Nick Kingham (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 9% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Nick Kingham bounced back from a terrible July 2 outing against the Dodgers to pick up his first win in six starts thanks to a six-inning gem versus the Phillies. The rookie allowed just one run on a solo shot and struck out five to trim his SIERA down to 3.92 behind the 4.26 ERA.

He has a solid Minor League track record of limiting homers and walks alongside a groundball rate in the mid-40s. The walk rate has carried over, but the 38% groundball rate is a bit low and the 1.62 HR/9 rate is way up compared to expectations.

Fantasy owners should hope that most of his issues can be chalked up to one poor day against LA and that the second half sees him given more opportunities to work against MLB offenses and find pitch mixes that work for him. The potential is worth the roster spot, especially in deeper leagues.