This early in this fantasy baseball season it might be hard to project the guys who either made strides this offseason leading them to a breakout 2023 or are just having a hot start. Taking a risk to capture the breakout players could potentially be a league-winning decision for your team. So let’s dive into who I have for waiver wire pickups for week 2 of fantasy baseball. (Rostering percentages based on ESPN)

Zach Eflin SP 26% Rostered

One of my favorite players coming into 2023 was Zach Eflin. Despite having so much raw talent, he could never seem to figure it out with the Phillies. The Rays are one of the best organizations in baseball in identifying the prototype of pitchers they like and maximizing their skills. That’s what they have done with Eflin this season, and he’s posting a 2-0 record in his first two starts with a 3.27 ERA and 12 strikeouts through 11 innings pitched. His biggest strength was always his command which has improved this year with a minuscule 2.2 BB%, and his command grade sitting at a 65 on FanGraphs’ pitching bot. His chase rate is up to the 94th percentile which is extremely encouraging, and Eflin being able to effectively throw strikes while making batters chase is something I think will let him continue his success this season. He also seems to have incorporated his cutter into his pitch mix a bit more which in turn has made his sinker much more effective, with a .182 batting average against and a -2 run value which are both improvements from 2022. If he can continue to limit the amount of loud contact he allowed in the past I would put him in the category of this year’s Kyle Wright in terms of production and he can still be found on the waiver wire.

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