Welcome to Week 19. As if you haven't been beaten over the head with this concept, we have more rookies to discuss today. That doesn't mean add them asap, simply we will be diving a little deeper into their performances to determine whether they have what it takes to succeed in 2015. We'll also be talking about a few previously discussed pitchers who need to be acknowledged.

If you've been following along with this series all season, you know the drill. If not, this article is to help you uncover starting pitcher options that may have been overlooked in your league or dropped after a poor start. As always, included are options for both shallow and deeper leagues. I also add my list of pitchers discussed previously at the end of the article with ownership levels to boot. Make sure to check them out, and grab any that are still out there.

Don’t forget to check out our Starting Pitcher Matchups & Streaming Tool for expert guidance during the week too, including what pitchers to start/sit for seasonal and DFS leagues. Let’s get to it.

Editor’s Note: To read about even more waiver wire options for starting pitchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.

 

Starting Pitchers Waiver Wire - Shallow Leagues

Daniel Norris (DET, SP)

OWNED IN: 25% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12 + leagues

I was a big advocate of the man in the van in April when he cracked the Toronto rotation. He performed admirably (3.86 ERA over five starts) but he only completed more than six innings once and was eventually shut down due to "dead arm" fatigue.

Fast forward to July, as Daniel Norris became the focal piece in the David Price to Toronto deal. A universal top-20 prospect going into 2015, Norris now finds himself back in the big leagues for a team out of the playoff race (even though DET is only 4.0 GB of the second WC spot, I don't see it happening). But that should be a positive for Norris, as there's no pressure to perform and he can continue his development vs big league bats.

Norris has five pitches in his arsenal: fourseam, sinker, change, slider, and curve. So far the curve has been his best pitch, displaying a strong bite with a 12-6 movement. He had it all going in his debut for Detroit, pitching 7.1 innings of one-run ball and a 5/1 K/BB ratio in a 6-1 win over Baltimore.

The walks have always been an issue for Norris (3.82 BB/9) and after punishing minor leagues in 2014 with a K/9 over 12.0, he hasn't shown the ability to punch out batters at the MLB level (6.75 K/9), although the 9.4 SwStr% is a good sign.

The sabremetrics imply regression is due for Norris, but considering the small sample size we're playing with I'm going to give Norris a shot. In 12-team leagues he's a solid backend SP, and I'd have no problem dropping the likes of Erasmo Ramirez or Kyle Gibson to make room. He gets a Boston Red Sox team tonight that's in the upper half of baseball vs LHP, but they also just scored four runs in their past three games. Start him.

 

Brett Anderson (LAD, SP)

OWNED IN: 23% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10 + team leagues

If someone can explain to me why Brett Anderson is available in more than 75% of leagues, I'd love to hear it. Owners got a scare when Anderson went down with an Achilles injury July 21st, but he was able to make his next start with no problems. His last two starts have been strong (2.08 ERA) so anyone who was worried can hop back on. Plus I find his Twitter account amusing.

For the season Anderson carries a 3.06/1.28 line with an 86/33 K/BB ratio over 123.2 innings. Even more impressive is if you remove his rough April. Check out his splits from May 1st onward.

It bears repeating. How in the heck is he only owned in 23% of leagues!? The only rationale I can see is his 6.49 K/9 isn't high enough, the 1.23 WHIP in that time frame isn't elite, and he's injury prone and never eclipsed 175 IP.

Well fellas, it's August. At this point you're running him till he goes down, and considering 75% of you can add him at no cost, it's a solid gamble for a player with a 2.60 ERA since May. And to reach his career high in IP he'll need 51.1 more innings, or roughly eight-nine more starts (he's averaging close to 6 IP/start currently). That's right around the middle of September, when most leagues are wrapping up. Go get Anderson for the stretch run.

 

Starting Pitchers Waiver Wire - Deeper Leagues

Anthony DeSclafani (CIN, SP)

OWNED IN: 18% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14 + leagues / Stream Worthy on the Road

Anthony DeSclafani was a hot topic to begin the season as he posted a 1.04 ERA in the month of April. Things soured fast in May (5.34 ERA) and fantasy owners jumped ship. It was the right move for owners in shallow formats, but deeper leagues should consider giving DeSclafani another shot.

