Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Week 18
Frankly, we are getting cose to the end of the baseball season. For many, it is already over. The calendar has flipped to August which means the start of the NFL season. The Hall of Fame game was just played and the preseason starts in earnest this upcoming week. If your fantasy baseball team has underperformed, you’re already in full NFL-mode.
For those of you still focused on the national pastime, there is still a little over a quarter of the season left, so if you’re still in it and paying attention, I have a few possibilities for you this week. At this time of year I like to focus on pitchers on teams who still have something to play for. For this week, I have a starter from the Angels, Guardians and Reds.
LHP Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels
Sandoval is only owned in about half of leagues so you’ll have a 50-50 chance at snagging him. He has a matchup on Monday against the Giants who are also fighting for a playoff spot. On the year, he’s 6-8 with a decent 4.11 ERA and elevated 1.41 WHIP, mainly due to his high walk rate of 3.93/9ip. In today’s brand of baseball, his strikeout rate is a pedestrian 7.33/9ip, but if you need help in this counting stat, you could do much worse than Sandoval. He normally can keep you in the game.
RHP Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians
Everybody loves the new item on the shelf. This is the case with athletes too. Williams is another pitcher to emerge from the Guardians’ system. He’s made eight starts and amazingly owned in more leagues than Sandoval. He strikes out nearly a batter per inning and his ratios are solid. He has a 3.38 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. On Monday, he is facing off against another team in the playoff race, the Toronto Blue Jays.
LHP Brandon Williamson, Cincinnati Reds
As Brad Pitt said in Moneyball, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” The Reds have come out of absolutely nowhere to be smack dab in the race to win the NL Central. Williamson is only owned in 16% of leagues out there so he should be available to you. He’s made 14 starts and has a 3-2 record. He has given up less than a hit per inning which is still one of those “old” stats I like to look at. It’s simple, does the guy give up hits? His overall WHIP has been decent at 1.34 and he is sporting a 4.85 ERA. It’s not anything to right home about but at this time of year, you may need to make a couple of bold decisions. And, considering you most likely have about 900 innings under your belt, you can afford a five inning stint from a starter with a slightly elevated ERA.
Hopefully you still have some FAAB money left to acquire some of these guys down the stretch. Many leagues tie their trading period with MLB, which means the only way for you acquire a pitcher is via the waiver wire…and that window is most likely closing on you too.
Make the most of these few weeks.
