With the home stretch rapidly approaching, and less than two months remaining in the regular season, identifying impact fantasy contributors becomes even more critical. This latest edition of the Rotoworld Fantasy Baseball Waiver column identifies three pitchers, including a pair of intriguing pitching prospects, that are poised to make an impact for fantasy managers over the next few weeks.
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Hayden Birdsong, SP, Giants
Available in 51 percent of Yahoo! leagues
On the heels of a pair of dominant performances against the Rockies, split between Coors Field and Oracle Park, Birdsong draws the starting assignment for Tuesday’s showdown against the rebuilding Nationals in yet another extremely favorable matchup. The hard-throwing 22-year-old rookie right-hander has posted a stellar 2.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 38/15 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings (six starts) since getting a shot in the majors back in late June. The control remains a work in progress, but he’s shown an ability so far at least to consistently miss bats at the highest level with a 30 percent strikeout rate. That potent swing-and-miss stuff, paired with some favorable potential upcoming potential matchups against the Tigers, Braves, Athletics and White Sox, have Birdsong poised to make a real fantasy impact over the next few weeks. At a bare minimum, he’s worthy of a tentative roster spot in all fantasy formats as a viable streaming option when the Giants have him take the ball.
David Festa, SP, Twins
Available in 91 percent of Yahoo! leagues
We covered Festa extensively in this space last week, but his latest performance on Monday night against the Cubs at Wrigley Field where he piled up nine strikeouts and scattered four baserunners over five shutout innings, earns him another mention as a worthwhile addition for fantasy managers, even in shallow mixed leagues. The fact that Minnesota didn’t go out and bolster their starting pitching mix at the trade deadline speaks volumes about their confidence in the 24-year-old top pitching prospect’s ability to hold down a rotation spot for the last few weeks of the year in the middle of a playoff push. Per Statcast data, he gets a ton of extension, which allows his stuff to play up, and he’s reeled off three consecutive strong outings since last month’s All-Star break, allowing two earned runs or fewer during that span, after a pair of rocky outings to open his career. He’s not working deep into games at the moment, but he’s still missing a ton of bats, and is worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats when he squares off against the Guardians and Rangers in his next two outings.
Tyler Mahle, SP, Rangers
Available in 84 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Mahle will make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Astros after wrapping up his lengthy rehabilitation process from last year’s Tommy John surgery with a series of minor league rehab outings. The 29-year-old right-hander has always shown an ability to consistently miss bats, which gives him immediate fantasy relevance. It’s not an easy landing spot right out of the gate, but Mahle is a worthwhile addition for fantasy managers, even in shallow mixed leagues, based on his career track record. We’re not entirely sure how the stuff is going to look right away, but he posted an 18/4 K/BB ratio across 18 innings (six starts) on his recent minor league rehab assignment. We’re not forecasting upper-echelon ratios or stratospheric strikeout totals, but Mahle projects as an immediate impact contributor for fantasy managers with very few question marks, which matters at this time of the year.