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Mike looks at three sneaky fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers in Week 14 (2024) who are off to hot starts and sees if they can sustain their success.
Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer recently made their returns from injury. However, we are still without plenty of prominent starting pitchers who are still on the injured list.
Streaming pitchers with favorable matchups is a good way to help offset injuries to your fantasy squad. Are Luis Severino, Aaron Civale, and Michael Lorenzen just viable streaming options, or could any of them be worth rostering for the long haul?
Let’s dig into the stats for these three starters and discuss if they can sustain their current level of success.
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Luis Severino, New York Mets
Severino is coming off his best start of the season, throwing six shutout innings against the Cubs. He recorded 10 strikeouts, allowing just three hits and not issuing any walks. It was a great bounce-back performance after he allowed six runs over 6.1 innings against the Rangers in his previous outing.
Luis Severino struck out 10 hitters for the first time in over two years pic.twitter.com/vS6EjfJrdc
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 24, 2024
Severino has proven to be an excellent addition for the Mets, posting a 3.29 ERA and 3.93 FIP across 15 starts. After allowing 23 home runs over 89.1 innings last year, he has been taken deep only eight times across 90.1 innings this year. Another useful stat for fantasy managers is his 1.15 WHIP, which is right in line with his career 1.18 WHIP.
Talent has never been a question with Severino. His problem has been an inability to stay healthy. He’s healthy right now and pitching well, yet he is still available in 49 percent of Yahoo leagues. He is much more than just a viable streaming option, so add him now if you still can.
Aaron Civale, Tampa Bay Rays
A quick look at Civale’s overall numbers this season doesn't exactly scream "viable fantasy option." His ERA sits at 5.20, and his 1.35 WHIP is on pace to be the highest mark of his career. Even though his FIP is a little better, it’s still not great at 4.53.
A lot of damage was done against Civale early in the season. Over his first seven starts, he had a 6.14 ERA. Since then, he has a 4.43 ERA over his last nine outings. In those nine starts, he gave up two or fewer runs five times.
Aaron Civale, 77mph Hammer. 🔨 pic.twitter.com/HORtwKonR3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 13, 2024
Finding strikeouts on the waiver wire isn’t usually easy. Civale doesn’t dominate in that department, but he does have 82 of them over 81.1 innings. Having to face the Yankees and Orioles in his division is not ideal for Civale, but he’s worth streaming when he has matchups that work in his favor.
Michael Lorenzen, Texas Rangers
Getting Scherzer back is big news for the Rangers. They have battled injuries to their starting rotation for much of the season, which has contributed to their disappointing start. Those injuries have opened up a starting spot for Lorenzen, who split last season between the Tigers and Phillies.
Lorenzen has a 3.04 ERA this season, so the Rangers have decided to keep him in their starting rotation, sending Dane Dunning to the bullpen with Scherzer now healthy. However, Lorenzen does have a concerning 4.70 FIP. He has been a bit lucky with his .231 BABIP allowed, considering that he has allowed a .279 BABIP for his career.
Another downer for fantasy managers is that Lorenzen only has an 18.0 percent strikeout rate to go along with his 10.1 percent walk rate. Eventually, he could lose his spot in the rotation when Jacob deGrom (elbow) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) return from injuries. However, he will be a viable streaming option until then. With his lack of strikeout upside, though, he’s only worth streaming when matchups are considerably in his favor.
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