Fantasy Baseball 2012: Emergency Waiver-Wire Pitcher for May 23

Mixed-league roto owners, are you in need of a waiver-wire pitcher before Wednesday's slate of games?

Here's my free-agent choice (from the majority of 12-team leagues) for one day of fantasy stardom.

Jarrod Parker, Oakland A's (vs. Angels)

1. In four of his five starts, Parker (1-2, 3.90 ERA) has allowed just two or less runs. (The fifth outing was a clunker against the Giants, but we're not going to overreact to that.)

2. In 366.1 innings of minor league work (as a Diamondbacks farmhand), Parker had a 29-19 record, 3.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 345/132 K-BB ratio. He projects as a solid No. 2 starter in the big leagues.

3. A highly touted player a few years ago (before injury), the 23-year-old Parker was still the No. 4 prospect for the Diamondbacks last winter (according to Baseball America), prior to his trade to Oakland.

4. In 21 home games this season, the A's pitchers have collective marks of a 3.01 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Regarding Parker, he boasts a 2.37 ERA in three home outings.

5. The waiver-wire slate for Wednesday isn't that deep; and to be honest, I should be riding Minnesota's Scott Diamond, who's on a tremendous roll. But when in doubt, go with the fire-balling rookie who's pitching in a spacious, pitcher-friendly ballpark.

The Next Five for Wednesday

1. Scott Diamond (Twins) at White Sox—The 25-year-old pitcher is off to an amazing start for Minnesota—3-0, 1.40 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in three starts.

2. Marco Estrada (Brewers) vs. Giants—Pencil him in for seven strikeouts against San Francisco. He's a decent No. 6 starter in 12-team leagues.

3. Jake Arrieta (Orioles) vs. Red Sox—I wanted to feature Arrieta in this segment, but he hasn't posted stellar back-to-back fantasy outings all season.

4. Kevin Millwood (Mariners) vs. Rangers—An all-or-nothing proposition this season, Millwood has allowed one or less runs in four starts—and four or more in the other four outings.

5. Bronson Arroyo (Reds) vs. Braves—He's been good in spots this year, but I'd like to see more consistency (on the high side) with strikeouts.

A Look Back

Tuesday's Selection: Dodgers pitcher Aaron Harang.

Final Tally: 4.1 innings, nine hits, five runs allowed, six strikeouts and zero walks.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.