Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The waiver wire can be a gold mine for fantasy baseball players who are looking to boost their pitching stats. On most days, there is sure to be a starter or three just waiting to be scooped up who can help lead a fantasy team to the promised land. In today’s slice of fantasy baseball advice, let’s take a look at some hurlers who should be in for a strong day on the mound on June 3 and are quite possibly available on a waiver wire near you.
Now hurry up and grab one of these pitchers before some other cagey owner gets to them first. (Ownership percentages based off ESPN standard leagues.)
Zack Wheeler, New York Mets (59 percent): This hurler has had his ups and downs this season, but it’s easy to see why he’s a sixth overall draft pick. He has a very live arm that misses a lot of bats, so we may be looking at a future ace here. Wheeler has been very strong in his last two outings, having allowed just three earned runs while striking out 16, and I like his chances of making it three in a row today.
The Mets start a series against the Chicago Cubs this evening, and not only do they rank just 24th in runs scored per game (3.83), but rank second-last in team batting average in all of baseball (.231). The Cubbies have also been shut out in three of their last five games, and while I don’t think that’s happening tonight, a win for Wheeler is very feasible.
Jorge De La Rosa, Colorado Rockies (38.7 percent): This left-handers numbers are pretty solid on the year with a 3.66 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He’s really put it all together in his last eight games however, as those numbers are a sparkling 1.96 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. When you also consider the fact that he has six straight win under his belt, it’s incredible that so many people have left him to rot on the waiver wire.
He’ll face the Arizona Diamondbacks at home tonight, and they are scoring a paltry 3.47 runs per game on the road this season. You would think that pitching at Coors Field would be a detriment to De La Rosa, but his home ERA is actually 2.49 as compared to 4.54 on the road. When you do the math, I think it adds up to another excellent evening on the hill for this guy.
Henderson Alvarez, Miami Marlins (6 percent): For a pitcher with a 2.97 ERA, it’s almost criminal that he’s owned in just six percent of leagues. That could be a good thing for you though. He has an excellent matchup tonight, and you can almost assuredly scoop him off the wire and plug him in for today’s game.
The Tampa Bay Rays are his opponent this evening, and they are really struggling to score runs right now. Not only are they dead last in baseball at 2.97 runs scored per game on the road, but have managed to plate just six men total in their last five games. Combine that with the fact that Alvarez has allowed zero earned runs in three of his last five starts, and the recipe for success is there in a big way.
Brian Davis is a fantasy sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @SportsGuyBrian, ”Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
