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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 since last week: Jimmy Nelson, Junior Guerra, Dinelson Lamet

10. Seth Lugo: 3.1% owned
Lugo is expected to pitch in this weekend’s double-header, but this ranking is more as a questionable long-term move. Don’t expect Lugo to last long in his first start of 2017 given his return from injury, and a good time on the hill is in question after his 2.67 ERA of 2016 looked more of a product of luck than skill (.230 BABIP, 85.7% LOB rate, 4.71 xFIP). Still, the Mets’ rotation is unstable with Robert Gsellman being an ineffecitve No. 5 arm. It’s possible Lugo squeezes his way into the rotation before long. Keep an eye on this one.

9. Francisco Liriano: 9.6% owned
Liriano is as desperate as they come, but when you’re at the bottom of the barrel, I’d prefer to be rostering arms that dance between excellent and horrendous over those that provide consistent mediocrity. Few have the same extremes as Liriano, who already has a double digit strikeout game under his belt in 2017. Sure, it’s certain he’s going to have clunkers ahead, but there will be moments of sunshine that are few and far between this deep on the wire.

8. Edinson Volquez: 11.0% owned
It’s easy to understand the hesitancy for owning Volquez: 4.17 FIP, 4.32 xFIP and a monstrous 4.82 BB/9. Still, after throwing not just a no-hitter, but nine shutout frames with 10 strikeouts, it’s easy to give Volquez a consideration for an upcoming start against the Pirates. Who knows, maybe he continues his hot streak for a few weeks, a possibility that holds more weight than most other options available.

7. Zach Davies: 14.4% owned
Those hoping for a repeat performance of 2016 have been disappointed thus far, but if we lower our expectations, there’s value to be had with Davies. He’s currently holding a 3.09 ERA over his last eight starts, and while a fortuitous 90.8% LOB rate has been a major part of this success, inducing 21.0% soft contact with sub 30% hard contact is impressive and deserving of praise. He’s far from the safest choice, but he’s a decent gamble among a limited pool of starters.

6. Mike Foltynewicz: 14.5% owned
There isn’t much question that Foltynewicz has it in him to showcase some serious production on any given night, especially given his last start of 10 strikeouts and four base runners in seven frames. The problem is picking exactly which night he’ll do it on. Six of Foltynewicz’s 10 starts have come with four strikeouts or fewer. His inability to provide consistency or get into a strong groove makes him a popular choice to avoid, though in a deep league you might have to take Folty for a spin and hope he lands on the right spot.

5. Tyler Chatwood: 11.3% owned
Chatwood is not my favorite of Colorado starters, but just because German Marquez and Jeff Hoffman are more favored doesn’t mean Chatwood should be ignored in the right matchup. He showed his upside against the Padres over the weekend – 8 IP, 8 Ks, 5 baserunners, 1 ER – and gets two games out of Coors in the upcoming week, one against the currently slumping Cubs followed by a cozy date with the Pirates. Don’t hold a long leash with Chatwood, but he can help in the short term, as well as the long term if you choose your spots wisely.

4. Jharel Cotton: 6.3% owned
There’s still plenty of work for Cotton to do before he becomes a pitcher you can start with confidence, but his arsenal carries a pair of serious weapons with his elite Changeup and 88mph+ Slider. His flyball tendencies play way inside of spacious Oakland Coliseum and we could be seeing his walk rates dwindle as he pitches closer to his history in the minors. If you have time to invest in a starter, Cotton may be the best bet on this list to become a stable contributor in the second half.

3. Luis Perdomo3.6% owned
Perdomo has had one of the tougher schedules around lately, though he allowed just four earned runs total in back-to-back starts against the Nationals and Cubs. His groundball rate is still elite at 65.6%, his strikeouts above 8.00 per nine, and he has an xFIP at 3.55. There’s plenty of room for a breakout here if you look past the ghastly 5.01 ERA thus far.

2. Tyson Ross: 7.5% owned
Even though Ross has struggled during his rehab starts thus far, you would be remiss to overlook the potential he brings to the table. Even if we don’t expect the 2.81 ERA of 2014 or the 9.73 K/9 of 2015, it’s not far-fetched to believe Ross can give owners an 8.50+ K/9 with an ERA under 3.50 if his groundball rate eclipses 50% once again. That makes for a price tag well above what his low owange rate dictates, turning him into the No. 2 stash for the week.

1. Joe Biagini: 6.5% owned
Back at No. 1 on the list is Biagini, who proved himself in a tough outing against the high-octane Yankee offense. There isn’t much else Biagini needs to do after six strikeouts and one ER in seven frames, tossing exactly 100 pitches. His 61.4% groundball rate, 2.83 FIP, 1.84 BB/9 and 7.90 K/9 should be enough to make him a must add even in 12-teamers at this point.


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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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