Collin McHugh (SP, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Only Add in Very Very Deep Leagues

ANALYSIS: Up until his recent 3 HR, 5 ER mini-blowup vs. the Mariners, Collin McHugh was enjoying a very nice 2014 campaign, with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.  He had been rather unimpressive in his first two partial seasons. In fact, he was terrible: 8.94 ERA, 1.80 WHIP in 47.1 innings. For someone who hasn't struck out more than a batter per inning since 2011 playing in Double-A, it is odd to see McHugh fanning opposing hitters to the tune of a 10.23 K/9 ratio. It's not crazy that a pitcher could develop a new arsenal of pitches and find sudden success at 27, but it doesn't happen often. And I'm not buying it. The thing that scares me the most with McHugh is that, after shutting down the Mariners in his first start on April 22, the M's roughed him up in the following two meetings, including the the recent start with 3 HR allowed. This shows that teams are very capable of figuring him out. If you are desperate for some immediate strikeouts in a very deep leagues or AL-Only leagues, he may be worth a pick-up for the time being, but do not expect him to be a long-term solution. Feel free to ignore in 99% of mixed leagues.