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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 16 (July 8 - July 14). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. These are SP options to consider who 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 it 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 who 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 not harm and hope for the best. Let's get after it.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers (rostered in 45% of leagues)
This is not the first time Olson has been on this list, and this will probably be the last time, as owners will wise up and roster him this coming week. Olson had three really bad starts in June where he surrendered 17 runs. Since then, he has run off four consecutive starts where he has surrendered two runs or less, earning two wins in the process. Olson has three total wins now, and a suitable 3.22 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts in 95 innings. What I like: high chase percentage and an absurd ground-ball rate means he is keeping the ball on the ground and thus in the park.
Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals (rostered in 41% of leagues)
See the above note on Olson. I am unsure what else Wacha can do to get some fantasy love. Wacha just keeps doing what he does: limiting hard contact, avoiding walks, and getting hitters out. It's interesting how he is almost always on the waiver wire in many leagues, but let's take a wider view of his career: he's 93-60, with a 3.95 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and 1,220 strikeouts in 1,372 innings. His stats this year are in line with those: five wins, a 3.74 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts in 84 innings. He can help most teams and is available in more than half of leagues.
Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs (rostered in 39% of leagues)
Taillon has been one of the few bright spots in the Chicago Cubs rotation this season. Taillon only posted one win in June, but his other stats were helpful: a 3.30 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 30 innings. He followed that up with seven strikeouts in seven innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 4, earning a win. People will start to pick up on Taillon soon, and you can beat them with a small bid this weekend.
Colin Rea, Milwaukee Brewers (rostered in 31% of leagues)
Rea continues to get zero love and even less respect. This is a serviceable pitcher for the back end of your fantasy rotation. He's 8-2 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, but as with every pitcher every week on this list, there is a discernible flaw: 66 strikeouts in 94 innings. When you look at the Statcast data, it feels like it doesn't make sense; see below. We must also note that he has pitched into the sixth inning in his last five starts, with only one clunker in those five in which he surrendered five runs. Rea also won four of those games. Sometimes pitchers outperform their peripheral stats. He's worth a flyer in most leagues right now.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered less than 30% on Yahoo!
Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles (rostered in 26% of leagues)
I'll admit it: I have always liked Kremer and enjoy having him at the back end of my rotation in many leagues. Kremer had a good first start back after missing all of June, with five innings pitched and eight strikeouts while surrendering no runs. Here is what I am interested in: the advent of the splitter is providing him with a higher whiff percentage than any of his other pitches. Kremer has a 25.2% K%, which would be his career best if he can maintain it.
Carson Spiers, Cincinnati Reds (rostered in 22% of leagues)
Spiers has been serviceable in a rotation audition for the Reds. Spiers did not pitch great on Friday night, coughing up four earned runs on three home runs against the Detroit Tigers. He had a really good June: two wins, a 3.04 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 23 innings. Spiers has some runway here and should continue to get opportunities in Cincinnati.
Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers (rostered in 17% of leagues)
I struggled to add Heaney here. My desire for his tantalizing skill set has often caused me trouble in the past. Like a scorned lover will at times, I am willing to give him another chance. Heaney got into the sixth inning Saturday afternoon, getting seven strikeouts and surrendering no runs against the Tampa Bay Rays. In six starts in June, he won two games with a 3.41 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 34 innings. In deeper leagues, Heaney is worth an add right now.
DJ Herz, Washington Nationals (rostered in 7% of leagues)
Herz is a crapshoot right now; you might get double-digit strikeouts or you could get your ratios torpedoed. Look at the data from his six starts with the Nationals below. Always know that guys with high strikeout rates usually have high pitch counts that make going deep into games a problem, limiting your chance for a starting pitcher win, which many of us desperately need. However, if you are looking to gain in the strikeouts category, Herz might be worth a dart throw right now.
Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options
- Luis L. Ortiz, Pittsburgh Pirates (rostered in 10% of leagues)
- Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies (rostered in 6% of leagues)
- Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals (rostered in 5% of leagues)
- Yariel Rodriguez, Toronto Blue Jays (rostered in 4% 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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