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Nicho's H2H points fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for pitchers in Week 4 (2025) -- April 21 - April 27. Free-agent pitchers to add in points leagues.
With Week 3 of the baseball season in the rearview mirror, it's time we dive into starting pitchers for Week 4. It's crazy to think we are already in Week 4. It feels like just yesterday we were identifying sleepers for the draft! So far through the first three weeks of this starting pitcher column, we have had some good hits, including Max Meyer, Dustin May, Brady Singer, Eduardo Rodriguez, Walker Buehler, and Reese Olson. Because many of these pitchers have already been talked about or are unavailable in less than 50 percent of leagues at this point, it only gets harder to continue to find the diamonds in the rough, but that's why I'm here!
With some of the good, has come some of the bad, including Jordan Hicks and Justin Verlander from last weeks column. That being said, they both had tough matchups against the Philadelphia Phillies in Week 3, and my thoughts on them being good arms down the stretch have not changed. Make sure to check on the names listed above and pick them up before your league mates do if they happen to be on your waiver wire!
Enough recapping, let's dive into the meat and potatoes and start talking about Week 4 pickups. In this article, we will feature three promotions from last week's column, who were ranked in the Tier 1 honorable mentions. 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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Tyler Mahle, SP, Texas Rangers
49% Rostered
Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Tyler Mahle has been excellent so far to start his 2025 campaign. He is (3-0) with a .92 ERA, 9.61 K/9, and a 0.86 WHIP. While Mahle is unlikely to be this good all season, he is a valuable asset for the long haul.
Mahle has had his fair share of injuries throughout his career, but is healthy right now and certainly looks the part. Mahle is a great pickup because he is inducing a ton of whiffs (31 percent) and is striking out batters at a 28 percent clip. Additionally, he is limiting barrel percentage (62nd percentile) and produced 22, 25, and 27 fantasy points, respectively, in his last three outings.
Six shutout innings and 9Ks from Tyler Mahle tonight😤#AllForTX pic.twitter.com/I2W1UwJMES
— Victory+ (@victoryplustv) April 16, 2025
One thing I would like to see from Mahle moving forward is improvement in his 12 percent walk rate, which he has done better in his last three starts (he had four walks in his first start compared to five in his last three). If he can continue at that rate, he has an xBA of .203 and a .193 WOBA, which rank in the top 22 pitchers and 10 percent of MLB, respectively.
Mahle is tentatively lined up to toe the rubber on Sunday in San Francisco. The Giants' bats have been solid against righties, but I like Mahle for the long haul. He is getting a ton of steam in Yahoo leagues (+34 percent in the last week) and rightfully so. If he is on your waiver wire, I would recommend using a bid or spending about 15-20 percent of your FAAB.
Gavin Williams, SP, Cleveland Guardians
43% Rostered
Wait a second, everyone's sleeper darling, Gavin Williams, is now rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues? Look, I get it. He has been brutal to start the season. He has a 4.58 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP to go along with his middle-of-the-pack 21.7 percent strikeout rate. Williams was a top sleeper pick among many experts coming into the season for good reason; he was excellent in his rookie season (2023) and battled some injuries in 2024.
The former first-round pick out of East Carolina served up a grand slam to Jackson Holliday in the second inning of his start on April 16, and gave up five earned runs with four walks to go with his four strikeouts. There's no denying that he needs to clean up the hard-hit rate (43.6 percent), the HR/9 (1.37), and the walks (12 percent).
His career numbers are all better than that, with a .91 HR/9 and walking batters at a 10.4 percent rate. Despite all the bad, he still averages 96.8 mph on his fastball and ranks in the 87th percentile in extension. He still owns an impressive 28.3 percent whiff rate and a 30.1 percent chase rate. He's got the stuff to get batters out; he needs to be a bit sharper with his command and eliminate the free passes.
Gavin Williams, 7th K thru 5. pic.twitter.com/4kmLWJj362
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 10, 2025
The bottom line is that he should not be on your waiver wire. When I was looking at players rostered in 50 percent or less of leagues, I was shocked to see his name. If we are looking at players who can help bolster your lineup and give you the edge you need to help you win a championship, Williams is someone that you'll want to have on your team down the stretch.
He is tentatively lined up for a two-start week in Week 4, both at home against the New York Yankees on Tuesday and against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. I am not saying those are easy matchups for him in Week 4, but he still pitches in the AL Central and is due for favorable matchups down the stretch.
In points leagues, having pitchers with two-start weeks can never hurt; if anything, you look for it. If he is on your waiver wire, do your team a solid and use a top waiver or 15-20 percent of your FAAB.
Hayden Wesneski, SP, Houston Astros
39% Rostered
Houston Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski carved up the Los Angeles Angels on April 13. He punched out 10 batters in six innings of work. In addition, he picked up his first win as an Astro and is now sporting a 4.00 ERA with a 21:3 K:BB through 18 IP. Although his ERA stands at 4.0, his advanced statistics indicate signs of progression, as he boasts a 3.49 xERA and a 2.93 xFIP.
