“Suns out, guns out”. For many, the phrase conjures images of beach days but for those reading this column, the “gun” is more likely to be of the radar variety.

With temperatures soaring as we start to enter the dog days of summer, the balls are carrying further and offenses are picking up steam, making finding quality pitching options all the more difficult. To counteract the heat, here are some of the hottest pitchers currently on the waiver wire!

Luis L. Ortiz – SP – PIT – 10% Yahoo, 11% CBS

One of three players this season with both a save and a quality start, Ortiz has bounced around a fair bit this season, alternating between a starter and a reliever over his last four outings. Still, the stop-and-start nature of his usage hasn’t slowed down his performance one bit – if anything, it seems Ortiz is starting to ramp up.

Over his last three outings (two starts), Ortiz has pitched to a 1.29 ERA to go with a 16:0 K:BB rate over 14 innings. The surface stats are obviously shiny, but the underlying metrics are even prettier – 54.7% Strike%, 27.9% Ball%, 18.4% SwStr%, 46% GB%. His velocity has also been steadily rising, with his average fastball now hovering around 96mph after dipping lower than 94mph in some starts earlier in the year.

Despite being just 25-years-old and being a former Top 100 prospect for multiple websites, including 85th on FanGraphs’ rankings, Ortiz felt like a forgotten piece in the Pirates’ plans entering the season. The Pirates upcoming plans will be integral to Ortiz’s burgeoning value as there is currently a bit of a glut in the rotation. With Jared Jones shut down with a lat strain and Bailey Falter out with a triceps injury, the Pirates could choose to give Ortiz some additional runway but Quinn Priester has just returned from an IL stint and Marco Gonzales is also close to a return after his own trip to the 60-day IL for a forearm injury.

Perhaps a trade of Martin Perez at the deadline to a contender will open things up further – but for now, enjoy the top-notch ratios and cross your fingers he gets an extended opportunity.

League size recommendation: 14-team leagues

Want to get access to the rest of Jeff’s article? You’ll need to have a FANTASYPASS membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!
Premium Access Required