Chris Bassitt (SP, OAK) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

June 14, 2019

Brady Grove profiles Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt as a potential waiver wire pickup or add target for fantasy baseball leagues in Week 12 of the 2019 MLB campaign.

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ANALYSIS: It may be easy to look at the way Chris Bassitt has been trending and get discouraged, as he has looked shaky at times after his fast start to 2019. However, under the surface, there are a few key indicators of safety in "C-Bass" even in pedestrian times. In nine starts this year he holds solid measures with a 3.57 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 24% walk rate, and 9.0 K/9, though he has struggled with the long ball at 1.4 HR/9. He slowed down in five starts through the month of May with a 4.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and even though he had 9.5 K/9, he struggled adamantly with seven allowed home runs and 13 allowed walks.

While his 4.63 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and meager 4.6 K/9 in two June starts may not seem like an improvement, he has greatly limited potential damage by allowing zero homers and just three free trips to first base in 11.2 IP. The 30-year old alumni of the University of Akron has gone to work against opposing batters this campaign with his most dangerous repertoire ever, tossing for career-high velocity on his fastball (93.2 MPH), slider (88.4 MPH), and changeup (85.2 MPH). While he has kept batters out of the air less than usual with a 1.13 GB/FB ratio this year, he has hampered the opposition's contact quality as evidenced by a 29.9% hard contact rate and 21.5% soft contact rate, while forcing 18.2% IFFB. He makes his next start tonight against Marco Gonzales and the Seattle Mariners, and whether it be with strikeouts or limitation of power, he is a strong candidate for a solid outing and several there to come.