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We are rolling downhill towards May already, and we are turning our attention to the upcoming fantasy week (April 26 - May 2) and beyond. In this post, we will look at some potential long-term adds at starting pitcher.
All in all, the waiver wire has not been kind to us when picking up pitchers. A few gems have been found (Carlos Rodon, Michael Pineda), but many free-agent pitchers that flashed some positive signs early on have fallen flat since.
Today we'll jump back in and look at some starting pitchers that are probably available on your waiver wire and give some reasons why they may be worth a short on your roster.
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Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Danny Duffy, Kansas City Royals (52% rostered)
I'm not usually one to buy into 32-year-old pitchers just because they have a few impressive starts, but I understand the allure given how tough it can be to find reliable pitching. Duffy's velocity is up this year (he has topped out at 97 mph on his four-seamer), and his slider has been missing a ton of bats with a 17.9% SwStr%. His low ground-ball rate will probably eventually result in some homers being hit off of him, but his command has been strong so far and if that continues, he should be able to limit the damage most times out.
There are questions about whether Duffy can keep this added velocity all season long, but for now it's a worthwhile "ride the wave" acquisition.
Ryan Weathers, San Diego Padres (15% rostered)
This was not a name you saw in the lead-up to the season, because he was a long reliever all the way. Now with the losses of Adrian Morejon (elbow) and Dinelson Lamet (forearm), the Padres have decided to give the rookie a legitimate shot at being in this rotation.
We have not seen much of Weathers, as he did not appear in professional baseball in 2020 due to the minor league season cancelation. In 2019, he threw 96 innings in single-A ball with good but not great results (a 3.84 ERA and just 90 strikeouts in those 96 innings). He has been extremely effective in his 15.1 innings this year, however, allowing just one run and striking out 16 while walking five. That's doubly impressive given that 9.1 of his 15.1 innings have come against the Dodgers. His next two starts should be against the Diamondbacks and Pirates, much easier tests to pass.
He threw 89 pitches in his latest effort, firing 5.2 scoreless innings against those Dodgers on Thursday night, so he should be feeling pretty confident about a long, successful outing next week. He's worth an add to see what progresses.
Taijuan Walker, New York Mets (38% rostered)
Walker's most recent outing was ruined by six walks and one really long inning. Up until that fourth inning, the guy was cruising, and he nearly escaped that inning completely unscathed with a couple of pitches that could have easily been called strike three to send him back to the dugout. He did not get the calls, and he really unraveled, losing his command entirely. For the year, he has 19 strikeouts in 14 innings with a strong 31% CSW%. He has very strong swinging-strike rates on three pitches (curveball 17.6%, four-seam 14.1%, splitter 16.7%), and he has a sinker that has generated a 78% ground-ball rate.
The command issues must improve, of course, but his arm looks really good and I believe he's just been the victim of some bad luck here. Walker is going to turn in some really strong starts, he's a great pick-up in deep leagues if you can find him on the waiver wire.
Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Yusei Kikuchi, Seattle Mariners (44% rostered)
Kikuchi has 19 strikeouts in 19 innings, with his two most recent starts coming against two of the toughest offenses he'll face all year in the Red Sox and Astros. Those outings did not go the way he wanted, but he should still be looked at as a high-upside pitcher who should be rostered in most leagues of significant size.
He has earned a strong 12% swinging-strike rate on his four-seamer that has routinely reached the upper-nineties in velocity. The rest of his arsenal has not had a ton of success yet with a really discouraging 7.1% swinging-strike rate on his slider and the cutter being barreled up 9.1% of the time. Those are reasons for concern, but again he's had a pretty tough schedule to start the year. I believe in the strikeouts with Kikuchi, and some easier matchups are ahead of him. I'm adding in deep leagues.
Huascar Ynoa, Atlanta Braves (43% rostered)
Ynoa looked spectacular in his first two outings in the Braves rotation before having a disastrous outing against the Cubs on April 17. He bounced back nicely on Friday night, throwing six innings of two-hit, two-run ball with five strikeouts. The exciting thing about Ynoa is the fastball velocity. He has averaged 97 miles per hour on his four-seamer. The limiting principle here is the fact that 90%+ of his pitches are either four-seamers or sliders. It's tough to have a lot of success as a starter only throwing a fastball and a slider, but it's good to see that he's achieved a super high whiff rate (41%) with the breaking ball. I don't think you'll often see him pitching six full innings, and he may not have a long term spot in the rotation once the Braves get healthy, but for now Ynoa is a nice source of strikeouts and wins with that big offense backing him.
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