Luis Castillo (SP, CIN) – Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Luis Castillo has been a revelation for the Cincinnati Reds, a team in desperate need of viable starting pitchers. He has been a strong fantasy producer, and there is little reason to believe that will change down the stretch of the fantasy season.

The key to Castillo’s fantasy success has been his ability to pitch deep into games, as he has completed six or more innings in eight of his past ten starts. This has allowed him to pile up strikeouts and also overcome regularly allowing multiple runs and walks every start. Thus, despite allowing three or more runs in five of his past ten starts, he maintains a 3.26 ERA on the season. Additionally, Castillo has maintained a 1.14 WHIP despite walking 3.61 batters per nine innings.

Castillo emerged out of relative obscurity in late June, however, he has proven that his positive results have not been a fluke as he has pitched well against some of the best lineups in the league, including the Nationals, Cubs, and Yankees. That makes him a nice addition to fantasy rotations for the stretch run and is still widely available on the waiver wire.