knows how to pitch and could be a nice backend filler for your rotation.
Hunter Brown, Houston Astros (rostered in 35% of leagues)
I will admit it: I never gave up on Brown and kept him rostered in most leagues when I should have dropped him. His last outing against Seattle showed what he can do: nine strikeouts in six innings, allowing one run on four hits and most importantly, no walks. But let's look under the hood at his May. Note the walks are troubling but he's given up two runs or fewer in four of his five outings this month. The 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP are far more in line with what we expected at the beginning of the year. Brown is definitely worth a shot if you can tolerate some risk.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for deeper leagues rostered between 30% or less on Yahoo!
Mitchell Parker, Washington Nationals (rostered in 23% of leagues)
Parker is no stranger to this list, having appeared several times. Again, Parker's peripherals will not blow you away, which is why he is often on the waiver wire. Yet he has four wins, a 3.45 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts in 44 innings, including seven and six punchouts in his last two starts, both wins. He seems to be getting stronger, pitching deeper into games and bolstering his chances for wins. You could do far worse than having Parker in your rotation.
Cal Quantrill, Colorado Rockies (rostered in 22% of leagues)
I have hesitated to add Quantrill to this weekly piece, but we must pay some attention here. He's got four wins in his last five starts and has a 3.53 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He lacks big strikeout numbers, but he has had nine, eight, and five strikeouts (three times) in his last five starts. He has 49 strikeouts in 63 innings. He's worth looking at despite pitching half his games in Denver.
Matt Waldron, San Diego Padres (rostered in 14% of leagues)
Waldron is an interesting pick here because we do not often see knuckleball artists in MLB anymore. Waldron has been good since a disastrous start in early May against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Of special note: he has 25 strikeouts and two wins in his last 17 innings. Walks will always be on the table for a guy who throws a knuckleball 55% of the time, as Waldron does, but he's also been getting good results. He could be a nice fill-in guy for many rosters.
Tylor Megill, New York Mets (rostered in 10% of leagues)
Megill seems to always fall under the radar a bit, as he seems to be on the periphery of the Mets' rotation. He's had three starts so far and has no wins to show for those. What appeals to me is the 16 strikeouts in his last 12 innings and the fact that he seems to have a secure spot in the rotation. Megill is quietly flying under the radar and you should snap him up off the waiver wire this week.
Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options
- Albert Suarez, Baltimore Orioles (rostered in 17% of leagues) has an opportunity right now with Tyler Wells and John Means done for the year.
- Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves (rostered in 15% of leagues)
- Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals (rostered in 10% of leagues)
Happy hunting for starting pitchers this weekend! If you have questions, you can always message me on X @mdrc0508. You can even tell me you hate these picks. Remember that fantasy baseball is supposed to be FUN above everything. Enjoy it!
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