Fantasy Baseball Week 15 Preview: Top 10 sleeper pitchers include Jacob Lopez, Ryne Nelson
Most of this week's selection is for emergencies only
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 15 (June 30-July 6)
Jacob Lopez has been a pleasant surprise so far with three nine-strikeout efforts in his past five and a combined one earned run allowed in his past four. While it's reasonable to wonder if it's a gimmick -- the result of him presenting an unusual look from the left side rather than having quality stuff -- it's also reasonable to predict it'll continue for a couple more starts, even with iffy matchups.
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For whatever reason, hitters have a heck of a time squaring up Ryne Nelson's four-seamer, and the more he throws it (generally upward of 60 percent), the better things seem to go. This was true last year, when he had a 3.05 ERA in his final 14 appearances, and it's been true since he rejoined the rotation this year, resulting in a 2.62 ERA over his past seven appearances. He's worth a look with two starts.
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Dustin May has been less than dominant this year but has worked six-plus innings with greater consistency than you might expect for someone with his injury history. Against a lineup like the White Sox, a quality start is a fairly safe assumption.
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The Royals have had such a miserable run offensively that they've fallen into dead last in runs scored, making them a prime choice to stream against. Eduardo Rodriguez has a little bit of cachet right now, too. We went into his Sunday start having recorded double-digit strikeouts last time out and having compiled a 2.05 ERA in his four starts back from a shoulder issue.
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Will Warren has had some big strikeout efforts lately and is looking more viable after consecutive starts of six-plus innings, followed by five shutout innings against the Athletics over the weekend. The Blue Jays are a middling matchup, but given the impressive attributes on both his fastball and sweeper, "middling" may be favorable enough.
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I had hoped for better in Max Scherzer's return to the mound Wednesday, but nothing from that outing would preclude me from using him in a two-start week either. The matchups could be better, but the Angels are the league's second-most strikeout-prone team, if nothing else.
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Those who listen to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast will know I'm bearish on Edward Cabrera, but you won't get to 10 sleepers every week if you only consider the pitchers who you genuinely like. Cabrera indeed has a 2.36 ERA over his past nine starts, short though they may have been, and his two matchups this week aren't so bad.
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Clayton Kershaw just turned in a quality start Thursday, giving him two in his past four, but judging by his pitch counts, it takes remarkable efficiency to get him there. The White Sox lineup is the sort that could oblige, but I wouldn't place a ton of value on Kershaw beyond Week 15.
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Chad Patrick got plenty of strikeouts against the Pirates and Rockies in a two-start week, and now he's facing the Marlins, another bad (but not as bad) offensive team. His ERA has been rising, but so as his swinging-strike rate, which is reason for optimism.
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Andre Pallante isn't a great pitcher overall, but he's one of the best at generating ground balls, which means he generally avoids blow-up starts. There isn't much risk to using him against a team like the Pirates, in other words, and there's a decent chance he'll turn in a quality start.
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