He's now posted three consecutive quality starts with a 2.25/1.10 line in 20.0 innings. The matchups weren't cakewalks (@ Col, @ STL, vs STL) although you can make a case for the Cardinals scuffling of late. Limiting his walks (2.25 BB/9) has been a big factor to his success along with a lucky 89.1 LOB% (72.0% for the season).

Plugging DeSclafani into your rotation full-time has some risks, and unless you're desperate I'd avoid that. But check out his home/road splits.

Talk about Jekyll and Hyde. Like his former teammate Mike Leake, Great American Ballpark is not his friend. This is useful information that streamers should be aware of. Assuming the rotation doesn't shift, DeSclafani's next two starts are away: Arizona and Los Angeles Dodgers. Act accordingly.

 

Henry Owens (BOS, SP)

OWNED IN: 11% of Fleaflicker Leagues

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-team + leagues / Stream Worthy

So. Many. Rookies. Henry Owens made his debut last week at NYY and had a respectable line (5 IP, 3 ER, 5/1 K/BB). He made an early mistake to Mark Teixiera for an RBI single in the first inning but settled down until the sixth. He left the game with runners on second and third with no out, and Robbie Ray let in both (can't blame Ray, but worth noting). Not bad considering the Yankees are have scored 268 runs at home (4th) in 2015.

Owens features five pitches: a fourseamer (91.3 mph), a good changeup ranging 78-80 mph, a loopy curve, along with a slider and sinker. The curve and change were responsible for all five strikeouts in his debut and made some good hitters look bad. Video can be seen below.

I came away impressed and I truly believe Owens will be a valuable asset in fantasy baseball for years to come. But I don't think I trust him for 2015 to roster him full-time in any format less than 14 teams. He's going to have his bumps in the road and the Red Sox have no reason to stretch him out to accrue those precious QS in 6x6 leagues.

His next three starts are lined up to be: @ DET, vs SEA, vs KC. Detroit has been a top 5 club vs LHP this year so pass on that outing. Seattle's 21.8% K rate vs LHP is second-worst in the AL, which makes Owens a legit streaming option. On the flip side, Kansas City's 16.1% K rate vs LHP is best in baseball, making other streaming options more appealing. Keep an eye for 2016 on this fella.

 

Other Pitchers Previously Highlighted to Consider

The only double digit jumpers from this grouping are last weeks featured pitchers, Luis Severino and R.A. Dickey. Coincidence? I think not! Still on board with both pitchers.

What do Taylor Jungmann (45%) and Aaron Nola (29%) have to do to get your attention? If these guys are floating around in any league with more than 10 owners, I worry for the future of your league.

 

In Order of Ownership %

Noah Syndergaard (NYM, SP / 84% ; up 4%)
Mike Leake (DL) (CIN, SP / 67% ; up 6%)
Jaime Garcia (STL, SP / 60% ; NC)
Wei-Yin Chen (BAL, SP / 54% ; down 4%)
Taijuan Walker (SEA, SP / 57% ; up 4%)
Yovani Gallardo (TEX, SP / 47% ; down 3%)
Chris Tillman (BAL, SP / 50% ; up 1%)
Ervin Santana (MIN, SP / 47% ; down 2%)
Luis Severino (NYY, SP / 45% ; up 21%)
Taylor Jungmann (MIL, SP / 45% ; up 6%)
R.A. Dickey (TOR, SP / 45% ; up 19%)
Eduardo Rodriguez (BOS, SP / 29% ; down 2%)
Erasmo Ramirez (TB, SP / 28% ; down 2%)
Mike Montgomery (SEA, SP / 26% ; down 2%)
Aaron Nola (PHI, SP / 29% ; up 2%)
Kyle Hendricks (CHC, SP / 27% ; up 1%)
Brett Anderson (LAD, SP / 23% ; up 4%)
Tom Koehler (MIA, SP / 15% ; down 3%)
Jonathan Niese (NYM, SP / 16% ; up 3%)
Jake Peavy (SF, SP / 11% ; up 4%)
Aaron Brooks (OAK, SP / 4% ; up 3%)

 

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