Welcome to Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best available players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options, and we’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites, and let you know which players to add and which players you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Blaze Alexander, INF (BAL) — 9% Rostership
Alexander is slashing .312/.368/.439 with a 128 wRC+ through 82 games this season, but it’s been his recent production that’s skyrocketed his fantasy stock. In the month of July, Alexander has destroyed opposing pitching staffs, slashing .375/.429/.531 with a 173 wRC+. Best of all? The expected numbers indicate he’s been better. The .395 xBA, .607 xSLG, and .454 xwOBA are fueled by a 94.4 EV (2nd best in the American League since 7/1) and diabolical 60% hard-hit rate. A sub-10% roster rate is disrespectful… I expect that number to skyrocket by this time next week.
Esmerlyn Valdez, OF (PIT) — 61% Rostership
Valdez should be taken off the board in your league, but if he isn’t, you should capitalize on that opportunity immediately. The whiff% concerns are pretty significant, but in a categories league that means nothing. The 22-year-old is slashing .309/.371/.713 (!!) with a 186 wRC+ and a whopping 10 home runs through 105 plate appearances. You simply can’t argue with that slug.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, INF (ATH) — 4% Rostership
JKG is a pure hitting machine and he’s showcased that over a small sample size since he was promoted to the majors. Over 13 games, the 23-year-old is slashing .429/.440/.551 with a 179 wRC+. He’s tallied hits in four consecutive games and even has extra-base hits in three straight. Really intriguing buy low option to add.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Brandon Pfaadt owns a 1.72 ERA over his last three starts and is a very safe bet. You know you’re getting an arm that will go 5+ innings and while he may not light up the box score in terms of run prevention or big whiff totals, he’s a quality option to eat innings thanks to a curveball/sweeper duo that’s posted sub-.200 xBAs and whiff rates north of 30% this season.
If you like looking into ultra-small sample sizes, Tim Tawa might be for you. He hasn’t been good this year nor do I expect him to turn things around instantly, but the 27-year-old is entering play today boasting a four-game hit streak where he’s racked up 9 total knocks, including 3 home runs.
Shane Drohan is such a fascinating add. The 27-year-old is the second-fastest arm to two-strikes this season (h/t my buddy over at PTET). He owns a 3.09 ERA/3.24 FIP through 70 innings and has looked stellar over his last month of action, turning in 2.30 ERA while going 5+ innings in four of his last five starts.
Jared Jones is an easy add. The 24-year-old flamethrower is back to balling, turning in a 2.55 ERA/2.31 FIP over his last four starts, showcasing a four-seamer that has SAT around 99 mph this season. That pitch has fueled a 24.2% K-BB rate and .115 BAA over the last month.
Curtis Mead is another player that has been scorching baseballs left and right throughout the month of July, slashing .439/.500/.829 (!!) with a 258 wRC+. His .390 ISO is video game-esque and this is a must-add target in all of your leagues.
Streaming Pitchers
Our guy Nick Pollack does a fantastic job at highlighting and ranking starting pitcher streaming options… check out his list here!
Sean Burke, RHP (CWS) — 71% Rostership
Burke has yet to walk a batter this month while sporting an incredible 41.7% strikeout rate through 13 innings. The results over his last four starts have been pretty remarkable:
| ERA | WHIP | K-BB% | BAA | SIERA |
| 1.69 | 0.97 | 30.3% | .226 | 2.38 |
Joey Cantillo, LHP (CLE) — 60% Rostership
Cantillo has been a superb streaming option since he’s effectively increased his curveball usage over the past two months. As the lead offering this month (38% usage), his curveball has turned in a .124 xBA, .250 xwOBA, and 47% whiff rate. His changeup (55% whiff rate) is still disgusting and the four-seamer has also seen an increased in effectiveness (.241 xwOBA compared to a .410 mark last month).
