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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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10. Brent Honeywell (TBR)  : 2.8% owned
With Jake Odorizzi heading to the DL, the Rays didn’t automatically promote Honeywell to the grand stage, instead, calling up a reliever. It’s possible we see Brent getting the call later this week and take the spot in the rotation, which could bring major dividends to your team down the stretch. Just be cautious here as he won’t be able to pitch through the end of the year given his limited workload in past seasons and if he doesn’t get promoted soon, there’s little left to chase.

9. Luis Perdomo (SDP) : 4.5% owned
Our week-to-week constant in Perdomo, who continues to be a boring yet somewhat sturdy option for deeper leagues. He’s holding a 3.98 ERA over his last 10 starts, including dates in Coors, in Arizona, facing the Nationals, Cubs, Indians, Tigers, and Reds. A better schedule awaits where his 62.9% groundball rate can continue laying down a solid floor to bring stability.

8. Sal Romano (CIN): 0.8% owned
After the sensation of Luis Castillo, Romano is the next young flamethrower entering the Reds’ rotation that is turning heads. His repertoire isn’t as complete as Castillo’s, but with a Fastball that comes in well above 95mph, a Slider he trusts, and good deception in his delivery, Romano could have more starts mimicking his seven strikeout performance against the Marlins. Hold a short leash with this one but you may not have a large window to grab Romano.

7. Dinelson Lamet (SDP) : 10.4% owned
It’s not every day that you can find a starter with a near 30% strikeout rate hanging on your wire, but be warned, it’s paired with a horrendous 42% hard contact and 13% soft, leading to a 5.92 ERA thus far. His 3.96 xFIP tells a story of a pitcher failing to keep the ball in the part, though his 4.56 FIP is more in line as Lamet’s ability to limit barreled contact is clearly lacking. Chase Lamet for the strikeout upside, but don’t expect a consistent arm.

6. Vince Velasquez (PHI): 13.7% owned
After having an impressive first start back from the DL, Velasquez struggled mightily on Monday as he allowed 3 walks and 4 ER. Keep in mind, he had to face the mighty Astros offense and there are better days ahead…once he gets past his next start in Coors. That strikeout ability isn’t going away and he’s shown he can limit those walks in the past.

5. Tyler Skaggs (LAA): 3.5% owned
Skaggs is slated to return to the Angels after one more rehab start, giving you a decent stash opportunity if you need some help in the short term. Skaggs is far from a lock at being productive for your squad, though he showed strikeout potential with a 8.90 K/9 in his five games in April and a 9.06 K/9 mark last season. It’s worth the gamble to see if he can find a groove in August.

4. Nick Pivetta (PHI): 3.4% owned
Pivetta is proving himself valuable for those that are in need of Ks in 14+ teamers. While his 5.87 ERA is far from pretty over his last 8 starts, it comes with an elite 9.98 K/9 and a 4.23 xFIP, as he walked 1 or fewer batters in half of those starts. Two of his three poor outings came against the Astros and in Arizona, allowing us to cut him some slack. Pivetta is an arm that can take advantage of teams outside of the top tier allowing you to reap the rewards if you play it smart.

3. Jerad Eickhoff (PHI): 11.7% owned
Pivetta’s teammate doesn’t have a double-digit strikeout game under his belt, but he can ultimately be more consistent to help your team in the closing weeks. Eickhoff is coming off a season with a 1.20 WHIP and 3.65 ERA, and while his current season has gone a bit differently, his three recent outings since coming off the DL show signs of improvement, with 22 Ks and a pair of starts that allowed 2 ER and 3 walks in 11 frames. Eickhoff has the largest chance of any on this list to be a consistent producer, forcing his way up these ranks.

2. Sean Newcomb (ATL) : 10.5% owned
Don’t be deterred by Newcomb’s recent ER hardships as he’s faced incredibly tough opponents in the Astros, Nationals, Dodgers, and Cubs. Meanwhile, he’s expressed strikeout upside plenty with 21 Ks in his last three outings, and now gets the Phillies twice in his next three starts. His schedule isn’t as smooth as you’d want, but he’s the best bet of the guys available to produce when he does face offenses ranked in the bottom half.

1. Luke Weaver (STL) : 3.6% owned
The news of Adam Wainwright hitting the DL has opened the door for Weaver to step into the Cardinals rotation and there is plenty to like. The Fastball/Changeup pitcher has sported a 9.41 K/9 and 1.91 BB/9 in Triple-A this year, a year after holding an impressive 11.15 K/9 and 2.97 BB/9 through 36.1 innings with the Cardinals in 2016. It’s not set in stone yet that Weaver is getting the chance to start in St. Louis, but now’s the time to stash him as he could pay the highest dividends of any pitcher featured here.


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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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