Joe Wieland (SP-LAN). The Dodgers have announced that they are calling Wieland up to start either Saturday or Sunday against the Padres. Wieland is an intriguing streaming option in NL-only leagues, as, when healthy, he has consistently put up K per 9 rates in excess of 9 in the minors and he is off to great start in AAA this year, with a 1.80 ERA and a 14:1 K:BB ratio in 10 innings. Pitching against the Padres in Petco is a great place for him to make his season debut, and if he pitches well, he could secure the fifth spot in the Dodgers' rotation until Ryu comes back, making him a recommended waiver claim in NL-only leagues.
Jacob deGrom (SP-NYN). The Yankees brought the Mets' winning streak to a crashing halt Friday night by roughing up deGrom for 6 ER in 5 innings. I was of the opinion that deGrom was being overdrafted this year and tonight's outing confirms me in that opinion. While I do think deGrom will put up solid numbers, I don't think they will be sufficient to justify the cost most owners paid to acquire him. deGrom is likely to finish with an ERA somewhere around his current xFIP of 3.81, which I don't believe is what his owners were expecting when they drafted him.
Alex Wood (SP-ATL). Wood was solid in a no-decision against the Phillies on Friday night, as he went 5.2 shutout innings, giving up only 5 hits and 2 walks. Wood's ERA for the season now sits at an even 3.00, which is more than respectable. However, there are some warning signs that make me concerned about Wood on a go-forward basis. He managed only 1 K Friday, and was very inefficient, as it took him 101 pitches to go less than 6 innings. His K rate of 14.3% is almost 10 points below his career rate and his BB rate of 10.4% is 3 points above his career rate. These danger signs, coupled with the suppressed win potential Wood has pitching in front of what has been an extremely unimpressive Braves offense, make me think that Wood is a good sell-high candidate.
Aaron Harang (SP-PHI). Harang was dominant against the Braves on Friday night, tossing 8 innings of shutout ball, giving up only 2 hits while striking out 6. Unfortunately, he did not pick up the win, as the Phils could not push a run across until the bottom of the 9th. This is going to be a common occurrence for Harang, as it is hard to say whether the Braves or the Phillies have the worse offense (although I lean toward the Phillies). Harang is pitching over his head again to start the season, as his 1.37 ERA is being supported by a .203 BABIP, an 86.7% strand rate and a 3.1% HR/FB rate, none of which are sustainable. A more reasonable expectation for his ERA is Harang's 3.76 xFIP and I expect him to settle in somewhere around that range at the end of the season. Having said that, Harang should have value as a streaming option, even in mixed leagues, as he is going to get many starts against the feeble NL East offenses, against whom he should be able to put up results similar to Friday's. Just don't expect huge strikeout numbers, as Harang seems to have settled in as a 7 K per 9 kind of guy.
Freddy Galvis (SS-PHI). Continuing with my theme of shortstops who are providing unexpected value in the early going, Galvis went 3 for 4 and scored the only run in the Phillies win over the Braves on Friday night. Galvis is now slashing .345/.400/.455 on the young season. While Galvis is not likely to continue posting an .855 OPS (his BABIP is an unsustainable .367), he could provide more value than one would expect based on his career .227/.270/.368 slash line. This year is the first time he has been afforded regular playing time, and his career numbers are likely being dragged down by the fact that he got only sporadic playing time as a utility guy in his previous stints in Philadelphia. The last time he got regular playing time (in AA in 2011), Galvis hit .273 with 8 HR and, given 500 ABs this year, he could post similar numbers, which could give him value in NL-only leagues. NL-only leaguers who have a need at MI could probably do worse than adding Galvis.
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