Matt Shoemaker (SP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12 Team Leagues or Deeper

ANALYSIS: Matt Shoemaker has a K/9 rate of 9.18. Why is that important? Because if he qualified by innings pitched, that would place him as the 8th best K/9 rate in the American League behind Jon Lester and ahead of his teammate Garret Richards. That is very good company to keep. The rest of his stats aren't so bad either. In 50 IP, he has a 3.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and only a .249 batting average against. For those of you who like to chase wins, he has a 5-1 record and has the Angels powerful offense to help him pick up some more wins. The real question is do the underlying stats support Shoemakers season to date?  The answer is complicated because he only reached a K/9 rate of over 9 once in the minors but including his one start last year has pitched to a 9.16 K/9 for his young career. In fact, almost all his underlying statistics have shown that he has improved results in the majors as compared to his minor league career. This could be attributed to the league not having figured him out yet, but I tend to believe in the Angels' ability to develop their young pitchers (like the previously mentioned Garret Richards). Scoop him up while he is still only 11 % owned.