Jose Leclerc (RP, TEX) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues

OWNED IN: 23% of leagues

ANALYSIS: With both Keone Kela and Jake Diekman shipped off to contenders at the non-waiver trade deadline earlier this week, Jose Leclerc appears to the be the man to own in the Rangers' bullpen. The 24-year-old has always missed bats at an impressive clip (career 15.1% swinging strike rate), but this year he's improved his control substantially. While he had nowhere to go but down from last year's horrific 7.88 BB/9 and 20.0 BB%, this year's marks (4.31 BB/9, 12.0 BB%) represent a major step forward. When you rack up strikeouts and limit home runs as well as Leclerc does, you can get away with that level of wildness.

Texas doesn't really have any other appealing options for the closer role, so you can expect Leclerc to get most of their save opportunities down the stretch. Despite that, he remains available on the wire in over three-quarters of leagues. Any owner in need of saves should pick him up immediately.