Sneaky Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups, Buys: Week 12 - Hot Pitchers To Sustain Success?

June 16, 2026

Andy looks at four sneaky fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers in Week 12 (2026) on hot streaks, and sees if they can sustain their success.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of my Sneaky Start Pitcher Waiver Wire Column. If you are new to this column, welcome. Every week, I spotlight four of the game's hottest starting pitchers (who are widely available on Yahoo) and determine if they can maintain this pace.

This week, we'll spotlight a budding arm in Baltimore, two young arms in the AL West, and a former top prospect in the NL Central.

Be sure to follow RotoBallerMLB on X for all of our league-winning content and me, @A_Smith_FS, for any questions! Additionally, be sure to use the discount code SMITH at checkout for 50% off any Premium Packages. Note: All advanced statistics referenced are updated as of Monday, June 15.

Brandon Young, Baltimore Orioles

10% Rostered (Yahoo)

We took a look at Brandon Young in a previous edition of this series, but the 27-year-old continues to impress and is worth taking an even deeper dive into. The right-hander made his MLB debut last summer and did not enjoy the most impressive results on his first taste of Baltimore. Through 12 starts (57 2/3 innings of work), Young posted a rough 6.24 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP.

He struck out 18.6% of the hitters he saw and served up free passes at a modest 8.6% rate.

As a result, Young has not guaranteed a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Over the opening month, the right-hander bounced between the majors and Triple-A Norfolk. While he showed some upside in the minor leagues, he still endured some growing pains in the majors, posting a 4.30 ERA and a rough 1.57 WHIP over 14 2/3 innings.

Since May 1, Young has made steady improvement and is emerging as a legit must-start option in fantasy. In May, Young made five starts (28 2/3 innings) and posted a 2.68 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP. While he only struck out 24 hitters, he allowed just two home runs, suggesting there may be some untapped upside in his profile.

In June, Young has been even sharper. So far, he has made two starts (13 1/3 innings) and held a 2.03 ERA with a stellar 0.83 WHIP. Much of his success came in his most recent outing (on June 10), where he logged seven shutout frames with two hits and a 5:2 K:BB against the Mariners.

Can managers trust this second-year breakout going forward?

As shown below, Young has continued to rely on the same pitch-mix through most of the first half, albeit with a handful of tweaks. In June, he slightly lowered his four-seamer usage and instead opted to raise his slider and sinker usage. His split-finger has remained his steady No. 2 option.

In April, his four-seamer struggled, generating a hefty .431 xwOBA, but it has since turned the corner, generating a .254 xwOBA in May and a .314 xwOBA in June (.208 wOBA on the surface). Seeing his primary pitch continue to show steady progress is a great sign for his long-term outlook.

His split-finger has not been the most effective whiff option, generating a low 16.3% whiff rate with a .355 xwOBA. However, the pitch that does hold some upside is his slider, which he has begun to throw more of in June.

So far, this pitch has generated an eye-catching 42.6% whiff rate and posted a low .220 xwOBA over five tsarts in May. If Young can continue to lean on this pitch instead of his split-finger, he could begin to show some more strikeout upside on a consistent basis. The other pitch he has begun to rely on more is his sinker, which has not been as effective as the slider, carrying a .336 xwOBA, but should see some positive regression, as shown by the .515 SLG on the surface (.391 xSLG under the hood).

Overall, when looking at his Baseball Savant page, Young appears to be overperforming his current production. The right-hander holds a modest 4.39 xERA and a .258 xBA, both of which rank below the 40th percentile among qualified pitchers. However, his improving slider has brought him into the 90th percentile in Chase% (35.4%), leaving the door open for strikeout potential.

While managers should not expect him to maintain this current pace, Young has the pitch-mix to remain a reliable SP4/SP5 in standard leagues, especially in favorable matchups.

Peter Lambert, Houston Astros

20% Rostered

The former Rockies pitcher has found his footing in Houston. After logging 243 2/3 innings over four seasons in Colorado with a 6.28 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP, the 29-year-old has flipped the script in the Space City.

With the Astros, Lambert has posted a solid first campaign, posting a 3.47 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP. Across 57 innings, he has struck out 53 hitters while walking 10.5% of the batters he has faced.

Over his last three outings, Lambert has been even more effective, logging 16 2/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. During this three-start stretch, Lambert has struck out 13 hitters, but his command remains a blemish, walking seven total batters.

Overall, Lambert has made only one "major" tweak to his pitch mix since joining the Astros. As shown below, Lambert has relied on nearly the same pitch usage since April, with the only change being the rise in his sinker.

Lambert has begun to deploy this pitch more often for good reason, as its xwOBA has dropped each month and currently holds a .273 xwOBA in June.

His sinker has allowed his four-seamer to perform much better as it generated a low .190 BA in May and holds a .154 BA in June, which is much lower than the .214 it posted back in April.

