Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Week 8

4 years ago by Ben Holmes

The injuries to starting pitchers keep adding up and many fantasy owners are well out of IL spots by now. The replacement players they pick up off waivers is crucial if an owner's aspiration of winning their fantasy league are to be realized.

Just look at Elieser Hernandez, he’s been included on virtually every waiver wire article and now he lands himself on the IL. Although depending on roster construction he is probably worth holding on to.

It’s a short and sweet list of waiver wire additions this week as many players featured on the waiver list last week are now just above 50% owned. For example, Dakota Hudson, Taijuan Walker, Tony Gonsolin, and Sixto Sanchez all had great outings and saw their ownership shoot up. To be clear, if these players are still available, they are must adds ahead of anyone else mentioned from here on out.

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Kevin Gausman, San Francisco Giants

29% rostered

We have all been waiting for the wheels to fall off for Kevin Gausman for a while now. Well, as of now they are still firmly attached and the train keeps rolling.

There were plenty of reasons to be hesitant of acquiring the eight-year veteran, even in last week’s waiver wire article it was advised to pick him up but not start him at Colorado. Well, he went out into that thin night air and gave up two hits in five innings, striking out five. It wasn’t like the ball wasn’t flying that night either, as the Giants put up 23 runs of their own.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to embrace the former first-round pick and realize that he may have taken a big step this season, and for the first time in a long time be labeled a reliable fantasy starter.

Dane Dunning, Chicago White Sox

25% rostered

A quote from the week six waiver wire article two weeks ago:

“The righty was optioned back to the alternate site after this outing, but that was based on the White Sox having a few off days in their upcoming schedule. According to Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago, Dunning should likely be back on the mound for the White Sox on August 30^th against the Royals.”

That is exactly what happened and in that start, he struck out seven, walked one, and gave up zero hits in 5IP. After that phenomenal outing, it was surprising to see he was still so widely available. His next and most recent start, this time in Kansas City did not go quite as well. Largely down to the fact that the rookie didn’t have any command of his pitches, walking four Royals in 4.2 IP.

The upside is still huge for Dunning, who was missing bats for fun prior to this last start. He’ll also have a relatively easy matchup against the Tigers next week who strike out more than any team in the league (26.7%.)

Josh Fleming, Tampa Bay Rays

24% rostered

After three starts, the 2017 fifth-round pick is 3-0. His most recent start against the Marlins wasn’t as good as his first two but he still went five innings on just 73 pitches. Hopefully, he’ll have the chance to record a quality start next time out, which happens to be against the team with the second-worst record in the league, the Boston Red Sox.

11 strikeouts in 15.1 IP doesn't blow anyone away but the fact that the rookie hasn’t issued a walk since the fourth inning of his first game more than makes up for it. Meaning he has two on the season.

Some regression will be on the way. The lefty has a 4.64 XFIP and according to Baseball Savant is getting hit harder (40.4%) than league average. Opponents are already hitting .375 off of Flemings slider and the only other pitch he uses more frequently is his 90.1MPH sinker.

His walks may also increase when batters learn more about the rookie and see he only throws a mere 40.6% of his pitches in the zone. For example, of the 28 changeups that he’s thrown this season, only one would have been a called strike.

All that being said, it seems unlikely that the Boston Red Sox will be the team to make Fleming pay for his lack of control. It also definitely helps that he will be pitching from in front more often than not on a Rays team trailing only the Dodgers in the standings.

Johnny Cueto, San Francisco Giants

37% rostered

Cueto’s numbers on a game to game basis are fantastic considering he pitches in the N.L West. His overall stat line doesn’t look too impressive but that’s because three of his four worst outings have been at the hands of the punishing Dodgers, the other was to the equally lethal Padres.

He definitely doesn’t go as deep into games as fantasy owners would like, but the two times he has gone over six innings it’s been a quality start. Including his most recent outing against Arizona who he’ll see again today.

Overall, the 34-year-old has had a nice bounce-back year. He needed to reinvent himself as an older pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery, and he has done so successfully. He’s throwing his fastball less than ever and ditched the cutter almost entirely. Now his off-speed/breaking pitches are much more prominent. The changeup is Cueto’s second most thrown pitch, and opponents are hitting just .094 against it.

Luckily the Giants have completed all ten Dodgers games, surprisingly winning four. However, they have seven upcoming against the Padres. It seems like we may have already seen the best from Cueto this season, but with the waiver wire as slim pickings as it’s been all season, it may just be a chance worth taking.

Other Players to Monitor

David Peterson, New York Mets - 14% rostered
Justin Dunn, Seattle Mariners - 14% rostered
Spencer Howard, Philadelphia Phillies - 19% rostered
Deivi Garcia, New York Yankees - 26% rostered
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers - 11% rostered

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