Daniel Mengden

Mengden will be a part of Oakland's rotation in 2018. He bounced back nicely in limited time in 2017 after his rough 2016 debut. He takes advantage of a big home park as a flyball pitcher, and while he still gives up homers, he limits the damage by being very stingy with his walks. Mengden was terrific against righties at the big-league level in his seven starts last year, holding them to a .182/.253/.307 slash line after a .237/.305/.385 line against them in Triple-A. His strikeout rate makes him tough to roster in shallower formats simply because the ratios are not good enough to offset the lack of strikeouts, but it does not mean he can't be rostered in reserves for depth and favorable two-start weeks. In AL-only leagues, he is a good fourth starter option assuming the rest of your staff can pick up the slack in strikeouts.

His twisting, rocking, winding and waiting delivery adds flair and effectiveness to an intriguing but possibly bland makeup. Sadly, his Rollie Fingers-esque mustache alone can't stymie hitters, no matter how gloriously it rests on his face. One of the many bodies in a parade of Oakland filler starting pitchers from 2016, Mengden sports a career 2.78 ERA in the minor leagues, but his novelty didn't carry him in 14 MLB starts. His 98.1 innings above High-A all came last year; the impending 24-year-old needs more polish before earning a significant role. Sometimes, however, a deceptive quick windup can speed up the transition from prospect to useful major leaguer. Fantasy players often flock to A's starting pitchers -- at least for home matchup plays, possibly more if they can sustain success. Mengden has posted an 8.0 K/9 or better at all pro levels he's visited, but he'll need to show more command of the strike zone before he outright earns a rotation spot.

Mengden is a right-handed starting pitcher acquired by the A's from the Astros in the trade deadline deal for Scott Kazmir. Mengden compiled a pedestrian 4.13 ERA in 130.2 innings in 2015 in Single-A, but did manage to strike out nearly a batter per inning with only 2.5 BB/9. The former 4th round pick sits in the low 90's with his fastball with a deceptive delivery, but scouting reports lament the lack of a real out pitch among his off-speed repertoire. He appears to be a guy who could be a back-end rotation guy or maybe a valuable middle reliever out of the pen. Oh, and he has an awesome moustache.