Fantasy Baseball: Jon Jay and Top 10 Waiver Wire Pickups Heading into Week 19

Amid a highly-publicized NFL fire week as well as the MLB trade deadline, fantasy baseball chugs along.

With all the hoopla surrounding sports, now is not the time to lose your cool.

Staying focused late in the fantasy year and successfully playing the waiver wire on a weekly basis are just a few concepts that winning owners encounter during the season.

With players being traded and pitchers being optioned to the minors or the back of the bullpen, other fantasy options are becoming readily available for instant production.

With that said, along with the fact that the next few weeks are borderline must-wins for many owners, here are the Top 10 waiver wire pickups heading into Week 19.

10. Stephen Strasburg, SP, Washington Nationals

Hear me out.

Everybody knows who Stephen Strasburg is and what he's capable of doing when healthy and pitching in the big leagues.

But beyond his past achievements and current recovery from Tommy John surgery, what can he do in 2011?

It could be a lot.

Not a lot of innings, not winning any monthly pitching awards, but rather helping out owners win late-season contests and playoff games over a two-or-three-week span.

Strasburg has been throwing some simulated games for the Nats and could possibly return in early September.

That's just in time for the last week of the fantasy baseball regular season and leading into the playoffs.

He could be a deciding factor for your rosters and their championship chances.

With that said, it's possible that the Nationals will hold him out until 2012. But, in case he makes significant strides over the next few weeks, you should keep a close eye on one of the best strike-out pitchers around.

9. Willie Bloomquist, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

With Stephen Drew out for the rest of the season, Willie Bloomquist could regain his early season presence and become a viable start at shortstop once again.

Bloomquist hit .306 in the month of April, filling in for Drew at the time, with seven stolen bases and 11 runs through 14 games.

He was one of the best options at shortstop during that span and could regain his stroke sooner than later.

Over his last 27 at-bats, Bloomquist has hit .370, getting back to a productive fantasy form.

Going forward, with the injury to Drew and iffy play from Derek Jeter and fellow shortstops, Bloomquist could be a great flier for the next few weeks.

8. Mike Carp, 1B, Seattle Mariners

There are two problems with Mike Carp.

One is the fact that he plays for the offensively-challenged Seattle Mariners.

The second is the fantasy-potent position he occupies.

Beyond playing first base, outfield and in the AL West, Carp has been a great hitter over the past few weeks.

The 25-year-old, who hit 47 home runs over his last two minor league seasons, has bolstered a .390 average over his last 23 at-bats.

Not to mention he's knocked in eight runs on two home runs.

Considering Carp's track record in the minor leagues—along with the fact that he's going to get significant time at the dish for the next month or so—he could become a low-end option in deeper mixed leagues.

Not too shabby for a guy who has struggled to produce at the major league level over the past two years.

7. Omar Infante, 2B, Florida Marlins

After coming from Atlanta in the Dan Uggla trade, Omar Infante has disappointed many fantasy owners around the country.

He's far from his eight home runs and All-Star worthy .320 average from 2010, and he simply hasn't been consistent enough to warrant a starting spot, even in the deepest of leagues.

With that said, it finally looks like Infante is coming around.

Through the last two weeks, the second baseman has hit .386 with three triples, seven walks, and eight runs, once again becoming a solid option at such a fantasy-thin position.

With Emilio Bonifacio and Mike Stanton continuing their hot hitting, adding Infante and riding the sudden wave of consistency could end up being a huge payout over the next few weeks.

6. Cliff Pennington, SS, Oakland Athletics

Simply put, Cliff Pennington continues to rake.

Over his last 50 at-bats, Pennington has been the second-most-productive free agent shortstop—behind Brendan Ryan—hitting .408 with two home runs, nine RBI, and three doubles.

Remember, the Athletics' shortstop was a viable play basically through all of last year, offering owners 29 stolen bases and some extra-base pop at a thin infield position.

As we approach the end of the month, Pennington could become a great option over the last month of the regular season, giving his owners solid production on a weekly basis and not striking out much.

If your shortstop is struggling or you missed out on Emilio Bonifacio, Pennington is a solid pick-up.

5. John Lannan, SP, Washington Nationals

John Lannan has been his usual self, offering owners a solid WHIP, mediocre strikeouts, solid ERA and a chance to win every time he takes the mound.

Considering the Nationals starter doesn't really give up too many runs or rarely encounters a serious cold streak, his two-start Week 19 is a good enough reason to pick him up now.

Lannan is going to face off against Derek Lowe and Aaron Cook over his next two starts, so he could be in line for a very successful scoring period—possibly even 40 points.

Regardless, Washington has provided their starters with solid run production, and Drew Storen continues to close games by the bunch.

To look somewhere else at this point in the season would be doing a disservice to Lannan and his usual consistency.

4. Josh Reddick, OF, Boston Red Sox

No more J.D. Drew means no more waiver wire for Josh Reddick.

The Boston Red Sox outfielder has been a menace to opposing pitchers throughout his first 100 at-bats, hitting .358 with four home runs, 21 RBI, three triples, nine doubles and only 21 strikeouts.

That's some serious production for arguably the most offensively-potent team in the majors.

There's little to dislike about Reddick.

He hits for average, extra bases, posts a 2:1 K:BB ratio and will have plenty of RBI opportunities going forward.

If you have any inclination that one of your outfielders is or is going to play below par over the next few weeks, add Reddick and let his production speak for itself.

3. Joe Saunders, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Joe Saunders has been channeling his inner Roy Halladay.

He's been racking up innings.

In five of his last seven starts, spanning nearly a month, Saunders has lasted at least seven innings.

In those five games, Saunders has gone 3-0, with only eight runs allowed in 37 innings of work.

The 30-year-old is currently on pace for career-highs in innings and strikeouts as well as his best ERA since 2008.

It seems as if fantasy owners are overlooking his production and testing the waters with other pitchers who offer nothing but inconsistency.

I don't understand it.

Consider adding Saunders for his Week 19 start against the Los Angeles Dodgers and a one-man offense.

2. Juan Nicasio, SP, Colorado Rockies

Juan Nicasio has been great.

The 24-year-old rookie has seemingly taken over where Jhoulys Chacin and his inconsistent production left off.

Over his last five outings—taking away his one bad start against Atlanta on July 7th—Nicasio has gone 2-1 with 17 strikeouts in 27.2 innings of work.

While his ERA is relatively high at 4.24, you have to be happy with his 1.26 WHIP in his first MLB season.

Nicasio has shown that he can be dominant at times, offering a solid strike-out rate and a nose for quality starts.

Consider him a viable addition to any pitching-starved rosters around.

1. Jon Jay, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Forget about Colby Rasmus to the Toronto Blue Jays and Edwin Jackson to the St. Louis Cardinals, Jon Jay may be the biggest winner of this deadline trade.

Jay is no longer fighting for time in the Cardinals' dynamic outfield, securing his job for the remainder of the 2011 season.

Despite his sometimes-frustrating platoon work with Rasmus over the length of the season, Jay has been a consistent fantasy-producer for the entire year.

He's currently hitting .311 with seven home runs, 27 RBI, five stolen bases, 11 doubles and 30 runs in roughly 270 at-bats.

His batting average and lineup position alone are reasons to immediately add Jay.

The 26-year-old outfielder is going to produce, there's no argument.

He offers solid pop, good speed, a consistent K:BB ratio and is going to heavily benefit from playing alongside Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman.