Working the Waiver Wire: May 12th

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  • By Anthony Kates

    Last Updated on May 12, 2025 3:23 am by Anthony Kates | Published: May 12, 2025

    Welcome to Monday, May 12th, the kickoff for the seventh week of the fantasy baseball season. Finding impact players on the waiver wire has become more and more difficult with all of the information available to all players at all times, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Today, I have a few older arms that are pitching well but might be overlooked because they are on the wrong side of 30 and a recently called up power-hitting prospect with a wide open path to playing time.

    Tomoyuki Sugano – SP – Orioles – 34% rostered (Yahoo)

    When Sugano made the decision to make the leap to the major leagues at the ripe young age of 35, most fantasy players took notice and then went looking for the next hot prospect or young fireballer instead.

    After Sugano’s first three starts, it was tough not to acknowledge the fact that he had not performed well whatsoever (14 innings pitcher, 6 earned runs, 5 walks and 5 strikeouts, with 2 home runs allowed) and looked to be a weak link in what should have been a very good and potentially deep Orioles rotation.  One month and five starts later and Sugano looks like the best, healthy arm on the team (besides “King” Felix Bautista). In his last five starts, he has pitched at least five innings, allowed three earned runs or less in all five, walked only three batters and struck out 21, while allowing five home runs. He had quality starts against the Angels, Yankees, Royals and Nationals, limiting hard hits, with just a 34.4% rate, inducing ground balls 47.9% of the time, with a line drive rate of just 15.6%.

    Obviously the low strikeout rate and the home run rate are a little bit alarming, but if Sugano continues to limit hard hits, force ground balls, get batters to chase pitches out of the zone (32.9% rate), with his command and control, he can limit damage and have himself a Jameson Taillon or peak-Kyle Hendricks type of season. And that is a valuable type of pitcher to have as your sixth or seventh arm and especially valuable when it comes at the steep cost of dropping your worst arm to pick him up off the waiver wire.

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    May 12, 2025, 3:23 am

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