X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Sneaky Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Buys (Week 18): Hot Pitchers to Sustain Success?

Drew Thorpe - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Mike looks at five sneaky fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers in Week 18 (2024) who are on hot streaks and sees if they can sustain their success.

Finding viable starting pitching options on the waiver wire isn’t easy, especially in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. Injuries haven’t helped things, thinning the pool of viable targets.

As managers make a push for a fantasy title, streaming the right pitchers down the stretch could be key. Are Drew Thorpe, Luis L. Ortiz, Andrew Heaney, Kyle Freeland, and JP Sears just viable streaming options, or could any of them be worth rostering for the entirety of the stretch run?

Let’s dig into the stats for these five starters and discuss if they can sustain their current level of success. All roster percentages are via Yahoo.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Drew Thorpe, Chicago White Sox (31% rostered)

Thorpe had one bad start against the Diamondbacks in which he gave up eight runs (seven earned) over 3.1 innings. He has given up two or fewer runs in each of his other six outings. What’s equally as impressive is that he has logged at least six innings in each of his last five starts.

Thorpe has been pretty lucky with his .164 BABIP allowed, a mark that is not sustainable. He also has just a 15.4% strikeout rate to go along with his 10.9% walk rate. Four of his starts have come against the Mariners, Tigers, Rockies, and Marlins, each of which ranks inside the bottom half of baseball in runs scored. Thorpe is a viable streaming option, but his low strikeout rate and the high likelihood that his BABIP will rise don’t make him a must-roster player.

 

Luis L. Ortiz, Pittsburgh Pirates (30% rostered)

Ortiz was a disaster last season with his 4.78 ERA and 5.57 FIP. That makes his 2.57 ERA and 3.09 FIP this year even more surprising. While he has spent the bulk of the time coming out of the bullpen for the Pirates, he has started in four of his last five outings. Over those four starts, he allowed two runs and recorded 19 strikeouts across 24.2 innings.

Ortiz has shown a significant improvement in his command this season, dropping his walk rate to 7.0% after posting a 12.0% rate last year. He has also given up just three home runs over his 73.2 innings. A key difference for him has been the use of his cutter. After barely throwing the pitch last year, he has thrown it 20.2% of the time this year. Opponents only have a .260 wOBA against his cutter.

As impressive as Ortiz has been, he has just a 19.7% strikeout rate. He’s a viable streaming option in 12-team leagues when he has a favorable matchup, but he shouldn’t be considered as anything more than that.

 

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers (26% rostered)

Heaney has logged at least five innings and allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last five starts. During that span, he recorded 30 strikeouts across 27.1 innings. Making those stats even more impressive is that two of those five outings came against one of the better-hitting teams in baseball, the Orioles.

While Heaney has been good lately, he has a 4.39 ERA and a 4.38 FIP for his career. He can have control issues and he has just a 23.5% strikeout rate this season. There isn’t much upside that comes with rostering him, so only stream him when he has a significant matchup advantage.

 

Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies (11% rostered)

Freeland has been locked-in since returning from the injured list, posting five straight quality starts. During that span, he had a 1.05 WHIP. Three of those starts even came at Coors Field, making his recent success even more noteworthy.

Even with Freeland looking so impressive since his return from injury, it’s difficult to get excited about a pitcher with a career 1.42 WHIP who played his home games at Coors Field. He still has an overall WHIP of 1.54 for this season. He would have to have a significant matchup advantage to even consider streaming him in most leagues.

 

JP Sears, Oakland Athletics (10% rostered)

Sears has logged at least five innings and allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last four starts. He also recorded 24 strikeouts over 22.1 innings during that span. That’s not the norm for him, given that he only has a 17.6% strikeout rate this year. For his career, he has a 19.8% strikeout rate.

Even with his recent hot streak, Sears has a 4.49 ERA and a 4.78 FIP for the season. He has given up 1.5 HR/9 for his career and has a modest career 1.27 WHIP. He can be useful as a streamer, especially when he starts at his pitcher-friendly home park. However, be wary of him when he doesn’t have a matchup in his favor or when he faces teams that hit a lot of home runs.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
J.J. Wetherholt

Absent From Lineup All Week
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Jac Caglianone

Roams Right Field At Double-A On Thursday
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
Sebastian Walcott

Smacks Second Home Run Of 2025
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Kenley Jansen

Records His Sixth Save Of The Season
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Miguel Vargas

Homers Against The Twins On Thursday
Hunter Goodman

Delivers In Game 1 On Thursday With Two Hits
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Christopher Morel

Home Run Seals Victory For Rays
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Zach Neto

Hits Go-Ahead Home Run On Thursday
Yandy Díaz

Yandy Diaz Tallies Three Hits In Win Against Arizona
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Pete Fairbanks

Picks Up Fourth Save On Thursday
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Picks Up Save On Thursday
Corbin Burnes

Picks Up Eight Strikeouts In Thursday's Start
MacKenzie Gore

Strikes Out Eight In Loss On Thursday
Cade Povich

Picks Up Win On Thursday
Bobby Witt Jr.

Scores Three Runs, Steals A Base On Thursday
Alex Bregman

Homers In Loss To Seattle
Mike Yastrzemski

Homers, Drives In Two On Thursday
Salvador Perez

Notches Four Doubles, Four RBI In Thursday's Doubleheader
Jordan Beck

Homers Three Times On Thursday
Jameson Williams

Lions Didn't Entertain Trade Offers For Jameson Williams
Dalton Rushing

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Qadir Ismail

Raiders Sign Qadir Ismail
New York Giants

Giants Plan To Exercise Kayvon Thibodeaux's Fifth-Year Option
Russell Wilson

Will Be Giants Starting Quarterback
Max Muncy

With A Pair Of Doubles Back At Triple-A
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Close Out The First Round With Josh Simmons
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up One Spot In First Round To Select Jihaad Campbell
Buffalo Bills

Bills Address Secondary And Take Maxwell Hairston With 30th Overall Pick
NFL

Eagles, Chiefs Swap First-Round Picks
Washington Commanders

Josh Conerly Jr. Goes At No. 29 Overall To Commanders
Jaxson Dart

Giants Trade Up For Jaxson Dart At No. 25
Detroit Lions

Tyleik Williams Taken By Lions At No. 28 Overall
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Go With Malaki Starks At No. 27 Overall In NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Takes Donovan Jackson No. 24 Overall
NFL

Rams Trade The 26th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Trade Back Into First Round To Draft James Pearce Jr. At No. 26 Overall
Matthew Golden

Selected No. 23 Overall By Green Bay
NFL

Texans Trade The 25th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Giants
Omarion Hampton

Taken No. 22 Overall By Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Selects Derrick Harmon At No. 21 Overall
Denver Broncos

Broncos Build Secondary By Selecting Jahdae Barron At No. 20
Emeka Egbuka

Buccaneers Add Emeka Egbuka At No. 19
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Isaiah Stewart

Remains Out For Game 3
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF