If you take out two innings against the Nationals, Adam Conley looks like a star in the making. The 25-year-old has racked up big strikeout numbers in his first three starts -- one of which was shortened by rain after just one frame -- but has been tagged for seven runs in his first and last innings against the Nationals so far. In between? He's been untouchable.
Conley's overall line from Tuesday's start really doesn't look great, as he was charged with four runs in 6 2/3 innings. However, he started the game with six shutout innings during which he struck out eight, bringing his season total to 19 in just 13 2/3 innings of work. He fell apart in the seventh, despite throwing fewer than 100 pitches overall, but it's not hard to come away very impressed by what he did Tuesday and has done overall.
Conley racked up 14 swinging strikes Tuesday, after finishing with 13 in his first full start. And he showed an expanded repertoire against the Nationals, tossing his changeup 20 times on 95 pitches. He racked up six swinging strikes with that pitch and five on 14 sliders, a sign that he might have three useful pitches, a good sign for his chances of sustaining success as a starter.
Conley is owned in 65 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, and may go a bit under the radar in the next waiver-wire run because of his mid-4.00's ERA. However, he has pitched better than the numbers look, and his upside still looks higher than anyone expected before the spring. Conley is opening eyes, and is someone you want on your Fantasy roster for upside alone.
Hector Santiago, SP, Angels (54 percent owned)
Hector Santiago isn't a pitcher who generates a ton of excitement, but his track record is actually pretty solid. The 28-year-old has never posted a full-season ERA above 3.75, and has posted decent strikeout rates as a starter. However, his peripherals aren't great (4.51 career FIP), because he doesn't have great control and gives up a ton of fly balls. The component parts add up to a mediocre pitchers, but he's managed to put together an ERA a full run below his FIP over the course of 553 1/3 innings, so there might be something there. More importantly, in the early going, we're seeing some of the troubling component parts actually improving; Santiago is generating more groundballs, walking fewer batters and striking out more than ever before. It's a tiny sample size, to be sure, but it's worth noting that his average fastball velocity is up nearly two mph, and more than a full mph from last April. The sample size is small enough to be skeptical, but if you're looking for pitching on the wire, he's not the worst option in the world.
Tony Cingrani, RP, Reds (9 percent owned)
Tony Cingrani's approach to pitching always seemed like it would inevitably lead him to the bullpen. Even when he was working as a starter, Cingrani was one of the most fastball-dependent pitchers in baseball, tossing them 75 percent of the time in low years. He had a slider and a show-me changeup, but these secondary offerings weren't really enough to help him stick as a starter. The bullpen might be a different story, because Cingrani can go max-effort and dial up his fastball to the mid-90's, with the slider as his primary secondary offering. Control has been an issue for him this season (five walks in 5 2/3 innings), but Cingrani does have seven strikeouts and a 12.7 percent swinging strike rate, a sign that the stuff may be playing up in shorter outings. Cingrani has a chance for some saves moving forward, as manager Bryan Price told reporters he isn't sure J.J. Hoover will remain in the role. Cingrani's lack of control is an issue in the ninth, but if he can iron that out, there's a chance he could be a solid option out of the 'pen. With how desperate people get for saves on the wire, it's worth taking a flier.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Tigers (36 percent owned)
At this point a year ago, Jarrod Saltalamacchia looked pretty cooked. The notoriously spendthrift Marlins were a few days away from paying him several million dollars for that year and this year to go away for good, as the switch-hitting catcher was hitting just .069/.182/.207 in his first 33 plate appearances of the season. However, he caught on with the Diamondbacks and started to hit again, posting a .251/.332/.474 line in 194 plate appearances to close out the season, and has picked up where he left off to start this season. Actually, he's more than picked up on it -- Saltalamacchia is putting together one of the best stretches of his career. Salatalamacchia is tied for the American League lead in home runs with five and leads with 14 RBI. With James McCann on the disabled list, Saltalamacchia has started seven of the team's last eight games, and should be added for a nice power boost at the catcher position, even if this recent stretch is more than likely nothing more than a hot streak. At the very least, Saltalamacchia is a proven hitter vs. RHP, and should be useful against most pitchers as a result.
