Frankie Montas (SP/RP, OAK) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Write off Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas at your own risk. The young, hard-throwing right-hander has been traded three times before the age of 25, and the consensus seemed to be that he didn't have what it takes to stick in an MLB starting rotation. Montas made 23 appearances (all in relief) for the Athletics in 2017, posting a horrific 7.03 ERA and 1.84 WHIP across 32 innings. Though he also sported an abysmal 7.17 FIP, his 10.13 K/9 mark reflected the strikeout upside he flashed in his last few Triple-A seasons (12.16 K/9 in 2016, 11.44 K/9 in 2017). This year, something seems to have clicked in a major way.  The A's have given Montas three starts, and he has notched wins in all three. He has only allowed three earned runs, one homer, and three walks across 21.7 innings - good for an absolutely incredible 1.25 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.

Obviously, these numbers need to be analyzed with a grain of salt as the sample size is very small and he has faced awful offenses (Diamondbacks once, Royals twice).  He also has only notched 14 strikeouts (5.82 K/9), a number that should be expected to climb closer to his career averages as the season goes on. Another statistic to note is his 3.2 FIP, which suggests that though his current ERA is unsustainable, he is still pitching better than a replacement-level pitcher to this point and deserves to keep his starting rotation spot. Finally, Montas yields an elite 95.5 MPH average fastball velocity, which puts him in the top tier of starting pitchers in that regard. Take a flier on Montas if you're in need of a competent starting pitcher with plenty of strikeout upside.