Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 3

We are almost two turns through the rotation for most teams, and we have seen a lot of things early on this year. Pitching has come out hotter than a lot of people have thought, and pitch counts really have not been nearly as deflated as was expected.

Right now is the best time to capitalize on some of the standout pitchers early on in the season. There is a lot to learn from a couple of starts, and lots of pitchers out there that should be rostered at much higher rates than what we're seeing.

Your fantasy pitching staff can really be bolstered by players that went overlooked in drafts because of the weird 2020 season. Here are some starting pitchers I'm looking for on the waiver wire as we head towards the third week of the fantasy baseball season - April 12th through April 18th.

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Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins (55% rostered)

The line score on his first outing doesn't look encouraging as he made it through just four innings. That was because of early wildness, he threw a ton of pitches in the first inning but really buckled down after that. The guy has incredible stuff, with a fastball that can reach 98 and a sweeping slider that is really tough to hit.

Rogers looked dominant again in his Saturday start against the Mets as well, so things are really looking up for the young lefty. This is another guy where you shouldn't be hoping for 150+ innings or anything like that, but he is sure to provide lots of strikeouts and some absolutely terrific starts while he's out there.

Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox (48% rostered)

We have seen this before from Rodon, which makes it less enticing to jump on. It seems like we have seen brilliant starts out of the blue from Rodon for the last 10 years, but we got another one in his first outing of the year. Rodon was spectacular, striking out nine Mariners in five innings while giving up just two hits. His fastball averaged 95 and his slider was incredible with a 27% swinging-strike rate. It seems to be a long shot that Rodon reaches even 140 innings this year, but the talent is real and he should be rostered in anything but shallow leagues while the good times are rolling.

Drew Smyly, Atlanta Braves (45% rostered)

This is Smyly's second straight appearance in this post, but he's going to keep showing up until he's above the rostered percentage threshold. Smyly was incredible in a limited sample last year, looked great in spring, and now has a 2021 regular season gem under his belt. He took it to the Nationals in his first starting throwing six innings with eight strikeouts while allowing just five hits and a walk.

His four-seamer averaged 93 miles per hour, which was really the biggest key for him this year after seeing that velocity come up from around 90 to this 93-95 range last season. His secondary pitch, the curveball, was also quite good with a 38% CSW%, a 23% swinging-strike rate, and a 75% ground-ball rate when it was put in play. Everything went great for Smyly in his first start, and for the near future he can be rostered and started with confidence.

Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Taijuan Walker, New York Mets (34% rostered)

The Mets righty showed elevated velocity in his first start, averaging 95.4 on his fastball. This is another guy like Smyly who has always been a high-upside player but has not been able to stay healthy. He looked mighty healthy in our first look at him, which is a great sign for the Mets. He has a deep arsenal which should help him get through the batting order the third time, throwing three pitches above 20% of the time and adding a low-usage splitter and curveball.

With the strong offense of the Mets backing him, Walker is a good bet for some wins while he's out there throwing, and his arm is looking great early on. He is worth an add.

David Peterson, New York Mets (12% rostered)

For deeper leagues, Peterson is worth a peek. His first start did not go well by the box score, as he gave up seven hits and six earned runs in four innings. Under the hood, however, things looked a bit more encouraging than that. Overall he racked up a 38.5 CSW%, one of the best marks of the year for a starter. Sometimes this just means that a pitcher is throwing way too many strikes, but Peterson also had a nice SwStr% rate of 17% on the start. His slider was on the money with a 33% swinging-strike rate and an 83% ground-ball rate. The problem was just a little bit of in-zone command and too many barreled balls.

This isn't a high-confidence pick, but Peterson has big strikeout upside and should put up some nice lines when he has his command this year.

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