Sneaky Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups, Buys: Week 20 - Hot Pitchers To Sustain Success?

August 11, 2026

Frank looks at three sneaky fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers in Week 20 (2026) on hot streaks, and sees if they can sustain their success.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our Sneaky Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Column for Week 20 of the fantasy baseball season. Every week of the fantasy baseball season, we look at three pitchers who are firing on all cylinders and determine whether these pitchers can sustain their recent success.

For this week, we will look at three red-hot pitchers. Each of these pitchers is in a nice rhythm recently, beginning to emerge as reliable fantasy options. They're pretty widely available across all formats, rostered in fewer than 30% of Yahoo leagues.

This list will include a pair of veteran right-handers who have turned their season around, along with a lefty who has gotten on track, especially with strikeouts. With that in mind, let's take a look at these three pitchers for Week 20 of the fantasy baseball season.

Grant Holmes, Atlanta Braves

25% Rostered (Yahoo)

Grant Holmes quietly has a 3.47 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 114 innings this season. However, his underlying metrics aren't exactly inspiring, as highlighted by a 4.73 xERA. We've also seen a major drop-off in strikeouts from Holmes, falling from 25.0% to 19.3%. He hasn't been able to pitch deep into games for the Braves, limited to five innings or fewer in 16 of 22 starts this season. So, what's the appeal with Holmes right now?

Well, he's started to get in a nice rhythm. On August 4th, Holmes went six innings vs the Marlins, allowing zero earned runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He followed that up with another six innings at the Yankees, where he once again didn't allow an earned run, with three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. These were the first starts with six innings for Holmes since June 3rd against the Blue Jays.

While the strikeouts are still severely limited and the 4.09 xERA suggests that Holmes has gotten favorable results during this stretch, we're still talking about a veteran righty with somewhat of a track record, playing for one of the best teams in baseball. When we see a pitcher like that in a rhythm, it means we'll have more opportunities to get wins for our fantasy baseball teams. That's a category that is hard to come by, so we want to pounce on it on the waiver wire when we have this chance.

If we look at Holmes' pitch mix, we see one key change. He's increased his sinker usage from 0.1% to 11.8% this season. That can partly explain the decline in strikeouts, as this is a pitch that is meant to induce weak contact. He's also decreased his curveball usage from 15.2% to 7.6%. This is a pitch with a 35.3% whiff rate, which further explains why he's not striking out as many.

Unless we start to see Holmes use his curveball more once again, you're unlikely to see previous strikeout rates. With that said, he's worth a pickup to see where this goes. Up next is a home start against the Diamondbacks.

Randy Vasquez, San Diego Padres

13% Rostered (Yahoo)

Randy Vasquez can be a dependable innings-eater when he's in a groove. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 4.16 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP with a 14.6% strikeout rate and a 6.9% walk rate in 106 innings this season. These are hardly numbers to get excited about in fantasy baseball, especially when you add in the fact that he has an abysmal 5.98 xERA.

However, we have to acknowledge how effective Vasquez has been for the Padres recently. In his last three appearances, he's combined for 15.2 innings, seven hits, two earned runs, two walks, and three strikeouts. While the strikeouts are completely non-existent during this stretch, the underlying metrics include a 2.41 xERA to go along with the 1.15 ERA. In the right matchup, Vasquez can be a boost for your ratios while he's in a rhythm like this.

If we take a closer look at Vasquez's pitch mix, we can see that he's increased his usage on his four-seamer from 21.0% to 32.0%. This is a pitch with a 20.3% whiff rate, but it's been pretty effective for him, inducing a .265 wOBA. His best whiff pitch is the changeup (26.7%), but he only throws it 7.8% of the time.

To that end, you're not going to get many strikeouts from Vasquez, but that's never been the case with him. However, when he's in a groove, it makes sense to fire him up, as long as the matchup is right. Just remember, there's always a risk of a blowup start at any time. That's what happens when you're dealing with a pitcher who allows a lot of balls in play.

Looking ahead on the Padres' schedule, we see that Vasquez has a road matchup against the Guardians up next. That's an exploitable spot, as the Guardians have been underwhelming offensively all year long. This could be a matchup where Vasquez goes six innings, allowing only two runs.

With the Padres fighting for a playoff spot and Jackson Merrill heating up at the plate, it could be a chance for Vasquez to get you a win. San Diego is starting to play much better baseball lately. With that in mind, consider Vasquez only as a streamer, starting with Saturday at the Guardians.

Sean Manaea, New York Mets

28% Rostered (Yahoo)

Sean Manaea is a veteran lefty who has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career, especially when he's in a nice groove on the mound. Like the other two pitchers on this list, his season-long numbers don't jump off the page at all, including a 4.13 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP with a 23.3% strikeout rate and a 7.7% walk rate in 104.2 innings.

However, when we look at what Manaea has done recently, you have to be a bit excited. In his last four starts, Manaea has given up a combined six earned runs in 25 innings. During this stretch, he has nine walks and 25 strikeouts. What's most intriguing is that he put up 11 strikeouts against the Pirates in his last outing. He was absolutely dominant in that outing.

Looking at Manaea's pitch mix, we see a key change. He's introduced a new sinker, throwing it 20.2% of the time. As a pitch that is meant to induce contact, this can limit Manaea's strikeout upside. The good news for Manaea's outlook is that he's also throwing a new cutter, using it 7.3% of the time. This pitch has a 31.4% whiff rate. Combined with his sweeper (31.4% whiff rate), this can help Manaea still have a ceiling for strikeouts.

While he's rolling like this, Manaea is certainly worth a pickup. He has the most upside of the three pitchers in this article, at least for strikeouts. Wins may be hard to come by while playing for the Mets in a lost season, but at least they've been playing much better baseball lately, including a surprising road win vs. the Braves on Monday night.

Manaea is home to the Nationals in his next start. This is a better matchup than it would have been a few weeks ago, as Luis Garcia Jr. was dealt to the Yankees, while James Wood is currently on the injured list. To that end, it could be an opportunity for Manaea to deliver yet another quality start along with a win. If he's still available in your league, pick him up for this favorable matchup. See where this takes us.

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