Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, BOS) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 35% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Just looking at his career numbers, Eduardo Rodriguez doesn't jump off the page. He's struck out about a batter per inning, but middling walk rates and a vulnerability to the long ball have kept him from producing good ratios. Dig a bit deeper, though, and there are signs that the 25-year-old might have more to offer. Before suffering a knee injury last season, Rodriguez made nine starts during which he posted a 2.77 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 26.6 K%, and 0.81 HR/9. He hasn't kept the ball in the yard so far this season, but he has bumped his strikeout rate to just below 30% and added nearly 10 percentage points to his ground ball rate. Rodriguez's 3.58 SIERA is a full run below his actual ERA, and in his last start, he limited the fearsome Yankees lineup to a single hit over five innings, striking out eight batters in the process.

While consistency has been and may continue to be an issue for the young southpaw, there aren't many pitchers this widely available who offer the kind of upside that Rodriguez can provide.