We’re officially hit the All-Star break, which means it’s long past time to hold on to any illusions that you’re going to win your league with all of your brilliant draft picks intact. It’s time to throw out what you thought you knew around draft time and make adjustments. Time to decide whether you’re in it to win it this year, and what you might need to make that happen. Time to check narrative and sentiment at the door.
This is especially true for starting pitching, where a combination of rampant injuries and new rule changes designed to goose offense have just about every owner looking under every available rock for quality innings. That’s why we’re here to help, with four targets likely available in your league showing signs that they’re in for a strong finish.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 16 top starting pitcher pickups
Graham Ashcraft, SP, Cincinnati Reds
Roster percentage: 7.0%
Now that’s more like it. Ashcraft spent most of 2023 in the wilderness, woefully ineffective when he wasn’t on the injured list. Over his last two starts, though, he’s looked like the promising young pitcher from 2022, allowing just two runs on 10 hits over 12.2 innings against the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. Most importantly, Ashcraft is doing it his way, forcing ground balls over 50 percent of the time with his power cutter. This is the guy who was a trendy sleeper pick in drafts prior to the season, and with this Cincy lineup backing him up, he should be worth trusting again — especially in a nice matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers next weekend.
Nick Pivetta, SP/RP, Boston Red Sox
Roster percentage: 5.0%
Alex Cora won’t commit to actually putting Pivetta back in the rotation, but as long as the righty keeps going five or six innings, it’s just as well for fantasy purposes. And hey, maybe it’s for the best, because the righty has been absolutely dealing since moving to the bullpen back in May, with a 2.79 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 29 innings over his last 14 appearances. He struck out eight while allowing two runs on four hits in five innings against the Oakland Athletics this weekend, picking up the win despite not technically starting, and unless you’re in a league that counts quality starts, this current arrangement works just fine.
Aaron Civale, SP, Cleveland Guardians
Roster percentage: 22.6%
Civale has been dynamite since returning from the IL at the start of June, pitching to a 2.48 ERA over his last seven starts while allowing more than two earned runs in just one of them. The schedule has been friendly over that stretch — there’ve been matchups against the A’s, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers — but 1) Civale calls the AL Central home, meaning great matchups are the rule rather than the exception and 2) a 2.48 ERA is still a 2.48 ERA. Even more encouragingly, the righty’s velocity has been up a tick of late, and if he can maintain that, he might even be able to add some strikeout upside.
Cristopher Sanchez, SP/RP, Philadelphia Phillies
Roster percentage: 1.8%
Sanchez is coming off of two very solid starts in a row, allowing just two combined runs over 12 innings against the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays. The lefty’s sinker is a bowling ball: He throws is just about 50% of the time, and it’s helped produce a 56.2% ground-ball rate that’s well above league average. He also boasts a sensational changeup (.130 average against, 42% whiff rate), giving him a weapon to neutralize righties, and if he can keep pumping strikes he could emerge as a solid mixed-league option behind a resurgent Phillies lineup.