The 29-year-old sits with a 3.82 xERA, which is right in line with his current 3.47 ERA on the surface. However, with the increased usage of his sinker, this mark should continue to drop over the course of the summer. Managers looking for assistance in the WHIP category should start Lambert with caution, but those needing a solid SP4 to lower their ERA should target him with confidence.

His higher walk rate will keep his WHIP high, but his ability to allow weak contact should keep him an above-average source of ERA.

Rhett Lowder, Cincinnati Reds

10% Rostered

Lowder was a former top prospect after joining the Red Sox with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Lowder wasted little time to make his MLB debut as he would join the MLB roster the following campaign. Over six short starts in the 2024 season, Lowder quickly showed his upside, logging 30 2/3 innings with a 1.17 ERA and a 1.2.7 WHIP.

While he only struck out 22 hitters over this stint, Lowder has managers intrigued heading into 2025. Unfortunately, the right-hander would battle numerous injuries in the following campaign and would log just 9 1/3 innings in the minor leagues and never return to Cincinnati.

As a result, Lowder was not generating much interest in drafts, as his workload was uncertain for the upcoming season. Lowder began the campaign in the starting rotation and would log 38 1/3 innings (over eight starts) to the tune of a 5.40 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. During this stretch, Lowder struck out just 27 hitters while walking 18.

The young right-hander would then suffer a shoulder injury and would be held out of MLB action until June. In his return on June 7, Lowder tossed three one-hit innings but battled command, posting a 4:5 K:BB. In his most recent outing, Lowder would continue to show progress, tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball with a strong 6:2 K:BB.

Is Lowder finally rounding into form?

While his command has been a weak spot in his career, seeing him walk only two hitters while striking out six (one short of a season high) is a very positive sign. The sample is small in June, but Lowder has begun to lean more on his sinker and four-seamer and has opted to throw his changeup and slider far less.

Even though his sinker has generated a .480 xwOBA in June, it has allowed his other three pitches to perform much better as noted below (especially his four-seamer and changeup).

Managers should continue to monitor this trend as an improved four-seamer with a reliable whiff option (29.0% whiff rate this season) and help Lowder reach the next level.

While his 4.98 xERA does not jump off the page, it is heavily skewed by his early-season struggles. Managers shall leave Lowder on the waiver wire for now, but if his four-seamer and changeup continue to remain this effective in June, they should not wait long to pick up the former Wake Forest standout.

Sam Aldegheri, Los Angeles Angels

1% Rostered

Rounding out this week's column is a name for deep leagues. Sam Aldegheri has maintained his "prospect" status despite making his MLB debut back in 2024. In 2024 and 2025, Aldegheri logged just 26 2/3 innings in the majors, which still qualified him as a rookie for the 2026 season. Over his first two brief starts in Los Angeles, the southpaw posted a 6.41 ERA, which sent him to Triple-A to begin the 2026 season.

However, Aldegheri has not had to wait long to rejoin the MLB roster. While he has only made one of his four appearances, Aldegheri has shown steady progress, posting a 2.25 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. During this short 12-inning stint as a long reliever, Aldegheri struck out eight hitters and allowed just one round-tripper.

This strong showing earned him a spot back in the starting rotation on June 12, where the team's No. 16-ranked prospect did not disappoint. Facing the Rays, Aldegheri tossed five innings of two-run ball (one earned run) with three hits and a 4:3 K:BB.

Can the young southpaw continue this momentum as he looks to remain in the starting rotation? His sample in the majors is small, but he has shown enough upside to warrant consideration in the deep league.

As shown below, Aldegheri is a primary three-pitch pitcher who will occasionally mix in his slider and curveball. His four-seamer and changeup lead his pitch mix, taking up 74.8% of his total usage. His cutter is a distant No. 3 option, sitting with a 16.4% usage rate.

His four-seamer has found success on the surface, generating a low .296 SLG and modest .305 wOBA, but could take a slight step back given the looming .388 xSLG and .333 xwOBA. However, the pitch that catches my eye is his changeup.

His No. 2 option has generated an elite 40.0% whiff rate this season with a dominant .236 xwOBA. Seeing him begin to rely on this more as he transitions to the rotation is an excellent sign for his K% potential. While Aldegheri will need to round his rotation (as his cutter holds a .336 xwOBA), his four-seamer and changeup appear to be foundation pieces.

In general, Aldegheri has limited his hard contact to a 5.8% barrel rate and a 34.6% hard-hit rate and holds a .376 xERA, which would put him above the average marks if he logged enough innings to qualify. Additionally, managers should not be overly concerned about his low 16.7% K%, as increased usage of his change should raise this mark.

While the sample is small and is nowhere near a "must-add" option, Aldegheri is worth a flier in deep leagues and should be on the watch list of managers in 12-team formats entering Week 12.

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