Welcome to Pickup of the Day, where every weekday we’ll pick an under-the-radar player whose immediate value is on the rise. The idea here is to identify a starter who can give you some solid innings off the scrap heap, a talented backup who’s been given a chance because of a starter’s injury, an unheralded regular with a favorable matchup, or a potential breakout player who’s starting to put it together. Unlike regular waiver-wire advice, Pickup of the Day is geared more towards interim success, but hopefully we’ll have the intuition to help you snag a waiver-wire gem a few times this season.
Juan Nicasio was terrific in his Pirates debut Wednesday night against the Cardinals, yielding just two hits over six innings of one-run ball as the Bucs finished off a rare series sweep of their division rival. Nicasio walked none and struck out seven, needing only 84 pitches to get through six innings of work. The right-hander probably could have pitched an inning or two deeper into the eventual 5-1 win, but Pirates manager Clint Hurdle opted to pinch-hit Sean Rodriguez in the bottom of the sixth following a Jordy Mercer leadoff walk and Rodriguez came through with an RBI double that gave the Bucs an insurance run. Nicasio has always possessed a nasty arsenal and it seems Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage has already helped the 29-year-old iron out some of the command issues that plagued him in the past. Nicasio registered a 24/5 K/BB ratio over 15 scoreless innings this spring in the Grapefruit League. And yet his average draft position (ADP) in Yahoo leagues was 242.6.
