Fantasy Baseball Week 14 Preview: Top 10 sleeper pitchers feature Chad Patrick, Justin Verlander
Eduardo Rodriguez and Justin Verlander are also among those with favorable matchups
By
Scott White
•
1 min read
Not that you'd sit just any pitcher, of course, but if you have an opening or two and could use a streamer off the waiver wire, you've come to the right place. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
All information is up to date as of Sunday afternoon.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 14 (June 23-29)
Shane Smith is coming off his worst start of the season but is still boasting an ERA under 3.00 and has seen his whiff rate trend up in recent turns. His matchups aren't all that inviting, but if you're looking to stream a two-start option, he's the best you can expect to pull from the waiver wire.
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Matthew Liberatore's matchups also aren't the greatest -- particularly that first one against the Cubs -- but like Shane Smith, he's an order of magnitude better than any other two-start pitcher rostered in less than 80 percent of leagues. I have some concerns that he's coming back down to earth after an impossibly hot start, but he reversed the trend in his last outing and has demonstrated elite control throughout.
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Now here's a two-start pitcher with actual good matchups, and that's my main reason for recommending Chad Patrick, who's gotten a healthy dose of regression in his past two starts. But his overall numbers are still solid, and again, he might be facing the two worst lineups in baseball.
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With another gem against the Astros on Saturday, Jose Soriano has now thrown three in a row, including two with double-digit strikeouts. The stuff has always measured up, accounting for the highest ground-ball rate among qualifiers, but improved strike-throwing has allowed it to play up recently, which will hopefully continue against a middling Nationals lineup this week.
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Michael Wacha just threw a gem against the Rangers on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits over six innings, and while the Rays are far superior offensively, the fact he'll be facing them in Kansas City is enough to sell me on him. The right-hander has a 2.58 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 7.7 K/9 at home compared to 4.41, 1.33, and 5.5 on the road.
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Hayden Birdsong's transition to the starting rotation has been largely successful, with a couple notable misfires, and he appears to be fully stretched out now. He's a good bet to pick up a win against a last-place Marlins team this week.
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Eduardo Rodriguez has looked OK in his past three turns, putting together a 2.81 ERA, but there have been too many baserunners and not enough strikeouts. The matchups are so inviting here, though, that he's worth a roll of the dice in a points league, where the downside risk is generally less.
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What goes for Eduardo Rodriguez also goes for Justin Verlander, whose first start back from a pectoral strain last time out was less than stellar but revealed his stuff to be right where he left it. He actually has the same two matchups as Rodriguez, just in the reverse order.
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Ben Brown has shown himself to be a good bat-misser in recent turns, but his two-pitch arsenal and comes-and-goes control have made overall consistency an issue. It's why he's probably better left for points leagues with his two starts, particularly since neither matchup is especially favorable.
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Will Warren recently had an 11-strikeout effort that seemed like only a matter of time given how well his fastball and sweeper rate, and he followed it up with another strong 6 1/3 innings against the Orioles. The Athletics don't make for the most inviting matchup, though one of his best outings of the season came against them on May 9.
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