RADIO
Louie Varland is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for pitchers heading into Week 8 (2023). Target Varland as a free agent pitcher on the waiver wire.
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues
ROSTERED IN: 16% of leagues
ANALYSIS:
Varland is the priority pick-up under 50% owned this week. What he's done in his three starts has been really impressive. Here's the whole list of pitchers this year with 3+ GS, a K% above 27%, a BB% below 9%, and a SwStr% above 15%:
| Pitcher | GS | K% | BB% | SwStr% |
| Pablo Lopez | 8 | 31% | 7% | 16.3% |
| Luis Castillo | 8 | 28% | 5% | 16.3% |
| Cristian Javier | 8 | 29% | 5% | 15.7% |
| Clayton Kershaw | 8 | 29% | 5% | 16.2% |
| Kevin Gausman | 7 | 34% | 4% | 15.6% |
| Joe Ryan | 7 | 27% | 4% | 15.2% |
| Hunter Greene | 7 | 29% | 9% | 16.4% |
| Freddy Peralta | 7 | 27% | 8% | 15.5% |
| Louie Varland | 3 | 28% | 7% | 15.5% |
It's a smaller sample size for Varland, but for what it's worth – he was absolutely dominant in the minor leagues (40% K%, 6.5% BB%).
To say more, Varland has above-average SwStr% on three different pitches, his four-seamer (12.4%), his cutter (15.9%), and his changeup (22.7%). To that he adds a decent slider, so he has a lot of different ways to go. We learned this week that Tyler Mahle is done for the year needing Tommy John surgery, so there is a long-term spot in the rotational available now and I think Varland is going to take it and keep it.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Christian Moore - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 12)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team leagues CALL-UP ETA: Now ANALYSIS: On Thursday evening, the Angels announced they were promoting their top-ranked prospect, infielder Christian Moore, to the major leagues. Moore was selected with the eighth pick in last year's draft out of Tennessee. Moore wasted little time making an impact as he made his Double-A debut […]
Andrew Painter - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 11)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitching prospect Andrew Painter should continue to be viewed as a top stash option. After recovering from Tommy John and missing the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Painter has returned to the bump this season and is fast approaching his MLB […]
Zebby Matthews - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 11)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: Zebby Matthews was one of the most interesting pitching prospects coming into this season and delivered solid outings before going down with a shoulder injury. Matthews has not been particularly impressive in his two major league stints so far, but his minor league success and […]
Quinn Mathews - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 11)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Quinn Mathews was a popular name in this column during the opening month of the campaign, but suffered a shoulder injury. However, Mathews is back in action and remains on a trach to reach the majors this season. In his […]
Carson Whisenhunt - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 11)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-team leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: San Francisco Giants left-handed pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt continues to impress at Triple-A and is quickly approaching his MLB debut. The top-ranked prospect in the system opened the campaign by earning his second look at Triple-A. In 2024, Whisenhunt made his Triple-A debut but struggled, logging […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
