Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Zach Thompson, Logan Gilbert and Joe Ross showing big upside

Early on in the 2021 MLB season, it seemed like there were more good pitchers than spots for them in your Fantasy lineup. However, since the weather heated up and MLB began cracking down on foreign substances, the position feels as barren as ever.

That means you probably need help, and there were three pitchers who pitched incredibly well over the past few days who you probably need to stop overlooking. Because while all have question marks, all three look like potential difference makers for Fantasy -- and all three are available in way too many leagues.

I wrote about Joe Ross as a buy-high candidate last week in my Trade Values Chart column, but you might have missed your window after his latest start. Ross struck out 11 with zero walks over 6.2 innings against the Dodgers on Sunday and now has a 2.31 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 39 innings over his past six starts going back to the start of June with five quality starts. Ross' velocity is up in that span and the Nationals are trusting him to pitch deeper into games, and it looks like he may have rediscovered some of the form that made him such an intriguing pitcher early in his career, before injuries derailed him.

Logan Gilbert was the intriguing young pitcher back when he made his debut in mid-May, but a 7.59 ERA in his first three starts scared many Fantasy players off. However, in six starts since, Gilbert has a 2.90 ERA with 34 strikeouts and only eight walks in 31 innings. Gilbert has shifted his secondary pitch usage around since early on, throwing both his slider and curveball less and his changeup more over the past few starts, and all three have become pretty good pitches for him. This is the guy we were expecting to see when we called Gilbert a "must-add pitcher" when he got called up, and he's squarely back in that territory again.

After a strong weekend from each of these pitchers, how do we rank Logan Gilbert, Joe Ross and Zach Thompson? We talk more pitching and bullpens on the Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 podcast. You can follow us to get the latest episodes on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

And then there's Zach Thompson, the Marlins' latest apparent pitching success story. Thompson is a 27-year-old with a 4.11 ERA in the minors, while spending most of his time since 2017 working as a reliever. And yet through five starts, Thompson has 31 strikeouts in 24 innings, including 17 while going six innings in each of his past two starts. Thompson apparently added a cutter since last pitching in 2019, and that has been his primary pitch in the majors, something he can throw for whiffs or for called strikes. Maybe that change is enough to make this breakout legitimate, and I'm at the point where I can't deny it.

Will all three be must-start options moving forward? It seems unlikely. But given that we're seemingly back to the days of having to throw darts to figure out who to start, it's worth seeing if any of these can hit a bulls-eye.

Possible waiver wire pickups