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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 13 (June 17 - June 23). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. These are SP options to consider that might be good additions to your fantasy roster, especially for streaming.
Last week, we recommended some starting pitchers to scoop up whose rostership was lower than they should be. For those of you in deeper leagues, we will split that into another section, looking at starting pitchers rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo! leagues. We also look at pitchers beyond this coming week and look for tasty matchups a bit further down the road. One consideration for many fantasy players is that the bottom portion of your roster in deeper fantasy leagues should be churned frequently. That means you are playing matchups and looking for pitchers who can exploit weak-hitting teams. Start anybody pitching against the following teams: Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies.
Another caveat here: you are unlikely to find guys on the waiver wire that will strike out tons of hitters or be extremely exciting in most instances. What I look for are guys who can contribute to my bottom lines: a win perhaps (although chasing them is foolish and tricky), while not destroying my carefully manicured ratios. Keep your expectations modest; think it will do no harm and hope for the best. Let's get after it.
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Let's take a look at some pitchers who could help you over the next few days.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds (rostered in 50% of leagues)
Much has been written about the command issues that Abbott brings to the table. But what intrigues me is that he earns wins; he's won four of his last six starts and has gone at least five innings in eight consecutive starts. The numbers won't wow you, especially with the strikeouts; he has 57 in 74 innings. However, the 3.28 ERA and 1.19 WHIP help, as does his five wins. It is important to remember as we scan the waiver wire that every player on it has some flaw. The question is, can we use what he brings to the table and absorb what he doesn't do well on our squad? If so, grab him.
Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays (rostered in 41% of leagues)
Bradley will not be on the waiver wire very long, especially after two consecutive starts with seven and 11 strikeouts. He has two wins, a 4.23 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts in 38 innings. Eye-popping to me: the 17 swinging strikes, showed how good Bradley could be. He is worth taking a risk on at this time. This could be your last chance to get him relatively cheaply. See below.
Kyle Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals (rostered in 33% of leagues)
Many fantasy players scoff at Gibson, and I get it. Yet look at his numbers: five wins, a 3.44 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts in 83 innings. You don't need that? He's pitched into the sixth inning in four consecutive starts, with at least six strikeouts in each one. He shut out the Chicago Cubs on Friday night for seven innings. Gibson can fit in nicely at the back end of many fantasy rotations. Give him a look if you need rotation depth. Look at the top line, listing Gibson's May statistics, and then his three starts in June. He's been productive.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered less than 30% on Yahoo!
Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays (rostered in 29% of leagues)
Baz isn't back yet, but he will be shortly. He's still available in many leagues and now would be the time to add him if you are looking for a potentially dominant arm. It's been an almost two-year recovery from Tommy John surgery for Baz. He was dominant in his last Triple-A start for Durham, striking out 10 hitters over five innings and giving up one run on three hits. We remain unsure of when he will get the call back to Tampa, but it should be coming soon, and when he does, this is an impact arm for your squad. The chart below shows the above-average stuff that Baz showed when he last pitched in MLB in 2022. He's arriving soon.
Drew Thorpe, Chicago White Sox (rostered in 26% of leagues)
If the name sounds familiar, it may be due to Thorpe having been part of two mega trades in the last year. First, he went from the New York Yankees to the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade; he then moved to the Chicago White Sox in the Dylan Cease acquisition. Thorpe has dominated at Double-A Birmingham, where he was 7-1 with a tiny 1.35 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts in 60 innings. He made his MLB debut and looked the part for the moribund White Sox, going five strong innings with four strikeouts and two walks. It was a small sample size, but his changeup looked excellent. Moreover, he looked like a guy who knows how to pitch. He should get at least two more starts for the White Sox as they continue to evaluate their young pitching. Look for Thorpe to be in the rotation, at least for the time being. See the career minor league numbers for Thorpe below; they are extremely impressive.
Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins (rostered in 25% of leagues)
Woods Richardson is an interesting case. Many fantasy players ignored him despite the opportunity he has in Minnesota right now. He was hit around a bit Friday night in his last start, but his overall numbers remain very good: he's got two wins, a 3.29 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 46 strikeouts in 54 innings. People look under the hood and think that they want something more than what Woods Richardson provides, but he's useful as ratio control if you have strikeouts covered on your team. He should be rostered far more than in 25% of leagues. The increase in velocity on all three of his four-seamer, slider, and changeup makes me believe that he might be gaining strength and growing as a pitcher. Snap him up if you can at this low price.
Tylor Megill, New York Mets (rostered in 24% of leagues)
Megill is the forgotten rotation guy in New York but has pitched rather well in five starts. He has only one win, but a 3.51 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 25 innings. In three of those starts, he has had seven, eight, and nine strikeouts. Every fantasy team can use pitchers that garner strikeouts. Megill could be a good addition to your fantasy roster. Some interesting things to look at below, led by the fastball velocity and the K%.
Hurston Waldrep, Atlanta Braves (roster in 12% of leagues)
Waldrep's stats in his first start were disappointing to those fantasy players who had picked him up based on his reputation as one of the top starters in the Atlanta Braves system. He gave up seven runs in a little over three innings, on four hits (one a home run) and four walks. If people dropped him in the leagues you are in, I would ask you to reconsider that move and think of adding him. Waldrep limited hard contact despite the poor results and should get some opportunity with injuries wreaking havoc on their rotation. Waldrep gets the struggling Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, followed by the New York Yankees next week. Add him and stash him if you do not want to start him against the powerful Yankees.
Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options
- Michael Grove, Los Angeles Dodgers (rostered in 4% of leagues)
- Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals (rostered 5% of leagues)
- Jonathan Cannon, Chicago White Sox (rostered in 2% of leagues)
Happy hunting for starting pitchers this weekend! If you have questions, you can always message me on X @mdrc0508. You can even tell me you hate these picks. Remember that fantasy baseball is supposed to be FUN above everything. Enjoy it!
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