We’re entering the fourth week of the 2024 fantasy baseball season, a year that thus far has been turbulent when it comes to pitching. With Week 4 of the 2024 fantasy baseball season set to begin, here’s a look at five pitchers to target.
Graham Ashcraft
We start our Week 4 fantasy waiver wire pitching targets list with a name we took note of last season: Graham Ashcraft. Ashcraft became a true fantasy option during the second half of 2023 when the hard-throwing righty posted a 2.81 ERA over 64 second-half innings and he’s off to a decent start in 2024.
No, the ERA isn’t great, as Ashcraft owns a 5.24 ERA thanks to two five-earned run outings this season. However, the righty — who owns one of the game’s hardest cutters to go along with a good slider and sinker — has a 29.8% Whiff% in 2024, seven points better than in 2023. On a good Reds team, Ashcraft is someone to watch.
Reese Olson
Tigers starter Reese Olson doesn’t have a win yet in 2024. However, it’s nonetheless been a strong start for the second-year righty. Olson, despite a poor Hard Hit% of 52.1%, struck out 18 over 21.1 IP and has above-average Chase% and Whiff% numbers.
Olson doesn’t possess an elite four-seamer (Whiff% of 3.2%), nor a sinker. However, both play well off the slider and changeup, pitches that have worked well for him this season. The Tigers righty had a 57.6% Whiff% rate off the changeup over his first four starts and a 42.9% Whiff% on the slider. Olson should retain good fantasy value if the 24-year-old can stay close to those numbers.
Chris Paddack
Twins starter Chris Paddack got hit around on April 16 against the Orioles, as the righty gave up nine earned runs and 12 hits over 5.1 IP. It was Paddack’s worst outing in three years but the good news is that the Twins righty is slated to get the White Sox at home on April 22.
Chicago, who came into play on April 21 with a 3-17 record, owns the league’s worst team wOBA (.255). Paddack isn’t a bad option for those needing a spot starter this week.
Yariel Rodriguez
Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez has yet to get past five innings in a starter — but he’s been awfully impressive to start his MLB career. Rodriguez struck out 13 over 7.2 IP, highlighted by a seven-strikeout performance on April 19 against the Padres.
Command was and remains a concern for Rodriguez. The 27-year-old walked three batters over those 7.2 IP and he’s yielded two home runs off his slider. There’s also the innings limit conundrum. Still, Rodriguez can be a tempting strikeout pitcher, particularly for those in AL-only formats.
Clarke Schmidt
With Gerrit Cole out, the Yankees needed their other starters to step up. Clarke Schmidt started 2024 in the Yankees rotation and to this point, has been effective. Schmidt owns a 3.15 ERA after his first four starts and his seven-strikeout outing on April 19 gave him 23 over 20 innings pitched.
Schmidt relied on a steady diet of cutters, a key piece to why he’s succeeded. The 28-year-old saw opposing left-handed hitters post an OPS of .875 off him last year — but just a .706 OPS in 2024. That could be attributed in part to the cutter, as left-handed hitters are batting just .133 off the cutter.