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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 24 (September 2- September 8). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. As we head into September, it's crunch time. What stats are you casing at this time?
This is an interesting piece each week because you never know what you will find in your research. What are we looking at this week on the waiver wire? Each week we have a menagerie of different pitchers for you to consider for your roster. Veterans like Matthew Boyd. Young guys who are finally healthy, like Shane Baz. Veterans who have pitched as both starters and relievers, like Javier Assad and Luis L. Ortiz. All four of those guys can help you depending on your team needs.
Your team context matters here. What do you need? Take a look at these deeper plays and see if you can find what you are looking for. Let's get into 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!
Ryne Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks (45% rostered)
Nelson just continues to pitch and not get any accolades, and he's been the most consistent starter in Arizona for some time now. He is up to nine wins, with a 4.22 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and 112 strikeouts in 136 innings.
In four straight outings, Nelson has completed at least six innings, earning a win and 26 strikeouts. More impressively, over his last 11 outings, he has posted a 2.76 ERA. Why is he not on more teams? Maybe it's the strikeout rate? I don't know, but he should be on more fantasy teams.
Cody Bradford, Texas Rangers (45% rostered)
Bradford has become kind of an afterthought in Texas, but he's a valuable pitcher. The lefty pitched well again on Saturday, going seven innings and striking out eight in a no-decision against the Oakland Athletics. Bradford now has four wins in eight starts, with a 3.31 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts in 49 innings. This valuable pitcher is rostered in only 45% of leagues on Yahoo. That is a shame.
Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays (44% rostered)
Is it just me, or does Baz feel a bit overlooked this year? He's now made eight starts, and he only has two wins, but he has a 3.48 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts in 44 innings. He has gone at least five innings in three consecutive starts and struck out 15 guys while getting two wins in the process.
Baz gets Minnesota next week and I think he's worth taking a look at this weekend if you need rotation help. Baz has four above-average offerings as you can see below.
David Peterson, New York Mets (42% rostered)
The lefty has gone seven innings in three straight starts. That is impressive, even while the strikeout total in those 21 innings is only 14. Peterson has eight wins in only 16 starts, a 2.83 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts in 92 innings. He has quality starts in six of his last seven outings. Peterson is flying under the radar and is someone you could consider if you need some rotation help and some wins.
Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs (39% rostered)
Assad has served a variety of roles and has been good for the Cubs most of the time. Back in the rotation, Assad went six innings on Saturday, earning a win and striking out four while giving up three runs. That is the very definition of a quality start.
Last week, Assad went seven innings and struck out only three. Assad will not move the strikeout needle for you, but he is a quality starter who can provide you with worry-free innings. He has six wins, a 3.15 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and 102 strikeouts in 120 innings.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered less than 30% on Yahoo!
Matthew Boyd, Cleveland Guardians (25% rostered)
The veteran has captured a spot in the Guardians rotation, and he's been fine. On Saturday, Boyd threw six innings and struck out eight hitters, a season-high for the veteran. He has a tough matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers coming next week, but Boyd has a win, a 2.70 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 22 innings. You could do worse than having Boyd in your rotation.
Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (25% rostered)
I am a bit surprised that Matthews isn't rostered in more leagues. Matthews took a shellacking on Saturday, lasting only two innings in a 15-0 thrashing at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Before this outing, Matthews had gone five innings in each of his three MLB starts, earning a win and garnering 18 strikeouts in 17 innings. With the bad outing, his rostership will probably decrease, but don't let one blowup deter you from adding a quality arm.
Luis L. Ortiz, Pittsburgh Pirates (19% rostered)
I wrote about Ortiz in this spot a few weeks ago, and he's back. He has gone six innings in his last three starts, covering 18 innings and garnering 17 strikeouts. Ortiz has five wins in his 10 starts, a 3.36 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 88 strikeouts in 113 innings. The righty will face the Washington Nationals next week and look to continue his recent streak of good pitching.
DJ Herz, Washington Nationals (19% rostered)
This is a great example of a boom-or-bust type starting pitcher. On Saturday, he was mediocre, only pitching into the fifth inning, striking out five while giving up four runs over that span. Before today, the young lefty had thrown at least five innings in three straight starts, striking out five, seven, and eight hitters.
On the season, his usable stat line: two wins, a 3.84 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 65 innings. The 29.1%K% is really appealing; see the box below for more info on Herz.
Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options
- Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics (15% rostered)
- Alex Cobb, Cleveland Guardians (10% rostered)
- Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers (9% rostered)
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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