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Nick Mariano's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire targets and adds. Free agent pickups and starting pitcher sleepers for Week 24 of the 2018 MLB season.
It's safe to call this the middle of September, right? With just under three weeks remaining in the fantasy (and regular) baseball season, there are barely any rules or conventions that you should force yourself to play by. Identify your needs and go. Do the thing! I believe in you, and I (mostly) believe in these pitchers.
As always, you can find me on Twitter @NMariano53 and ask any follow-up questions or about other pitchers not touched on here.
In the interest of my being exhausted and there being plenty of names worth touching on, these blurbs will be short and sweet. Using Yahoo ownership and cutting off around 30%, here are my starting pitcher waiver wire targets for Week 24.
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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets
Steven Matz (NYM – SP): 29% owned
In four starts since coming off of the DL in mid-August, Matz has struck out 31 hitters against five walks with a 2.25 ERA and 2.51 xFIP in 24 innings. With his next start slated for Thursday against the Marlins, I know several fantasy owners who would pay top dollar for the southpaw’s services.
Mike Minor (TEX – SP/RP): 29% owned
Minor has now won six of his seven starts after holding the Halos to one run across six strong innings on Monday night. He only struck out three, but the 1.96 ERA/0.83 WHIP over the last month is what you’re paying for. Minor is turning in some major ratio relief here and draws a favorable matchup with the Padres at Petco Park in his next scheduled start on Sept. 16.
Matt Boyd (DET – SP): 26% owned
Having to face the Indians in Cleveland isn’t a fun matchup, but Boyd is coming off of a season-high 11 strikeouts where he flat-out dominated the Cardinals. He’s been dynamite since the All-Star break, with a 3.06 ERA and a strikeout per inning over his 61 ⅔ frames of work, yielding a paltry .201/.244/.376 triple slash to hitters in that span. If you don’t want to play him against the Indians, then he should draw the Twins next.
Reynaldo Lopez (CWS - SP): 23% owned
Lopez is feeling it lately, yielding just four combined earned runs over his last four outings (25 ⅔ IP) with 29 punchouts. The highlight of this stretch was his most recent turn against the Angels, where he took a tough-luck, 1-0 loss despite striking out 10 Halos across six scoreless frames. He gets the face the Orioles in Baltimore next on Sept. 15, which gives him a good chance at securing a much-deserved W.
Tyler Glasnow (TB - SP/RP): 20% owned
It’s like a guy can’t implode every once in a while without everyone freaking out. The entire fantasy community became a Glasnow expert after Toronto lit him up for seven runs in the first inning, but what about his second stellar effort against the Indians in the last two weeks? After holding Cleveland to just one run over seven innings on Aug. 31, Glasnow once again stifled the Tribe with seven innings of two-run ball on Tuesday night. He carries a gritty xFIP around 3.50 as a Ray with 43 strikeouts in 38 ⅓ IP and is set to face the Rangers next.
Brad Keller (KC - SP/RP): 15% owned
Keller’s unsightly overall 87/46 K/BB ratio over 127 ⅓ IP will make you cringe, but the 23-year-old’s been a force over the last month. He held the ChiSox to just one run across seven innings on Tuesday night, which gives him six straight outings with two or fewer earned runs surrendered. With a groundball rate north of 50% and a growing affinity for inducing soft-contact, Keller will look to make it seven consecutive stellar starts his next time out against Minnesota.
Felix Pena (LAA - SP/RP): 15% owned
Pena’s effectiveness has rebounded alongside his velocity lately, as he’s turned in back-to-back 7-IP starts against the Astros and White Sox with just one and two earned in each respective outing. His sinker-slider mix is gaining some polish as he’s boosted his offerings by nearly 2 MPH since a rough patch in August. He’s delivered a healthy 37/8 K/BB ratio over his last six trips to the hill and will take on the Rangers on Wednesday in an attempt to make fantasy owners proud.
Touki Toussaint (ATL - SP): 13% owned
I just want to say that Toussaint has looked amazing in 14 of his 16 major league innings thus far. His six-inning MLB debut against the Marlins was clean from start-to-finish. He held Boston without a hit over four innings before unraveling in the fifth and eventually taking the loss. His latest start on Sept. 9 saw him blank Arizona through five innings before they plated two in the sixth, though he did walk five and was clearly working through poor command. But still, he made it to the sixth with shaky stuff in just his third MLB outing. When he’s on, though, it’s very fun to watch. He’s set to next toe the rubber for a Sept. 16 start against the Nationals.
Jose Urena (MIA - SP): 11% owned
You don’t have to love the guy -- in fact, I’d say it’s best not to -- but Urena has looked sharp ever since that whole fracas with the Braves on Aug. 15. The Marlins’ Opening Day starter held the Mets to one run over 6 ⅓ IP on Tuesday and has now yielded just seven earned in his last 28 ⅓ IP, which includes a tough assignment against Boston at Fenway. He lines up to face the Phillies in Philly next, a team that he dismantled with a 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K line on Sept. 3.
Jorge Lopez (KC - SP/RP): 4% owned
Lopez captivated the baseball world by coming within three outs of perfection on Sept. 8 against the Twins, ultimately settling for the win and one earned run over eight-plus innings. This was his follow-up performance to tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Orioles on Sept. 2, when he struck out eight Baltimore birdies. He gets a rematch against the Twins next on Sept. 14 as he looks to make right on the bid for perfection.
Joe Ross (WAS - SP/RP): 3% owned
Let’s try this again! Ross was set to make his 2018 debut on Sept. 7 against the Cubs, but that start was rained out. Washington opted to keep everyone else on schedule and push Ross’ turn back a week. So now he due for a home start against the same Cubbies at home on Wednesday, which will be his first MLB appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery 14 months ago. He struck out 19 and walked eight over 26 ⅓ rehab innings and could offer a handful of useful starts in the final weeks of the season.
Daniel Norris (DET - SP): 1% owned
I cannot wait to see how Norris looks against the Astros. He’s struck out 14 in just 9 ⅓ IP across two starts since returning from core muscle surgery in May. Only the most desperate of streamers would consider using him in that, but if I sense of a whiff of the pitcher who posted an absurd 38/8 K/BB ratio in just 29 ⅔ innings back in September of 2016 then I’m leaping on for what would be his next start against either Minnesota or Kansas City.
