Waiver Wire: April 11th
Two starters and an outfielder as you contemplate whether or not Willie Bloomquist is actually worth a roster spot…
Zach Britton | SP | Ownership: 36% Yahoo, 35.6% ESPN
In the rotation only because Brian Matusz came down an injury, Britton has made the most of his opportunity by allowing just one run total in his first two starts (13.1 IP). The 23-year-old southpaw is arguably the best left-handed pitching prospect in the game, though he does it with a hellacious sinker rather than pure swing-and-miss stuff. That limits his fantasy value somewhat, but he should generate a ground ball on more than 50% of his balls in play and that limits homers. There is significant risk with every rookie pitcher, especially in the AL East, but Britton’s as good a bet as any. His next two starts will come against the Indians and the presently punchless Twins.
Matt Harrison | SP, RP | Ownership: 33% Yahoo, 36.0% ESPN
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I’m grabbing you in fantasy. Harrison followed up his stellar first start of the season (7-5-1-1-2-8) with another gem this weekend (7-2-1-1-1-3), again showing the same velocity as he did in his first start. As Mike Podhorzer explained last week, that velo is a full mile-an-hour increase from last year, when Harrison worked primarily in relief. Harrison is just 25, so a sudden performance spike isn’t unheard of, and he’s done enough so far to warrant a roster spot. If not yours then definitely someone else’s. He’s lined up to face the Yankees, Angels, and Blue Jays in his next three starts.
Logan Morrison | OF | Ownership: 42% Yahoo, 43.2% ESPN
A first baseman masquerading as an outfielder, Morrison’s great 287 PA debut last year (.369 wOBA) and status as a top prospect made him a trendy sleeper pick coming into the season. He’s already matched last year’s homer total of two, unsurprising as he got further from wrist surgery, and continues to use his military-style plate discipline to get on base (9 BB, 8 K in 42 PA). Morrison’s .391 BABIP is obviously going to regress at some point, especially since he’s no burner, but he’s a must have in OBP leagues and a guy that could contribute a solid AVG with double-digit homers on the cheap.
Mike writes about the Yankees at River Ave. Blues and baseball in general at CBS Sports.
Britton is the rare sinkerballer who has both extreme groundball rates and a strong strikeout game.
GB% looks spectacular in the minors but the strikeouts only a bit above average for a starting pitching prospect. The whole package looks nice though.
http://firstinning.com/players/Zachary-Britton-a/
Choose 2:
Narveson
Beachy
Harrison
beachy, narveson, then harrison
What about Holland or Narveson?
Room for a SP flyer: do you take Pineda or Britton?
Harrison vs the Yankees? I think I’ll wait and see what he does against them. If he does well I’ll try and grab him that day, and if he gets blown up, it will help mask his numbers so others won’t notice him on waivers.
I really like Britton, but I missed out on him in my league. He’s got the best stuff out of all the Baltimore pitchers. He may go through a learning curve the second time through the league, but for now I’d send him out there against pretty much anyone.
I’m thinking of swapping Bumgarner for Britton. Any advice would be welcome.
No knock on Britton, I really like him but it’s way too early to panic on Bumgarner. I’ve watched every pitch he’s thrown this year and he hasn’t been rocked, just unlucky and hasn’t been very composed when things have gone wrong…which is surprising considering the composure he showed last year- But not surprising considering he became old enough to legally drink alcohol last fall. Stay the course- He’s a young guy that gets K’s and groundballs, but he pitches in the NL West instead of the AL East, and wont be on as harsh of an inning limit.
drop weiters for either Avila or Hundley?
Lee, no. Don’t get impatient with the cold streaks. Avila and Hundley are hitting well right now, but you drafted Weiters for a reason. Give it another couple weeks at least.