Michael Lorenzen (SP/RP, CIN) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

Brady Grove profiles Cincinnati Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen as a potential waiver wire acquisition of value for fantasy baseball leagues in Week 20 of the 2019 MLB campaign.

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ANALYSIS: There is a lot to say about Cincinnati Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen, as he is a man of many talents. As an asset on offense, "Mikey Biceps" has accumulated three stolen bases and a .273/.333 BA/OBP combo, and on the mound he's been one of the most concrete presences this season for any bullpen around the league. He hit a rough patch from May through June, but the Reds have deployed him a lot (he is tied for fourth in the NL among relievers with 59.1 IP), and he has bounced back dramatically with a 2.11 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts in 17.0 innings through July and August.

Lorenzen has been active in Cincinnati's high-leverage situations, earning 13 holds and six saves (though three came in June) so far. While that isn't exactly the volume you hope for, recall that Jared Hughes and Amir Garrett have suspensions to serve, and David Hernandez was just designated for assignment. If this propels Lorenzen into more late-inning situations and the occasional fill-in for Raisel Iglesias, he is in great shape to take full advantage. Now that he has improved his allowed contact on batted balls (30.3% hard contact and 18.2% soft contact in July) and continues to force grounders at a 47.6% clip for the campaign, he can be counted on to keep the opposition's BABIP and power in check.