RADIO
Welcome back readers! Hope you all enjoyed the All-Star festivities, but it's likely you had the itch for real baseball as much as I did. This week we'll focus on pitchers that aren't heavily owned who have a good opportunity for second half success, along with some heavily owned pitchers to target in trades.
If you've been following along with this series all season, you know the drill. If not, this article is to help you uncover starting pitcher options that may have been overlooked in your league or dropped after a poor start. As always, included are options for both shallow and deeper leagues. I also add my list of pitchers discussed previously at the end of the article with ownership levels to boot. Make sure to check them out, and grab any that are still out there.
Don’t forget to check out our Starting Pitcher Matchups & Streaming Tool for expert guidance during the week too, including what pitchers to start/sit for seasonal and DFS leagues. 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 a running list that is updated daily.
Starting Pitchers Waiver Wire - Shallow Leagues
Yordano Ventura (KC, SP)
OWNED IN: 66% of Fleaflicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues / Target in trades
Ace Ventura did not have the first-half that fantasy owners imagined when they drafted him in the middle rounds this preseason. He has followed his 2014 campaign (14-10 record with a 3.20 ERA and 1.30 WHIP) with an ugly 4.73 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 72.1 innings.
The team reported that Ventura dealt with "lateral elbow discomfort" last season although it didn't require him to miss any time. He sat out a month this season with ulnar neuritis in his pitching hand and just returned to the rotation July 9th. In that start vs Tampa he allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings.
Not what you want to see vs a weak Tampa lineup, but this series of events may be just what fantasy owners needed that are looking to buy Ventura stock. His velocity is down on his fastball and cutter, per Fangraphs, while his first strike percentage (58.9%) is down along with his swinging strike percentage (9.0%). So what's to like about his first half?
For starters his walk rate is down (2.99 BB/9) and his changeup his been much more effective than in 2014. It's produced a Pitchf/x score of 2.5 and limited hitters to a .170 AVG. The advanced numbers indicate the ERA is due to improve and Ventura is still just 24 years old. There is oodles of potential here and Ventura owners may be getting impatient. Considering he's available in 34% of leagues, you may be able to get him for free.
Kyle Hendricks (CHC, SP)
OWNED IN: 26% of Fleaflicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ team leagues
The forgotten man in the Cubs rotation. While Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, and Jason Hammel are the headliners, Kyle Hendricks is fortifying the backend of that rotation. Through 104.2 innings Hendricks has compiled a 3.44 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 84/18 K/BB ratio. This is after a 2014 campaign in which Hendricks completed 13 starts with 7-2 record and 2.46 ERA.
So is this legit? The numbers say yes. Hendricks has improved his K rate (7.22 K/9) and lowered his BB rate (1.55 BB/9). He has also limited the use of his cutter which had graded out as his worst pitch, so Hendricks is self-aware of his shortcomings and making the necessary adjustments.
In his last four starts (26 innings) Hendricks has a 0.35 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, with the only earned run coming in his latest start at Atlanta. Those are fantastic numbers for a pitcher who's unowned in 74% of leagues. Hendricks has earned the right to be owned in shallow leagues, and if he's a FA in your league I highly recommend you snag a share. I just traded for Hendricks myself, so know if things go wrong I'm going down with you!
Starting Pitchers Waiver Wire - Deeper Leagues
Taylor Jungmann (MIL, SP)
OWNED IN: 21% of Fleaflicker Leagues
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues
Not much has gone right for Milwaukee in 2015, but Taylor Jungmann's emergence in the Brewers rotation stands out as one of the bright spots. Called up from AAA-Colorado Springs after Matt Garza and Wily Peralta went to the DL, Jungmann has been exactly what the Brew Crew envisioned when they drafted him 12th overall in 2011.
In seven starts Jungmann has produced a 4-1 record with a 2.15 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 46 innings. These numbers do not include his performance on Sunday in which he limited the Pirates to one run over seven innings.
Jungmann relies primarily on his fastball while mixing in the curveball and rarely the changeup and sinker. It's been working in 2015, limited hitters to a .209 AVG. In addition hitters have whiffed at his curveball 17.24% of the time, well above league average.
The main flaw with Jungmann is rotation uncertainty. There's a good chance Jungmann gets demoted when Garza and Peralta return, but if the Brewers are smart they will let Jungmann hang around and continue his development. It's apparent that Jungmann, Peralta, and Jimmy Nelson represent the future of the Brewers rotation and the team is well out of contention this season. Until that time comes, fantasy owners in deep leagues would be smart to grab a share and see how the events unfold in the next few weeks. Available in 79% of leagues, it's likely you can join the fun.
Jake Peavy (SF, SP)
OWNED IN: 7% of Fleaflicker Leagues
BALLER MOVER: Add in 14+ team leagues / NL-Only
Not often you can find a former Cy Young available in more than 90% of leagues, but that's where things stand with Jake Peavy. Peavy had a rough first half, only lasting three starts before suffering a back injury that held him out till July. Since returning Peavy has pitched 19.2 innings (3 GS) with a 3.20 ERA and 1.17 WHIP and a 13/6 K/BB ratio.
It's safe to say Peavy isn't the same pitcher from his glory days, but Peavy has always been a second half pitcher. In his career he holds a 3.36 ERA in the second-half, with his best month historically being August (2.98 ERA) followed by September (3.01 ERA). It's shocking to see Peavy has basically ditched his slider, which was at one time his best pitch (23.3 wSL in his Cy Young season).
The Giants have once again found themselves in the thick of a Wild-Card race and with the Dodgers likely to add a front-end starter to their rotation, it's looking like the Giants best avenue to the postseason is the WC. If they do make a run, Peavy will have to be a consistent piece at the backend of their rotation. I can't advise snagging Jake the Snake in shallow leagues aside from streamer duty, but NL-Only participants should give Peavy a shot if they need a boost in pitching.
Other Pitchers Previously Highlighted to Consider
In Order of Ownership %
Noah Syndergaard (NYM, SP / 71% ; up 11%); Yovani Gallardo (TEX, SP / 70%; up 2%); Taijuan Walker (SEA, SP / 69%; down 4%); Ubaldo Jimenez (BAL, SP / 62% ; up 1%); Wei-Yin Chen (BAL, SP / 60% ; up 6%); Jaime Garcia (DL) (STL, SP / 50%; down 10%); Mike Montgomery (SEA, SP / 49%); Eduardo Rodriguez (BOS, SP / 43% ; up 1%); Jesse Chavez (OAK, SP / 34% ; down 8%); Mike Leake (CIN, SP / 32% ; no change); Jesse Hahn (DL) (OAK, SP / 29% ; down 10%); Brett Anderson (LAD, SP / 29% ; up 5%); Matt Moore (DL) (TB, SP / 21% ; down 10%); Kendall Graveman (OAK, SP / 20%); Jonathan Niese (NYM, SP / 14%); Chase Anderson (DL) (ARI, SP / 10% ; down 5%); Manny Banuelos (ATL, SP / 8%); Matt Wisler (ATL, SP / 6%)
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