At this time of year it may seem as if the waiver wire is bare bones, filled only with guys who rarely see the field and pitchers who could give Barry Zito a run for the title of 'Worst Pitcher in Baseball'.
But don't fret my fantasy friends, because I have spent an inordinate amount of time with my statistician Min Joon Kim poring over rosters and statistics to help you find that pitcher nobody in your league has even noticed yet despite a string of dominating performances lately.
His name, you ask?
Mike Pelfrey, NYM SP
If you looked only at Pelfrey's season statistics to date, you'd probably say I'm crazy.
7-6, 3.93 ERA, 59 K, 1.53 WHIP
But what you're going to learn sooner or later that it's not the total body of work, but instead how a guy like Pelfrey has performed as of late.
Pelfrey has won his past five consecutive starts and is a big reason why the Mets are in the midst of a surge just before the All-Star break. And those wins weren't against below average teams mind you. In order, he's knocked down the Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants.
Alright, I'll concede the point that the Giants are in fact terrible. But go back six starts and you'll see that Pelfrey pitched a gem against the Arizona Diamondbacks (8 IP, ER, 8 K).
Pelfrey's strikeout totals have started to rise as well, averaging five strikeouts over his past four starts. Add into the fact that the Mets are starting to play up to potential and we could see Pelfrey continue to pick up wins in a more consistent fashion.
Fantasy Factor recommendation: Don't drop a stud or solid pitcher for him, but if you're in need of starter help, pick him up immediately.
Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of 
Matthew Olsen is the co-founder of 
Leave a comment