Is James McArthur a good fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for closers and saves? Analysis on Royals closer as a free agent relief pitcher for saves on the waiver wire.
After a rough start to the season, in which he allowed four runs in his first three appearances, James McArthur has allowed no runs in his last six appearances for the Kansas City Royals. The 27-year-old closer has already made four saves this season, helping the Royals improve to 13-8.
McCarthur has also tallied nine strikeouts in his previous six innings pitched, and his statistics suggest that he could be a top-10 closer this year. The right-handed pitcher is mixing curveballs (39.3% of his total pitches), sinkers (32.3%), and sliders (25.5%), making life difficult for batters. McCarthur is throwing 28.6% of his pitches as strikes, and he has generated hard hits on only 43.5% of his total pitches this year.
In nine appearances so far this season, he has pitched 9 2/3 innings while giving up 12 hits, and allowing just one walk, with an ERA of 3.72 while recording 12 strikeouts. James McCarthur had four saves in 18 appearances last season, but that number could rise to double digits this year since the Royals' offense has improved significantly. He is still available in 47% of Yahoo leagues, making him a viable option for fantasy managers for the remainder of the season.
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