After he threw five shutout innings against the Mariners in a spot start Wednesday, I wrote that Drew Pomeranz was worth a speculative stash in case the Athletics chose to make him a permanent member of their starting rotation down the line. Little did I know it was already in the works.
Now that he has a spot to call his own with the demotion of Dan Straily, Pomeranz is more than just a speculative stash. He needs to be owned in all leagues, as Jon Heyman and I discussed on Monday's Fantasy Baseball Today.
It's not quite the same as a top prospect ascending to the role -- Pomeranz exhausted his rookie eligility years ago -- but given his upside, it's deserving of that kind of hype. As I mentioned before, he was the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft -- a prospect so highly regarded that when the Indians traded him along three others for Ubaldo Jimenez in 2011, most pundits believed they had given up too much.
Pomeranz couldn't make it in Colorado, as is the case for most pitchers who attempt it, but the Athletics seem to have gotten him back on track. If that's the case, he could be instrumental for your Fantasy team down the stretch.