Athletics: Andrew Triggs a Deep Waiver Wire Add Moving Forward?

Andrew Triggs has been lights out so far this season for the Athletics. But, can fantasy owners trust him as a waiver wire add moving forward in 2017?

The Athletics have plenty of young and talented arms in their rotation, but how many fantasy owners could have guessed that Andrew Triggs would be performing the best out of the bunch so far?

The season is still in its infancy, but Triggs has not surrendered a run over his two starts and has notched wins in both outings. The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Orioles in 2015 and found his success mostly out of A’s the bullpen before this season.

Triggs had a rough spring and the Athletics seemed to be auditioning multiple players in spring training for the last rotation spots. But, since the games started to count, Triggs is one of the best surprises so far for the club.

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Most fantasy owners paid no mind to Triggs entering the season and rightly so, he simply just did not warrant the fantasy attention. However, that narrative is changing.

Triggs does not have overpowering stuff. His fastball/sinker tops out around 90 mph, while he complements it with an 80 mph change and 74 mph slider. He only has four strikeouts on the season, which is clearly low. But, the key to his success is keeping the ball on the ground.

Last season, over his 56 innings out of the bullpen, he was able to post a 51% GB rate while keeping his FB rate at 26%. This season, he has limited his LD rate to a paltry 13% while posting a 51% GB rate. He is still forcing the same weak contact rates that we saw last season.

His first two starts of 2017 came against the Royals and Angels. Neither are offensive juggernauts, but the results are hard to argue against. The lack of a solid K% hinders his fantasy value and no one will argue that. In 2016, he was able a 8 K/9 out of the bullpen, so while that number is inflated some by the limited inning totals, he should not have an issue getting near the 5 K/9 mark as a starter.

His next start will be his toughest test to date as he will get the Rangers offense in Oakland on April 17. Fantasy owners could wait and see what he does against a stacked lineup before adding him off the waiver wire, but for those in deeper leagues, there is enough here to like as a streaming option or SP5.

Triggs knows that he is not going to blow the ball past anyone, but he knows that pitching to contact can work while playing at the Coliseum. The K numbers will surely rise, he is not going to strike out 10 a game, but he has the ability to sit in the 4-7 K range which is fine for a waiver wire add.

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Whether you add him or not, keep an eye on Andrew Triggs as he could shape up to be a waiver wire gem.

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