Welcome to Pickup of the Day, where every weekday we’ll pick an under-the-radar player whose immediate value is on the rise. The idea here is to identify a starter who can give you some solid innings off the scrap heap, a talented backup who’s been given a chance because of a starter’s injury, an unheralded regular with a favorable matchup, or a potential breakout player who’s starting to put it together. Unlike regular waiver-wire advice, Pickup of the Day is geared more towards interim success, but hopefully we’ll have the intuition to help you snag a waiver-wire gem a few times this season.
Even after last year’s disappointment, Erasmo Ramirez was a trendy breakout pick again this spring after holding a 1.14 ERA and a 20/2 K/BB ratio in 23 2/3 Cactus League innings. The appeal with the 23-year-old is that he throws plenty of strikes and has a nice four-pitch mix that’s capable of getting a decent amount of swings and misses. That was on display in his season debut Tuesday, as Ramirez held the Angels to two runs over seven frames, striking out six while walking none in the process. He’s currently owned in less than 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues, but that should change.
