Waiver Wire Wednesday
May 20th, 2009 | Published in Waiver Wire | 1 Comment
This will be the starting pitcher addition of WWW. Pitching statistics are very hard to read at the beginning of the season. One bad start can ruin the numbers for weeks, if not months. Now that the season is 7 weeks old and there is some data available, it is time to start filling the holes in our pitching staff.
Jorge de la Rosa, 13%, he’s the guy on this list that you want. He’s improved his K and BB rate, but not so much that something appears to be out of line. His HR rate is a little low at this point, but everything else looks in like with 2008. He has a nice fastball, slider, and change combination. He can be owned in every format.
Koji Uehara, 6%, his fastball clocks in at a whopping 87 MPH, but Uehara throws strikes. His walk rate is among the lowest in baseball at 1.7 BB/9. He doesn’t play in the most pitcher friendly environment, but he’s been able to get Ks with his split-finger fastball. Low BBs and good Ks make for successful starters and the Orioles can score runs.
Justin Masterson, 11%, he continues to pitch pretty well, but just isn’t seeing the numbers coming out for him. Pitching for the Red Sox he may have a shorter leash as there are plenty of options ready to arise. His K/BB rate is pretty good and his HR rate isn’t bad.
Brett Cecil, 9%, this is the riskiest of the picks and that’s because of the limited data. His K/BB rate has been very good so far. He’s only three starts into the season, and things like this can change. The Jays offense and continued performance could see him being very productive.
Dave Bush, 13%, this was the hardest one to put on the list. He’s consistently shown the ability to limit walks and hits, making his WHIP very good. He’s also shown the ability to give up the long ball, including a HR to Russ Ortiz last night. Take Bush with the caveat that he will have a ERA in the mid 4.00’s but his WHIP will be under 1.20.
Two pitchers that are owned in more than 20% of leagues but are good pickups are Randy Wolf and Edwin Jackson. Pitchers throwing well that are dangerous include Joel Pineiro, Zach Duke, and Paul Maholm. Keep Ricky Romero in mind when he comes back from the DL.
May 29th, 2009at 8:32 pm(#)
I hope I’m not jinxing anything by saying this because he is currently pitching as I type this but I hope to see Jason Vargas, 1.2%, on this list in the future haha. The dude hasn’t given up more than 1 earned in any of his 4 starts (so far).