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Welcome back RotoBallers to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups recommendations for Week 20 of the fantasy baseball season (August 7 - August 13). My name is Nick Shlain and this is my ninth week of writing this column -- I'll be sticking around for the rest of the MLB season to bring you my starting pitcher recommendations.
The MLB season continues to fly on by. With that being said, baseball is the longest fantasy season, so there's still plenty of time to make up ground in the fantasy standings and upgrade your rosters for a playoff run. We're looking to make up some of that ground on the mound here.
Today, we'll be taking a look at some promising recent prospect call-ups, some veterans arms who may be improving, and the best pitcher in the minor leagues to stash to help fantasy managers. Good luck on the waiver wire this week!
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Pitcher pickup recommendations for leagues of any size
Kyle Gibson, Baltimore Orioles (53% Rostered)
Gibson has a 4.50 ERA on the season, but his xFIP is 4.13 and his FIP is 3.75. Over his last six starts, he's completed at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or less in five of those games. He's also struck out at least eight batters in three of his last six starts.
Gibson continues to eat innings for one of the best teams in all of baseball. That's how he's recorded 11 wins this season. He should be rostered in all leagues where managers need starting pitching.
Nick Pivetta, Boston Red Sox (57% Rostered)
It looked like Pivetta was back in the rotation after his start against the Mariners where he went 7.1 innings and struck out 10 batters. However, he came out of the bullpen for his next appearances and went four innings while only striking out two batters.
It's a little frustrating that the Red Sox aren't just treating Pivetta as a starting pitcher at this point, but with a 29% strikeout percentage on the season he can still help your fantasy team in strikeouts even when he's pitching in short spurts.
Steven Matz, St. Louis Cardinals (44% Rostered)
Matz has only won three games this season and was removed from the rotation earlier this season, but he's pitched really well lately. In five of his last six starts, he's completed at least five innings and allowed only one earned run or less. In four of his last six starts, he's struck out at least six batters.
His three wins have all come in his last four starts. Matz seems to have turned the corner on his season and should be a reliable asset to fantasy rotations for the rest of the season.
Michael Lorenzen, Philadelphia Phillies (65% Rostered)
Lorenzen has a 3.48 ERA and has completed at least five innings in 18 of his 19 starts this season. He only won five games while pitching for the Tigers, but was able to win his first start with the Phillies.
Lorenzen should be rostered in all leagues at this point. He's one of the few available pitchers you can rely on to throw innings and now that he's on a good team there aren't any negatives in his fantasy profile.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Pitcher pickup recommendations for deeper leagues
Chase Silseth, Los Angeles Angels (15% Rostered)
Silseth could be a nice short-term addition depending on if the Angels keep him in the rotation for the rest of the season. He's won his last two starts including a 10 strikeout game he had against the Yankees.
Silseth makes sense in deeper leagues where he's widely available and could help cover some innings in a pinch. We'll see if he remains in the rotation when Griffin Canning returns from the injured list.
Kutter Crawford, Boston Red Sox (26% Rostered)
Crawford has a 3.62 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched. In his last four starts, he has recorded seven and nine strikeouts in a game. There's no reason Nick Pivetta should have twice the rostered percentage as Crawford at this point in the season.
Crawford should be a solid contributor to fantasy rotations the rest of the season and makes sense to add in all leagues.
Johan Oviedo, Pittsburgh Pirates (25% Rostered)
Oviedo has a 4.42 ERA and has been a bit of a mixed bag lately, but he might be worth a shot if you're desperate in deeper formats. He's won his last two games and has completed at least six innings while allowing one earned run in three of his last four starts.
I'm not super confident in Oviedo for the rest of the season, but there are worse options on the waiver wire if you're desperately in need of a starting pitcher.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Stashes
Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox (66% Rostered)
Chris Sale is once again my stash of the week. He's making a rehab start on Sunday and should be back in the majors soon. If he's still available in your league, go and stash him now before it's too late.
Sale had 71 strikeouts in 59 innings and a 4.58 ERA and 3.60 xFIP when he was healthy earlier this season.
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