Three Waiver Wire Starting Pitchers for Week 9

Deep League Waiver Wire Targets

Trevor Bauer - CLE, 37% Owned

The much-anticipated return of Trevor Bauer to the Cleveland Indians’ rotation has finally come and he did not disappoint. In his second start of the season, Bauer dominated the red-hot Tigers by pitching 6 strong innings and only giving up 2 runs while striking out 5. In his third start on Sunday, Bauer showed some of his upside and downside. 8 Ks through 4.1 IP,  but it came with 6 H, 3 BB, 2 HR and 4 ER. Bauer is still a free agent in 63% of Yahoo leagues, but he is a must-add in all deep formats because of his K potential alone. After 3 starts, Bauer has 21 K in 16.1 IP, which is significantly higher than what he posted in his 4 starts last season. Bauer had to deal with arguably the best lineup in baseball vs. the Tigers and a suddenly hot Orioles lineup after that.  It shows his potential that he shut down the Tigers' two best hitters, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Bauer will have some hiccups, but if you need strikeouts, there are few better options on the waiver wire.

Jordan Lyles - COL, 30% Owned

Has there been a more surprising starting pitcher than Jordan Lyles? Even though he has to pitch at Coors Field regularly, Lyles is 5-1 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Coming off a season where he went 7-9 with a 5.59 ERA, not many expected Lyles to be so dominant, especially at a place like Colorado. He is currently available in 70% of Yahoo leagues, but this will likely change soon if Lyles continues to pitch as he has been. While Lyles' strikeout rate is still low (5.83 K/9), over his last 3 quality starts he has a 19:6 K:BB ratio in 20 IP.  He has also been relatively immune to blow ups, giving up more than 2 ER just once in his last 7 starts.  This was his worst start of his season (3.1 IP 5H 6ER) in a loss to San Diego, but fantasy owners should be confident that he will continue to pitch well and should feel good about his bounceback start on the 23rd in which he shut down Atlanta. Lyles is a solid deep league add and can be counted on for quality starts and wins playing for the potent Rockies offense.

Henderson Alvarez - MIA, 12% Owned

Henderson Alvarez has a 2-3 record with a 3.21 ERA. He’s been a little inconsistent for someone who has already posted 2 shutouts, but if you look deeper into the numbers you can find some enticing things.  In 34 IP at home, Alvarez has a 1.85 ERA and .97 WHIP with a 19:6 K:BB ratio, while in 27.2 IP away from home, Alvarez has a 4.88 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. Whatever it is about the Marlins park in 2014, it's affecting Alvarez quite positively. He won't wow you with high strikeout totals, but he's a reliable starter for all of his home starts.  He should be benched in all his away starts until he can show a little more consistency.  In deep leagues with big benches where you can selectively start pitchers, Alvarez is worth a look.