May 19, 2015

Fantasy Freestyle

AL-Only Adds, Part Two

by Nick Shlain

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Every year I tell myself that I’m going to ration my FAAB money for the year and not blow it early in the season, and every year I run out of money in short order. One positive about playing the waiver wire early in the season is that if you actually hit on a good player, he’s yours for a big stretch of the season, which is huge in rotisserie leagues. Last week I wrote about how I salvaged my pitching staff in one league mostly through the waiver wire. Here are two more arms you might consider picking up.

Roberto Osuna – Blue Jays

While ostensibly nothing has changed with regards to the Blue Jays’ closer situation, as Brett Cecil still has the job, Osuna picking up his first major-league win Monday afternoon is at the very least noteworthy. Osuna pitched 1 2/3 innings and struck out two while allowing just one hit against the Angels. He’s allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings (0.86 ERA) and has 22 strikeouts to just six walks. Osuna appears to be the best reliever in Toronto, and it might not even be close. The 20-year-old has a mid-90s fastball and can touch 97 mph. He also has a slider and changeup, which is why he could be in the Jays’ future rotation plans. Osuna isn’t the closer (yet), but when asked about the possibility of him closing games this season, his manager John Gibbons said, “No doubt.” He’s only owned in 10 percent of CBS leagues at the moment, meaning he’s someone to grab in your AL-only league and consider in mixed leagues where you need saves. Osuna could turn out to be a great guy to stash if he slides into the closer role, but you have to go get him before it’s too late.

Mike Wright – Baltimore Orioles

Since you’re reading this, it’s highly likely that you’re aware of what Wright did in his debut on Sunday. In case that you’ve been living under a rock since Saturday, I’ve got you covered. Wright became the third player in the last 25 years to throw at least seven shutout innings with no walks in his major-league debut. The Wright that we saw on Sunday was much different than the one we read about before the season, who sat 91-93 mph with his fastball. His velocity was much better than that, averaging 96 mph on the heater, and if he’s able to sustain that, he might have more than just a back-end starter or reliever ceiling.

Wright’s slider is his next-best pitch, and he also has a slow curveball and changeup. The slider and changeup are going to be crucial for him going forward, as he’ll need to rely on those offerings against left-handed batters. Despite what most outlets wrote about Wright before the season, his power arm showed up in his debut throwing mostly hard fastballs and sinkers. While it’s tempting to be all-in on a guy like this, one who has shown how good he can be, it was still only one start, so cautious optimism is likely the best course here. If you find yourself desperate for pitching or in a deep format and feel that he is too much to pass up, you have my blessing to run out and grab him; this could be the start of Wright becoming a fantasy darling. But if you aren’t so desperate and want to wait to see his next start, that makes some sense too.