Brent Suter (SP, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

July 1, 2018

Jon Denzler profiles Milwaukee Brewers SP Brent Suter as a waiver wire add and pickup for a strong start to the season supported by wins and good ratios.

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OWNED IN: 37% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Brent Suter has both split opinions and evaluations all season, as he entered the year as a long man, then moved to a starter, and now, perhaps, might be one of the best pitchers on the team.  Through 15 starts he has a record of 8-5, with a 4.28 ERA. Not great numbers on their own, but when taking into account the ballpark, an ERA around four is safe for fantasy owners.  At the very least, he can still get wins with those numbers. The xFIP sits at 3.98, so if anything expect some improvement on the overall line.

Now the critical question: is Suter a legitimate fantasy starter?  With a slow fastball and more command than stuff, the opportunity for the long ball is there as evidenced by the 1.43 HR/9.  And yet, the good news is the walk rate sits at 1.83 per nine, limiting damage on the bases. Besides, the 14.4% HR/FB rate is a bit misleading when his GB% is down nine points from last season.  With the type of pitcher Suter is, expect that GB% to climb, and with it, the homers to go down. Even better, if this is the new normal for Suter, the ERA reflects that he can absorb those big hits and still give quality rations.  Suter is a good SP4 in mixed leagues with the wins and ratios, and in NL-only formats could even be an SP3.  What owners have seen so far is not the best-case scenario, and with that, improvement could still be around the corner.