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Wasn't it just yesterday that we were discussing how Kenta Maeda and Aaron Sanchez made for good pickups? Wait...that was four and a half months ago? Get outta townnnn. Oh, you're serious?
Yes, August is almost over people. September is right around the corner, and with it, the home stretch of the fantasy baseball season. That means it's extremely important to make good decisions. And if you're not interested in that, then I invite you to read on:
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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets
Mike Fiers (HOU, SP) – 39% Owned – Fiers wasn’t great against the Rays, but still notched the quality start with 6 1/3 innings and three earned runs. He struck out five with a 1.11 WHIP and did leave the game with the lead, but the victory was not in the cards. Five of his last seven starts have been of the quality variety, resulting in a 3-2 record with 39 Ks in 42 1/3 innings. He’ll square off with the A’s at home on Aug. 31 next in a juicy matchup.
Anibal Sanchez (DET, SP) – 33% Owned – Sanchez has earned quite a suspicious aura when his name gets brought up, but he’s doing his best to dispel that. His latest efforts saw him post his fourth quality start in the last 30 days against the Twins in Minnesota, going seven strong innings for the win. In that 30-day window he now has a 3.66 ERA and 1.00 WHIP alongside 26 Ks in 32 innings. He’s been successful before, and it’s very possible that he’s regained some of that magic for the home stretch. A 24.4% soft-contact rate for the month of August says he’s doing something right, while a 4.62 August FIP says beware. He faces the Angels on Aug. 28 at home before clashing with the Royals in Kansas City on Sept. 3.
Chad Green (NYY, SP) – 32% Owned – Green got bit by the long ball in his latest start, allowing three of them before leaving in the fifth inning. It wasn’t a catastrophic start, but it was a shame after he obliterated the Angels and Blue Jays in his last two starts. His strikeout-upside has been made apparent, and his ability to limit baserunners with plus control will also get him a long way. It’s all about consistency at this point. He’ll have a chance to redeem himself in a rematch with the Orioles in Baltimore on Sept. 2 next.
Joe Musgrove (HOU, SP) – 32% Owned – Okay, so his last two starts have been…not good. BUT they’ve been rather tough matchups @BAL and @PIT. Maybe there’s some tape out there on him and Major Leaguers have caught onto something, but I’d feel comfortable betting on him and his 3.49 SIERA against a weak Oakland lineup at home on Aug. 29.
Alex Reyes (STL, SP) – 29% Owned – Reyes turned in his first Major League start on Saturday, striking out four in 4 2/3 innings en route to a no-decision. He walked four, which illustrates why he left the game rather early as the pitch count racked up quickly. His ceiling is extremely high, but he will need to learn how to keep his control under him as a starter before anyone can consistently rely on him. He’ll face the Reds in Cincinnati on Sept. 2 next if St. Louis keeps him in this rotation slot.
Matt Boyd (DET, SP) – 28% Owned – Boyd still hasn’t lost since being recalled on July 9, and is now 5-0 since with a 2.38 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He’s also rocking a 43:13 K/BB ratio in those 45 1/3 innings alongside a neat 20.2% soft-contact rate. So what’s not to like? Well again, he’s currently riding a .224 BABIP and 92.8% strand rate to success, leading to a 3.97 SIERA and 4.46 xFIP behind that 2.38 ERA. Just don’t think he’s the “next big thing”, because this is unlikely to last. Or he’s a wizard. Your call. Regardless, he has a nice matchup at home against the White Sox on Aug. 29 next before a road date with the Royals on Sept. 4.
Brandon Finnegan (CIN, SP) – 20% Owned – Finnegan followed up his no-hit bid on Aug. 20 in which he struck out eight over seven shutout innings by racking up 12 Ks over six solid innings on Aug. 26 against the D-backs. He appear to have his control demons under…control right now, which makes him a great target. He also gets a nice matchup against a light Angels lineup in California on Aug. 31 next.
Tyler Anderson (COL, SP) – 17% Owned – He bounced back against the Brew-crew on Aug. 24, striking out 10 over five strong innings. While it wasn’t enough to avoid taking a tough-luck loss, it was very encouraging after two rough outings against the Cubs and against the home-plate umpire on Aug. 13 (when he was ejected early). His next test comes against the Dodgers at home on Aug. 30, so stream at your own risk, but just know that the skills underneath it all are absolutely legitimate.
Luke Weaver (STL, SP) – 14% Owned – Sure, Weaver got the benefit of facing off against the A’s at home on Aug. 26, but he still had to deliver. Hurling six frames of one-run ball with seven Ks and the win certainly qualifies as “delivering” in my book. He’ll head to Milwaukee on Aug. 31 to face the strikeout-happy Brewers next.
Kendall Graveman & Sean Manaea (OAK, SP) – 17% & 9% Owned – I should have had the faith. I recommended them both as speculative grabs for the future last week, but couldn’t recommend starting them against the Indians. What did they do? They both won. Graveman turned in 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball for his 10th victory of the season (though he only struck out two, which is par for the course with the ground-ball specialist). Manaea struck out eight in his seven innings of one-run ball, posting his fifth QS in his last seven outings. Oakland may not have much of an offense, but these two are getting it done on the hill.
Alex Cobb (TB, SP) – 10% Owned – Cobb’s latest Triple-A rehab start saw him allow only one run in four innings, in which he proved his control was under him by throwing 44 strikes on 58 total pitches. Assuming no setbacks befall him in as he recovers from the start, he should make his season debut for the Rays on Sept. 2 against the Blue Jays at home. This is not ideal, but you don’t want to be behind the eight ball with a guy whose ceiling is as high as Cobb’s.
Daniel Norris (DET, SP) – 8% Owned – Norris hasn’t done anything spectacular, but did notch his first victory since being recalled by shutting down the Twins on Aug. 25, striking out five over 6 1/3 strong innings. The crux here is that he gets to do battle with an inconsistent White Sox squad at home next on Aug. 30.
Mike Foltynewicz (ATL, SP) – 7% Owned – He flashed his upside again on Aug. 27 against the Giants, limiting them to one run over 7 2/3 innings while posting a sub-one WHIP and striking out six. That’ll getcha a blurb. While his prior three starts weren’t all that pretty (5 2/3 IP, 4 ER @WAS - 5 IP, 3 ER vs. MIN and 6 IP, 4 ER @ARI), they weren’t disastrous either. He’s got the potential to turn in solid starts, so let this serve as a reminder. He’ll face the Padres at home next on Sept. 1 as of now.
Andrew Triggs (OAK, SP/RP) – 3% Owned – What is this, three Oakland pitchers?! Well, yeah. For as much as their offense struggles, part of that equation is their pitcher-friendly park. In the last 30 days Triggs has posted a 2.25 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 16 Ks in 20 innings, most recently tossing six shutout frames against the Indians on Aug. 22 (at home). He’ll face the Cardinals in St. Louis on Sunday (Aug. 28), and after that he lines up to take on Boston at home on Sept. 3. I know, that’s bad. But after that he’ll face Seattle at home on Sept. 9, for those of you in deep leagues looking forward. Who knows, Triggs may just surprise us all anyway.
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