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Nicho's H2H points fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for pitchers in Week 3 (2025) -- April 14 - April 20. Free-agent pitchers to add in points leagues.
Here we are in Week 3 of our weekly column of fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers in points leagues. We appreciate you following along thus far and hope you've been reading these articles because last week, we had some stellar recommendations, including Max Meyer, Dustin May, Brady Singer, and Reese Olson. All of them had solid outings and were rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues last week, which is no longer true for May and Singer. Olson and Meyer are rostered around 35 percent, about five to 10 percent more than in Week 2. There is my shameless plug to pick up Olson and Meyer in case you missed last week's column.
While we are talking about weekly columns, Week 1, which was written by my RotoBaller friend John Laghezza, who by the way, go check out his content because it's fantastic, also recommended Jack Leiter and Jose Soriano, who are both still rostered in less than 55 percent of leagues as of right now. Don't worry—I will hold myself accountable if this column's recommendations don't work out as well come next week. At the end of the day, I am here to provide you with the information, stats, and data points you need as a fantasy manager to help you make informed decisions about managing your pitching staff.
To stay informed with the latest news and trends, make sure to keep following @RotoBallerMLB and me @NichoRoessler on X for more league-winning content. Best of luck this week, and let's keep swinging for the fences!
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Walker Buehler, SP, Boston Red Sox
49% Rostered
Alright, Mr. Buehler. I'll bite. The Boston Red Sox starting pitcher was excellent in his Week 2 start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Unfortunately, he did not walk away from the outing with a win, but he threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, and one walk, and struck out seven batters.
What I liked the most about his outing was that his spin rate, horizontal break, and induced vertical break were all better for his top three pitches- the four-seamer, cutter, and sinker on Thursday than from his previous two starts on the season. In addition, through 15 2/3 innings pitched, although he carries a 5.74 ERA, his xERA is 3.95, and his SIERA is 3.35.
Through three starts, Buehler is not allowing many free passes (91st percentile in walk rate) and is limiting hard-hit rate (72nd percentile) and average exit velocity (80th percentile) while getting hitters to chase at a 32.8 percent clip. The baseball side of my brain also loved seeing him as fired up as he was on Thursday, as it was giving me some vibes of his 2018-2021 former self.
Walker Buehler's 6th and 7th Ks. pic.twitter.com/kmv4rEX2M1
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 10, 2025
Buehler is also backed behind an offense that is expected to be top-10 in the MLB, so there's a good chance he could get to 12-plus wins in 2025, which only helps his upside in points leagues that give you five points for the win. Buehler's next outing is tentatively lined up to be on the road to take on the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
I'd recommend spending 15-20 percent of your FAAB or a waiver priority to pick up Buehler if he's on your waiver wire.
Jordan Hicks, SP, San Francisco Giants
35% Rostered
San Francisco Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks is off to a good start to his 2025 season. He is 1-0 through two starts with a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings pitched. The former reliever turned starter is now in his second season as a starter after he was limited to 109 2/3 innings in 2024 due to an injury.
Coming into this season, Hicks didn't have the best spring training with a 5.19 ERA, but through two starts in the regular season he is starting the season the way he did in 2024. His fastball is elite, ranking in the 97th percentile in velocity, and he has generated an impressive 60 percent groundball rate.
According to Baseball Savant, Oracle Park is one of the most pitcher friendly ballparks in all of baseball, and considering Hicks will be pitching half of his games there certainly helps. Still, I like Hicks to take a leap in year two of becoming a starter and be someone that fantasy managers can pick up off the waiver wire and keep on their roster for the remainder of the season.
Hicks is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, throwing his sinker and sweeper at a 85-90 percent rate, but is still able to generate a respectable strikeout rate (8.74 K/9 thus far). In his last start on April 6, Hicks had a 27 percent whiff rate to go along with a 32 CSW percentage against the Seattle Mariners.
Notable fastball velocity changes from 2024 to 2025:
- Jordan Hicks: +3.1 MPH 📈
- José Alvarado: +2.4 MPH 📈
- Hunter Brown: +1.9 MPH 📈
- Hunter Greene: +1.8 MPH 📈
- Christopher Sanchez: +1.7 MPH 📈
- Shane Baz: +1.5 MPH 📈
- Max Meyer: +1.0 MPH 📈Decreases below 👇 pic.twitter.com/BKgqnOZrPT
— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) April 8, 2025
His only blunder thus far has been the home run ball. He allowed two solo shots in his recent start against the Mariners to Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. His next start is Saturday against the New York Yankees, followed by a tough road battle on Thursday in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Although it's a tough start, I strongly recommend him for the long haul.
I'd recommend spending 15-20 percent of your FAAB or a waiver priority to pick up Hicks if he's on your waiver wire.
Justin Verlander, SP, San Francisco Giants
31% Rostered
Have any of you ever heard of Justin Verlander? Maybe not, because only being owned in 31 percent of leagues feels pretty low. I want to preface this by saying that you will not get prime Verlander, but I am saying that he is primed for success with the Giants in 2025, and I'll tell you why.
