Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best 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 you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Gage Jump (ATH) – SP (Yahoo! – 17%)
Jump deserves a write-up even if it’s not his time quite yet. His debut last night didn’t go according to plan, though there was a lot to like.
Jump is one of the most exciting left-handed pitching prospects out there. He boasts an excellent 96-mph fastball and a plus-slider with a respectable curveball and splitter. That velocity from a southpaw is all it takes to be a serviceable starter, and the fact that he has good to great off-speed options could push him into SP1/2 territory someday.
At Triple-A this year, Jump held a 4.50 ERA. The 23-year-old is certainly not a finished product, and we saw further evidence of that in his first MLB start. He allowed four runs and gave up nine hits over five innings. There was plenty to like, however, as he notched five strikeouts along the way. He earned whiffs on his fastball, slider, sweeper, and changeup.
It’s rare that debuts go smoothly, and limiting the damage in a hitter’s ballpark like Sacramento says to me that there are better days ahead for Jump. His velocity and pitch mix suggest that he could be fantastic, and it might not take many more starts before it clicks. This is a high-risk, high-reward play, but it’s worth making in leagues of all sizes.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Gage Jump got a full write-up above.
The rest of our most-added players were streaming plays. Eric Lauer earned a convincing win over the Rockies in his first start with the Dodgers. Maybe they unlock something, but he didn’t look too impressive in this one despite the result.
Cade Cavalli was excellent against the Guardians, with seven strikeouts and one earned run in six innings. He earned 13 whiffs in this one, with five on the fastball, which is an encouraging sign.
Joey Cantillo didn’t make it to the third inning in this one. The four walks weren’t great either, and he’s got the Yankees coming up. Let’s hope this was a stumble, but I’m not starting him against the Yankees in his next start.
Eduardo Rodriguez worked another good start. Oracle certainly helped him out here, but he’s worth turning to as long as he’s productive.
ESPN
Gage Jump got a full write-up above. Check out the Yahoo! section above for info on Eduardo Rodriguez and Cade Cavalli.
Kyle Harrison has been fantastic. He should be rostered in every single league.
Casey Schmitt is in the midst of an excellent post-hype breakout season. He’s not a perfect player, and he’s held back by his home ballpark, but he’s proven himself to be a worthy add for anyone in search of some power.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for a complete breakdown of every start over the next few days.
Tomorrow (Thursday): Colin Rea (12%) is likely your best option for Thursday’s short slate. He’s a streamer against a streamable offense in the Pirates.
