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.
Alex Wilson nailed down the first save for the Tigers in the post-Joakim Soria era on Thursday, recording the final five outs of the game in a win over the Orioles. On Saturday, manager Brad Ausmus revealed that Wilson will indeed be his preferred option in the ninth inning for now. While he doesn’t have typical closer stuff and has struck out just 33 over 55 1/3 innings this season, Wilson also boasts a 1.79 ERA. Fantasy owners should scoop him up if he’s on the waiver wire.
