Charlie Morton (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues

ANALYSIS: Tired of inconsistency in your starting pitchers? You might want to take a look (or second look) at Charlie Morton. Before his recent blowup at Wrigley (6 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 6 ER, 2 HR, 6K), he was sporting a 3.09 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 6.9 K/9 in 87.1 IP, and had only given up more than 2 ER in two of his fourteen starts this season. Don't let the four wins deter you, as Morton ran into some tough luck to start the season going 0-4 in his first five starts.  Even with the poor start vs. the Cubs, his ERA and WHIP are still a respectable 3.47 and 1.26. The Pirates are playing better as of late too, which will help Morton's heavy ground ball tilt, and signs aren't pointing towards regression either, as he put up similar numbers last season and has always had nice upside. If anything, Morton's 70.5% strand rate suggest his ERA might be in-line for a tiny bit of improvement. All of this makes him a viable pickup for fantasy managers in deep 12+ team leagues and all NL-Only leagues.