X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 12

Tarik Skubal - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Starting pitcher waiver wire adds for Week 12 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season. Jon Anderson identifies SP pickups for shallow and deep leagues.

The league's bats are waking up a bit as we enter the hot months of summer, and that is making the SP waiver wire a bit less fun to swim in. Today, we will highlight a diverse group of pitchers that come from all different situations.

We have a few guys here that started the year poorly but have been resurgent of late, as well as some newcomers and a couple of struggling veterans that maybe we shouldn't give up on quite yet.

Here is a six-pack of SP names to consider adding to your fantasy team ahead of week 12 - June 14 through 20.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Dylan Bundy, Los Angeles Angels (52% Rostered)

This 52% mark is surprising to see since Bundy began the year at nearly 100% rostered after his really strong 2020 season. This year, his numbers (6.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 22.5% K%) are making that 2020 season seem like a fluke, but there is good news underneath the hood.

Bundy made his living with the slider last year and that pitch has continued to be dominant this year with a 38.3% CSW% and a 17.9% SwStr%. It has been barreled up more often than you'd expect, however, with an 11.9% barrel rate on the pitch. You don't typically see high CSW's and high barrel rates going together, so one of those is probably going to come down - and my money is on the barrel rate doing so. The other positive is that Bundy's curveball has also been solid with a 41.2% CSW%. There's still not much positive to say about the fastball, but Bundy's breaking stuff is just too good to keep him down this far for long.

The homers have been the main problem, as he's given up more than two per nine innings. That is on the back of a 19.7% HR/FB rate, which is five points above his career average. There are better times ahead for Bundy. Maybe he won't be anywhere near the ace-level he flashed in a short 2020 season, but I believe he's still a viable fantasy starter and you should pounce on him if someone in your league has given up hope.

Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers (43% Rostered)

It was a long journey back for Gonsolin, who made his season debut last week against the Pirates. The outing did not go well (he walked five hitters in 1.2 innings), but you should be more than willing to forgive that as Gonsolin is shaking off the rust here. The appeal of Gonsolin is the career 2.65 ERA and 0.98 WHIP he's posted for the Dodgers in his 88.1 Major League innings. Those are tough numbers to post over any sample size, and the elite offense behind him certainly helps matters as well.

He's unlikely to bolster your fantasy team's strikeout total, as his career strikeout rate of 24.8% is pretty much league average, but there should be solid ratios and wins aplenty ahead for him - he deserves an add in most leagues.

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers (25% Rostered)

It has been quite the turnaround for Skubal. He posted a putrid 6.14 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP with a 7.4 K/9 over his first four starts of the season. He looked like a completely different guy over the next six starts, posting a 3.09 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and a 14.1 K/9. Even more encouraging is that his recent schedule has been much tougher than what he started the year with, he's faced the White Sox twice, the Yankees, the Cubs, and the Twins recently,e and has looked fantastic.

There was legitimate hype on this guy heading into the year, and he has been paying off for those who held on to him through the slog of the first six starts. His rostered percentage is on the rise, so the time to buy in is right now if he's available.

 

Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Austin Gomber, Colorado Rockies (29% Rostered)

Gomber has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last six starts while striking out a batter per inning over that time. Something to note is that four of those last six starts have been away from Coors Field, and there are plenty of starts in Colorado ahead for him. The good news is that he's been pretty darn good in Coors this year as a ground-ball heavy arm. He's given up just three earned runs in 21.1 innings at home while allowing 10 hits. It's been an impressive run.

Is there a real reason to believe though? It is always really hard to tell with Rockies pitchers given how little room for error they have throwing half of their games in that brutal environment. I wouldn't be rushing out to add Gomber myself, but his 31.2% CSW rate on the year and decent enough 11% SwStr% suggests that he should probably be rostered in very deep leagues. The 46% ground-ball rate will help him avoid major trouble, but you shouldn't be expecting a big strikeout rate or a lack of bad starts moving forward.

Jameson Taillon, New York Yankees (43% Rostered)

Taillon has struggled in his return year with the Yankees to the tune of a 5.09 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The reason he's still being featured in this post is that his stuff looks really good by the numbers, and I'm just not sure how he's had as much trouble as he has had. His four-seam fastball has a league-leading (for four-seamers) swinging-strike rate of 17%. That's a crazily high number for a fastball, and by itself gives me hope for the future.

His secondary stuff hasn't been nearly as effective, as his slider checks in with a pretty weak 9.8% SwStr% and his curveball is also way down there at 8.4%. Those have been reliable pitches for him in the past, and if he can get back to making those pitches at least league-average, I think you'll see some good things for Taillon moving forward. It's definitely encouraging that he's made it through 11 starts without experiencing any health issues, so his arm seems healthy and that should help him improve as he continues to get back into the groove of pitching in the Majors. I'd have Taillon on my watchlist at the bare minimum.

Sam Long, San Francisco Giants (1% Rostered)

The Giants prospect made his season debut last week and looked fantastic, striking out seven Rangers over four innings while giving up just one hit and one walk. That is all the big league data we have on Long, so this is a purely speculative recommendation right now.

The one thing I do see from Long that is legitimately enticing is his career K:BB ratio. In 178.1 career innings in the minors, Long has 213 strikeouts and 60 walks, a ratio of 3.55. These ratios tend to translate to the big leagues, and anything close to a 4:1 K:BB is elite. It's pretty hard to not be successful when you have that kind of ratio.

The criticism of Long is that he is mainly a two-pitch guy, with a great curveball and a good fastball. He did throw 11 changeups in his first outing of the year, which is good to see - there are just major questions about if he can actually throw that pitch at a significant rate in the Majors. It's a wait-and-see proposition, but I'll have my eyes closely on him as he makes his first career start (he came in in the second inning last time) against the Diamondbacks early next week.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF