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10 Deep Pitchers to Pick Up (Fantasy Baseball)

10 Deep Pitchers to Pick Up (Fantasy Baseball)

Nick Pollack from Pitcher List here for a weekly segment at FantasyPros where I’ll be looking at the deeper options available in your leagues, highlighting my 10 favorite pitchers each week that could quickly return value despite hanging out on your waiver wire. We’ve set the threshold to under 15% owned according to ESPN, leaving a vast majority of leagues to take advantage of these arms that will cost you nothing and possibly return plenty.

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Graduated from last week: Mike Montgomery

10. Joe Biagini (TOR): 5.9% owned
Biagini’s stock has dropped significantly since last week, as he failed to rebound in either of his two starts following his horrific seven ER outing. However, if he does stick in the Jays rotation in the second half (you wouldn’t want to own him until then), he still possess an elite groundball rate with a trio of pitches that would make him a good floor option in deep leagues. In 12-teamers, you’re better off chasing higher upside, but a second half Biagini inside the Toronto rotation will bring value in deeper leagues.

9. Daniel Gossett (OAK): 1.5% owned
Don’t expect this to be the start of something incredible, but you can do worse than taking a flier on Gossett, who has thrown 12.2 innings with eleven strikeouts and just two earned runs in his last two starts against the White Sox and Astros. His heavy Curveball is no joke and extended time in O.Co will do him favors. This could be a quick flash of brilliance, but for now it’s worth it to see how this pans out.

8. Luis Perdomo (SDP): 4.7% owned
Like Biagini, Perdomo is a floor arm as he’s pitched Quality Starts in nine of his last 11 starts, facing tough opponents including the Rockies, Diamondbacks, Nationals, Reds, Tigers, and Cubs. It’s hard to expect his strikeout ability to surge at this point, but he’s good contender to go deep in games with his incredible 60%+ groundball rate that can generate outs in a hurry.

7. Luis Castillo (CIN): 2.4% owned
It might be tough for Castillo in the early going, but if Brandon Finnegan is due to miss another chunk of time, Castillo’s second half could be fantastic for fantasy owners. Sporting a Fastball that touched triple digits in his MLB debut last Friday, Castillo showed great confidence with his Changeup and power breaking ball that give him a more polished repertoire than we normally see from rookie arms. This would be a stash until the second half – you do not want to pitch him in Coors and in Arizona – but big things are coming for this electric arm.

6. Blake Snell (TB): 6.6% owned
After pitching himself out of fantasy relevancy earlier in the season, Snell is returning from the minors to face the Pirates on Wednesday. There’s hope that Snell has returned to the command-heavy pitcher he showcased earlier in his minor league career, which is exactly what we want to hear coming from a strikeout threat like Snell. There’s upside for a 8.50+ K/9 mixed with a 2.50 BB/9, which is more than adequate when scouring the wire.

5. Dinelson Lamet (SDP): 8.9% owned
The command is always going to be in question, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more certified strikeout upside arm this deep in the player pool. His 12.60 K/9 says it all and it’s great to see him string together a pair of six-inning starts in his last two outings. More innings from Lamet equals more chances to tally strikeouts. His WHIP will always be susceptible to atrocity, but that’s the gamble you’ll need to take if you need strikeout potential.

4. Hyun-Jin Ryu (LAD): 7.4% owned
Owning Ryu is as simple as this: He will provide value as long as he’s on the hill and not facing Top 10 offenses. It won’t be pretty, it won’t be exciting, but he’s worth the spot in your lineup for good chances at wins without the high risk of nearly everyone else available.

3. Homer Bailey (CIN): 3.5% owned
His first outing back in the majors was far from acceptable, but it’s well documented not to start pitchers on their first start back from an extended DL stint. This may be your last chance to snag Bailey before the second half, where the Reds have one of the more favorable schedules around. Simply stash him through the poor matchups across the next two weeks – you may have wanted to sit him anyway to give him time to get his bearings – then reap the rewards of the second half as he becomes a fantasy No. 5 arm.

2. Tyson Ross (TEX): 11.0% owned
After looking questionable in his first two starts, Ross hit a groove Tuesday night as he began using his Slider as much as he did in his golden years. There’s still work to be done – he’s neglecting his Two-Seamer and his velocity is still slightly down – but give him some time and you’ll be very happy you did. 8.50+ K/9 upside is still tangible here.

1. Mike Clevinger (CLE): 10.6% owned
Because the Indians have yet to spell out their plans for Clevinger, he’s still available in plenty of leagues. However, his price of free might come to a close soon as he performed well once again Tuesday night, boasting nine strikeouts and just one ER to his name against the Rangers. With Danny Salazar’s future still foggy, Clevinger will stick around in the Indians rotation, and may even have earned himself the fifth spot when the rotation is fully healthy.


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Nick Pollack is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nick, find his work at PitcherList.com and follow him @ThePitcherList.

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