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Chris Zolli profiles relief pitcher Brad Ziegler as a waiver wire pickup and add in Week 9 of the 2018 MLB season for his strong start to the season.
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues
OWNED IN: 28% of leagues
ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins relief pitcher Brad Ziegler appears to have righted the ship and is still the closer for the Marlins. After imploding against the Braves on May 20 (allowing four runs in 2/3 of an inning), he has had two scoreless appearances. He still has a 6.55 ERA and is 0-3, but he has nine saves.
Fantasy owners know what they get from Ziegler, who only has 14 strikeouts in 22 innings, but has also only walked three batters and has a 72.4% ground ball rate. Three home runs are a bit disappointing for a ground ball pitcher that does not strike out many batters, but a .333 BABIP shows that he is a lot better than his 6.55 shows. A 4.16 FIP and 3.19 xFIP show that Ziegler has been very unlucky.
Ziegler will have to hold off Kyle Barraclough and Drew Steckenrider to keep the job in Miami, but it is likely that the Marlins will keep Ziegler in the role unless he totally breaks down. As noted before, Ziegler's BABIP and FIP show that his ERA is inflated and will likely drop. Some fantasy owners may have dropped Ziegler after his poor appearance against Atlanta, but an entrenched closer should be owned in more than 28% of leagues.
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