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Week 3 Waiver Wire Starting Pitchers
Two weeks down, 22 to go. We’ve had an opportunity to see a couple turns from each pitcher to try and help determine whose start is real and whose is a fluke. In this week’s article, I’ll outline pitchers for both shallow and deeper leagues so there’s something for everyone. If you have any additional questions, feel free to stop by the chat on Tuesdays at 8 ET. Otherwise, let’s get to it!
Shallow Leagues
Carlos Rodon (SP, RP - CHW), Owned in 21% of Yahoo! Leagues
Target: 10+ Team Leagues
Before you go any further, stop reading and check to see if Carlos Rodon is still available in your league. The third overall pick in the 2014 draft, Rodon is a must add in all leagues and has the potential to be a top 40 SP ROS. It was reported yesterday that Rodon will be called up and pitch out of the bullpen intially, but that won't last for long considering Hector Noesi's poor start and the Sox determination to win now. Rodon is a huge hit or miss prospect. His minor league experience is small but in three Triple-A starts last year he produced an outstanding 13 K/9 ratio but that came with a 6.00 BB/9 ratio. I'm personally a little pessimistic. He was dominant in Spring Training, but that doesn't correlate into success. Just ask Taijuan Walker. He's going to have electric stuff but don't be surprised if he has some hiccups out the gate, similar to other top pitching prospects Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar. Regardless, you want him on your team considering his potential and his current trade value.
Shane Greene (SP – DET), Owned in: 68% of Yahoo! Leagues
Target: 10+ Team Leagues
I’ll admit, I was not ready to buy Greene in shallower leagues after his first start vs Minnesota. Unfortunately owners in my leagues did not need his last start at Pittsburgh to make the move. Greene was dominant against the Pirates, pitching eight innings of scoreless baseball with three hits (all singles) and no walks to his name. All with just 81 pitches. The last pitcher to start a season with back-to-back eight inning zero-run ball outings was Felix Hernandez. Pretty good company.
Greene isn’t going to crack the top 30 SP this year but he needs to be owned in all leagues. He isn’t going to strike a lot of batters out but he should pile up plenty of Ws behind that potent Tigers offense. I expect a line around 13 W, 3.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 130 Ks from here on out. Grab him if he’s out there.
Archie Bradley (SP – ARI), Owned In 47% of Yahoo! Leagues
Target: 10+ Team Leagues
Bradley was a heavily-touted prospect in 2014, with many fantasy pundits labeling him as a can’t-miss player. Fast forward to Spring Training of this year and it was looking like he’d be the odd man out until Arizona dealt Trevor Cahill to Atlanta in a salary dump. All Bradley did was reward their faith by going toe-to-toe with the Cy Young winner (Kershaw) and the World Series MVP (Bumgarner) in back-to-back outings. He limited the Giants to two runs over six innings last time out and carries a 1.42 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 10/6 K/BB ratio into his next start vs Texas. He’s not a must own at this point, but if you have room in a mixed-league for an extra pitcher Bradley makes a good add.
Jimmy Nelson (SP – MIL), Owned In: 34% of Yahoo! Leagues
Target: 10 + Team Leagues
Nelson wasn’t as dominant his second go-around versus Pittsburgh but he still produced a respectable line, going five innings with three runs (two earned) along with five hits and three Ks. He easily could have continued pitching as he was only at 73 pitches, but he was pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth. The key to his start is the zero walks. Nelson has the arsenal to dominate, especially with his new curveball, but the key is limiting the freebies. So far he’s off to a 12/2 K/BB ratio which fantasy owners will gladly take, considering his 57/29 K/BB ratio in 2014. I anticipate Nelson finishing out as a top 50 SP, which is high enough to warrant Nelson being rostered in all leagues.
Deeper Leagues
Aaron Harang (SP-PHI), Owned In 21% of Yahoo! Leagues
TARGET: 12+ Team Leagues – NL Only
The Harangatang continues to fly under radars as he picked up his second win of the young season at Washington. He didn’t have his best stuff but he still pitched six innings and gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks along with six punchouts. Harang was a useful backend rotation starter for Atlanta, picking up 12 wins with a 3.57 ERA. His 1.40 WHIP isn’t going to help you out, but Harang makes for a streamer option in shallow leagues and a rotation option for NL-Only leagues. Speaking of streams, he has a matchup at home versus Atlanta last week. Feel free to give him a test ride but don’t get attached.
Miguel Gonzalez (SP – BAL), Owned In 21% of Yahoo! Leagues
TARGET: 12+ Team Leagues – AL Only
Gonzalez has been sneaky effective for Baltimore, posting a 2.07 ERA since the All-Star break of last season. He was tremendous in his last start, setting a career high in strikeouts (10) while limiting the Yankees to one run over seven innings. His career 6.48 K/9 ratio indicates start such as this aren't to be expected, but if he can limit runs he’s a good option for deep fantasy leagues. He’s got some tough starts coming up (@BOS, vs BOS) so I can’t endorse grabbing him in shallow leagues, but keep your eye on him. The road will be clearer after that and Gonzalez has the potential to be a shallow mixed-league option.
Ubaldo Jimenez (SP – BAL), Owned In 22% of Yahoo! Leagues
Target: 14+ Team Leagues – AL Only
Jimenez was dealing in Boston until a questionable ejection by home plate umpire Jordan Baker left him done after three innings. He had yet to allow a hit but in traditional Ubaldo fashion his control was hit and miss. We all know Jimenez has the potential for greatness after his 2010 campaign in Colorado, but he’s never been able to put it all together in Baltimore. Fantasy owners have justifiably avoided Ubaldo to this point, but I think it’s time we reconsider our opinions of the fiery righty. He makes for an intriguing stream option due to his ability to rack up the punch outs and deeper leagues should be considering Jimenez as a backend SP. Hard to trust Jimenez in his next start at Toronto, though.
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