So far, in three starts, he has an ugly 6.92 ERA in 13 innings pitched. However, his 3.87 xERA, 3.90 FIP, and 3.61 SIERA tell me he is primed to bounce back strongly. In addition to his fastball velocity being up so far in 2025, he is also missing bats and racking up strikeouts at an above-average rate.
Verlander has a 32.5 percent chase rate, a 32.6 percent whiff rate, and a 25.8 percent strikeout rate. If you tell me that he will strike out that many batters and miss that many bats, I am willing to bet on the veteran to figure it out and limit the free passes and the hard-hit rate as the season progresses.
Despite some tough-luck results, @YonderalonsoU thought Justin Verlander's stuff looked sharp today 🔥#MLBTonight | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/09fqkJfRI7
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 10, 2025
As mentioned above with Hicks, he is also pitching in a ballpark that is pitcher friendly, which bodes well for the longevity of him to find success throughout the rest of the 2025 campaign.
I'd recommend spending 15-20 percent of your FAAB or a waiver priority to pick up Hicks if he's on your waiver wire.
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
21% Rostered
Arizona Diamondbacks' left-handed pitcher, Eduardo Rodriguez, has dealt with his fair share of injuries and off-the-field situations over the past few years. However, so far in 2025, he looks healthy and ready to produce. Although his 4.86 ERA in 16 2/3 innings pitched isn't anything to write home about, his xERA of 3.38, his 3.22 FIP, and 3.00 SIERA are.
That tells me that bad luck has been on his side so far in the young season. In his outing on April 5 against the Washington Nationals, he struck out 12 Nats batters and had a rough first inning, giving up three two-out runs, but he quickly settled in after that. He had an impressive 30 percent whiff rate and a 31 CSW percentage during that outing.
Rodriguez has an impressive 10.80 K/9 through three starts and is unfortunately getting pinned with some "tough luck" losses, giving the Diamondbacks quality starts but not turning them into wins. So far in the 2025 season, the Diamondbacks' offense is also looking good, with a team slash line of .261/.348/.460, which tells me that as long as he stays healthy, he could get to 1o-plus wins by the end of the season.
A few of Eduardo Rodríguez's 12Ks thru 5. pic.twitter.com/PeZb2p5Wg2
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 5, 2025
If he figures out how to limit baserunners and eliminate some of the barrel and hard-hit rates, Rodriguez could be someone your fantasy team rosters for the rest of the season. In Week 3, he's tentatively lined up for a smash spot against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
I'd recommend spending 10 to 15 percent of your FAAB or a waiver priority to pick up Rodriguez if he's on your waiver wire.
Honorable Mentions - Others To Prioritize
I understand that the pitchers listed above may not be available in your leagues. So, I have included some additional pitchers below who I believe are strong candidates for deeper leagues (12-plus team leagues). Hopefully, some of the tier-1 arms listed will get promoted in Week 4!
They are in no particular order after each tier.
Tier 1: Team Streamers
Pitchers Who Could Stick Around, But We Need To See More From
- Edward Cabrera, MIA (Looked good in season debut)
- Kumar Rocker, TEX
- Mitchell Parker, WSN
- Jackson Jobe, DET
- Easton Lucas, TOR (two starts in Week 3)
- Chase Dollander, COL (No. 24 on MLB top-100 prospects)
- David Festa, MIN
- Shane Smith, CHW (couple of nice starts in a row)
- Martin Perez, CHW (couple of nice starts in a row)
- Hayden Wesneski, HOU
- Tyler Mahle, TEX
- Andrew Abbott, CIN (season debut)
- Matthew Boyd, CHC (couple of nice starts in a row)
- Grant Holmes, ATL (will he stick around with Spencer Strider coming back)?
Tier 2: Plus Matchup Only
One And Done
-
JP Sears, ATH (faces the White Sox)
- Osvaldo Bido, ATH (faces the White Sox)
- Richard Fitts, BOS (faces the White Sox)
- Taijuan Walker, PHI (two start week)
- Ben Lively, CLE (faces the Pirates)
- Matthew Liberatore, STL
- Griffin Canning, NYM
Tier 3: Desperation Tier
You've Probably Made Some Bad Choices Already
- Chris Paddack, MIN
- Michael Wacha, KCR
- Michael Lorenzen , KCR
- Simeon Woods Richardson, MIN
- Logan Allen, CLE
- Zack Littell, TBR
- Patrick Corbin, TEX
Tier 4: The Stashbox
Pitchers With Eventual Return Dates Who Are Better To Be Early Than Late On
- Bubba Chandler, PIT
- Zebby Matthews, MIN
- Quinn Mathews, STL
- Andrew Painter, PHI
- Hayden Birdsong, SFG
- Lucas Giolito, BOS
- Kutter Crawford, BOS
- Cody Bradford, TEX
- Tobias Myers, MIL
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