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Welcome back RotoBallers to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups recommendations for Week 21 of the fantasy baseball season (August 14 - August 20). My name is Nick Shlain and this is my 10th 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
Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals (33% Rostered)
Cole Ragans has made four starts for the Royals so far this season and had his first bad one in his last time out against the Cardinals. Before that, he struck out 11 batters against the Red Sox on the road.
Ragans might've been dropped in your league after his last start, but that might be an opportunity for you to pounce on him. He should be a good source of strikeouts as he has 51 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched this season.
Hyun Jin Ryu, Toronto Blue Jays (23% Rostered)
Hyun Jin Ryu left his last start after being hit with a ball in play, but he should be fine going forward. It's a shame because he was having his best start since returning from injury. He threw four scoreless innings against the Guardians before he got hurt.
Ryu only has five strikeouts in nine innings pitched over his two starts this season. Maybe he'll turn it around in the strikeout category going forward, but he should be a viable rotation option if he can keep pitching the way he did against Cleveland.
Jesse Scholtens, Chicago White Sox (10% Rostered)
Jesse Scholtens has been very solid for Chicago ever since moving into the rotation. He's put up three consecutive quality starts but has yet to record a win. Over 18.1 innings, he has a 2.95 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
Scholtens can't buy a win right now, but he's certainly been helping fantasy managers in quality start leagues. With the way the White Sox season has gone, that could be the case for the rest of this season.
Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies (33% Rostered)
Ranger Suarez hasn't won a game since the end of June, but he has eight quality starts on the season. He also has 81 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched. He's able to complete five innings in most of his starts and he's on a good team that's pushing for the playoffs.
Suarez is a solid but unspectacular fantasy rotation option for managers over the rest of the season.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Pitcher pickup recommendations for deeper leagues
Chase Silseth, Los Angeles Angels (35% Rostered)
Last week, I noted that Chase Silseth could be a nice short-term addition depending on if the Angels keep him in the rotation for the rest of the season. To help his cause, he struck out 12 batters over seven innings against the Mariners in his last start.
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 (38% Rostered)
Kutter Crawford blew up in his last start. Before that, he had a 3.62 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched. In his last four starts before that, 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 for the rest of the season and makes sense to add in all leagues.
Ken Waldichuk, Oakland Athletics (5% Rostered)
Ken Waldichuk had perhaps his best start of the season against the Rangers in his last time out. He struck out seven batters and allowed only two runs over six innings pitched. He's a valuable source of strikeouts with 96 strikeouts in 94.1 innings, but he's still a risky option given his 6.30 ERA on the season.
I'm not super confident in Waldichuk 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
Nick Lodolo, Cincinnati Reds (66% Rostered)
Nick Lodolo is my stash this week. He began a rehab assignment on Friday so he should be back in the majors before too long. Grab him in your league while you can.
Lodolo struggled before his injury this season, but he should be a valuable source of strikeouts for the rest of this season.
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