For those who have read my articles in the past, I am a strong advocate of extension, and currently, Wesneski ranks in the 83rd percentile in this category. He also ranks in the 84th percentile in strikeout and walk percentage, to go with his 28.6 percent whiff rate and .223 xBA.
His home run rate needs to improve. He is currently sporting an ugly 2.50 HR/9 but is limiting big innings with his .72 WHIP. That aside, he is racking up the strikeouts and has produced 41 fantasy points in his last two starts.
Wesneski throws a wide array of pitches, including his four-seamer, sweeper, cutter, sinker, curveball, and changeup. He has not had one pitch in his arsenal that has a batting average higher than .200, with no hits allowed on his curveball and changeup through three starts.
Hayden Wesneski's 9th and 10th Ks. pic.twitter.com/MXmKHPVtS0
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 13, 2025
In Week 4, he takes on the Kansas City Royals, who have struggled against right-handed pitchers to start the season with a team slash line of .200/.266/.298. I recommend adding him to your roster for Week 4 and beyond by using a waiver or 10-15 percent of your FAAB.
Grant Holmes, SP, Atlanta Braves
30% Rostered
Call in Kenny Powers! The starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves has been likened to Danny McBride's character, Kenny Powers, from Eastbound & Down, due to his physique, mannerisms, and goatee. In all seriousness, go pick up Holmes if he's on your waiver wire, which, according to Yahoo, he is available in quite a few leagues.
The former first-round pick in 2014 has bounced around from reliever to starter over the past two seasons, and with Spencer Strider's and Reynaldo Lopez's injuries, he has filled in nicely as a Braves starter thus far. Through 16 2/3 IP in 2025, he has a solid 3.78 ERA, 8.10 K/9, and a 1.14 WHIP.
In 2024, he ranked in the 97th percentile in chase percentage, 92nd percentile in whiff percentage, and 90th percentile in walks allowed. Although he hasn't lived up to those numbers so far in 2025, with Lopez's injury sidelining him for most, if not all, of the fantasy season, Holmes will remain a starter for the time being.
Grant Holmes, White Castle Special. 🤮🍔🍔🍔 pic.twitter.com/5N5ADuKi1Q
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2025
Opportunity is king in fantasy sports, and I'm purchasing Holmes stock wherever I can. A solid offense backs him, and he gets the Minnesota Twins on April 20, and in Week 4, he is tentatively lined up to face the Washington Nationals on the road. Buy into Holmes and use a waiver bid or 10-15 percent of your FAAB.
Honorable Mentions - Others To Prioritize
For this week, we saw a few promotions from our tier-1 honorable mentions in this article, so check out the list below for pitchers to add to your watch list or stream this week with strong matchups (tier-2).
Tier 1: Team Streamers
Pitchers Who Could Stick Around, But We Need To See More Consistency From
- Kumar Rocker, TEX (was solid in Week 3)
- Landen Roupp, SFG (earning his spot as No. 5 starter in SFG)
- Mitchell Parker, WSN (quality start machine)
- Erick Fedde, STL (two-start week)
- Chase Dollander, COL (No. 23 on MLB top-100 prospects)
- David Festa, MIN (has looked solid in his first two starts)
- Martin Perez, CHW (couple of nice starts in a row)
- Merrill Kelly, ARI (three out of four quality starts)
- Andrew Abbott, CIN (solid in first start back)
- Jameson Taillon, CHC (three out of four quality starts)
- Matthew Boyd, CHC (gauntlet of a schedule, and he has performed well)
Tier 2: Plus Matchup Only
One And Done
- Tyler Anderson, LAA (tentatively faces Pirates)
- Randy Vasquez, SDP (two-start week)
- Osvaldo Bido, ATH (tentatively faces White Sox)
- Luis Severino, ATH (tentatively faces the White Sox)
- Nick Martinez, CIN (tentatively faces Marlins)
- Jack Kochanowicz, LAA (tentatively faces Pirates)
Tier 3: Desperation Tier
You've Probably Made Some Bad Choices Already
- Chris Paddack, MIN
- Michael Wacha, KCR
- Steven Matz, STL
- Colin Rea, CHC
- Andre Pallante, STL
- Miles Mikolas, STL
- Ben Brown, CHC
- Emerson Hancock, SEA
- Taijuan Walker, PHI
- Michael Lorenzen , KCR
- Simeon Woods Richardson, MIN
- 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
- Brayan Bello, BOS
- Lance McCullers Jr., HOU
- Sean Manaea, NYM
- Spencer Arrighetti , PHI
- Hayden Birdsong, SFG
- Lucas Giolito, BOS
- Kutter Crawford, BOS
- Yu Darvish, SDP
- Clayton Kershaw, LAD
- Cody Bradford, TEX
- Tobias Myers, MIL
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