Kyle Freeland (SP, COL) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 10% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland has made some real strides early on in his second season, resulting in a lovely 2.14 ERA/0.81 WHIP with a strikeout per inning in his last 21 frames. The southpaw has cut his walk rate down by nearly two percentage points while upping his swinging-strike rate to nearly 10 percent (a two-percentage-point jump from '17).

While we are still going to need to see more consistency from him before labeling him as more than a streamer, it is worth noting that his 26.5 percent hard-hit rate is within the top 20 for starters this season. He has never been a huge strikeout guy and it would not be surprising to see the K rate drop a little, from the current 22.6 percent to 20 percent perhaps, but his command is trending in the right direction and Coors pitchers are almost always available for a discount.

What makes him attractive for this weekend, a May 12 start, is that he is not in Denver, facing the Brewers in Milwaukee. While Milwaukee is a hitter's park as well, any Rockies starter pitching outside of Coors Field gets a boost.