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Week 4 Waiver Wire Starting Pitchers
As we move further along into the season, the pickings for useful SP become slimmer and slimmer. In turn, that means the options for shallower leagues become dicey when looking for players that can serve as more than a streaming option.
In this week’s edition, I’ll present a few options that may be out there in 10-teamers, but the majority are going to be deep league finds. If you have any additional questions, feel free to stop by the chat on Tuesdays at 8 ET. Otherwise, let’s get to it!
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for starting pitchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is updated daily. You can also download our free waiver wire iPhone app.
Deeper League Options
Josh Collmenter (SP, Diamondbacks)
OWNED IN: 19% of Yahoo Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Target for 12 + Team Leagues
Collmenter is far from a flashy player. He doesn’t pile up the strikeouts as evident by his 5.77 K/9 ratio in 2014, but he sure does know how to pitch. Collmenter has yet to post an ERA above 3.69 since entering the league in 2012 and only began starting last season. He held his own in 2014, starting 28 games and going 11-9 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.
Collmenter was efficient in his last outing versus Pittsburgh, picking up the quality start after going six innings and giving up three runs. Again, don’t expect Collmenter to be an asset in Ks, but he is helpful in keeping your ratios down and gives himself a chance to win every time out there. He makes a solid streaming option and a useful backend SP in deeper leagues.
Hector Santiago (SP/RP, Angels)
OWNED IN: 11% of Yahoo Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Target for 12 + Team Leagues
Santiago has been solid to begin the 2015 campaign, collecting two wins already with a 2.45 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Santiago was rather ordinary in 2014, starting 24 games and compiling a 3.75 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. Control has always been the issue, and he’s off to a solid start in maintaining his walks with a 2.95 BB/9 ratio and no more than three walks in each of his first three starts.
The most intriguing aspect to Santiago is his willingness to go to the slider more often this year. It must be noted that in his two best starts the offense supported him with 24 runs, so I’m not buying in completely for shallow leagues. However, if you have some roster space, I have no problem snagging him in leagues 12 and larger and he makes an interesting stream option in his next outing vs Texas.
Jesse Chavez (SP/RP, Athletics)
OWNED IN: 7% of Yahoo Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Target for 14 + Team Leagues
This is a more of speculative watch for fantasy owners. Chavez was the odd man out this spring for the A’s rotation as management decided to see what they had in Jesse Hahn and Kendall Graveman. With Hahn suffering from a blister Chavez got the call on Thursday at LAA and was excellent, going six strong innings with a HR by Kole Calhoun after a fielding error resulting in the only hit given up all game.
Unfortunately for Chavez, the A’s offense couldn’t get anything going. He suffered a tough luck loss. Fantasy players may recall Chavez’s excellent first half of 2014 when he recorded 114.2 innings with a 3.14 ERA. The workload proved to be too much and he couldn’t replicate those stats, but it goes to show Chavez has the arsenal to compete as a big league starter. Kendall Graveman has been off to a rough start and if the A’s decide to switch him out for Chavez, I highly recommend grabbing Chavez in deeper leagues. Considering his previous workloads, don’t expect full-season production from him but grab him if he gets the call to the rotation.
Chase Anderson (SP, Diamondbacks)
OWNED IN: 3% of Yahoo Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Target for 14 + Team Leagues
Chase Anderson is far from a "sexy" addition in fantasy baseball. He's far from a flamethrower - in fact his most effective pitch is his changeup. Good thing for Anderson is all that matters in fantasy is the stat line, and he's doing just fine there. He was terrific in his last outing at San Diego, pitching six innings with two runs and five Ks to his name. For the season he's compiled 18 innings with a 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 18/4 K/BB ratio.
Anderson was more effective in the first half of 2014 and similar to Jesse Chavez suffered from the workload over the course of a full season. That being said, I'm willing to give Anderson a go in deeper leagues considering the lack of depth available. His next start is at home vs Colorado followed by an outing at LAD, and I have to say I'm not confident about either of those matchups.
Shallow Leagues
Just in case any of these pitchers are still available in your leagues:
Drew Smyly (SP, Tampa Rays)
OWNED IN: 71% of Yahoo Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues
Smyly was one of my sleepers going into 2015, but a shoulder injury has kept him out until this point. He made his first start at Toronto and lasted 4 2/3 innings with 2 ER and 5 Ks. Smyly was strong in his three rehab outings, holding his opponents scoreless over 8 2/3 innings.
In case you need a quick refresher, Smyly was acquired from Detroit in the David Price blockbuster and was stellar for Tampa. In seven starts last year, he compiled a 1.70 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and a 44/11 K/BB ratio over 47.2 innings. Your league opponents may have let Smyly slip through the cracks considering he’s available in 29% of Yahoo leagues as of Friday. Don’t be scared off by his first start; the team is going to be wise in getting his pitch count back up to normal. He’s a must add.
Bartolo Colon (SP, Mets)
OWNED IN: 72% of Yahoo Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues
If you don’t like watching Bartolo Colon pitch then you must not like baseball. From his improbable RBI single to him chasing down AJ Pierzysnki on a pickoff play, Colon is doing it all these days. He’s now won four straight outings to begin the year, picking up four quality starts along the way with a 2.77 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He’s also notched at least five Ks in each of his starts this year, so it’s not like he’s a detriment in any category.
It’s hard to imagine Colon maintaining this pace; his 0.35 BB/9 ratio doesn’t match up with his career numbers and his .260 BABIP would be a career low. However, considering how hot the Mets are and how well he’s pitching there’s no reason not to give him a spin in your rotation until he cools off. His next start is at Miami, an opponent he limited to one run over seven innings on April 17th. Even if hitters tend to perform better the second time around versus a pitcher, I’m still rolling Colon out in all leagues.
