Josh Jung Is Heating Up — And WaiverScout Called It First

Josh Jung is slashing .375/.464/.750 over the last seven days with a .514 wOBA, a 10.7% strikeout rate, and a 95.0 mph average exit velocity. If he's still available in your league, the window to add him is closing fast. This is an Add Now.

WaiverScout Had This Signal Early

We first flagged Jung as a Watch on April 12 when his ownership sat at just 3%. By April 18, the signal had strengthened enough to upgrade him to Add Now at 8% rostered. Today he's at 43% and climbing — a +27% surge in the last week alone. Managers who trusted the early signal are already reaping the rewards. For everyone else, the data says there's still value here, but the clock is ticking.

The Rolling Windows Tell the Story

What makes Jung's breakout compelling isn't just the surface-level production — it's the trajectory across every meaningful window:

  • wOBA: .426 over 30 days → .504 over 14 days → .514 over the last 7 days. That's acceleration, not a blip.
  • K%: 15.6% at 30 days → 10.9% at 14 days → 10.7% over the last week. He's making more contact and refining his approach in real time.
  • BB%: 9.4% at 30 days → 10.7% over the last 7 days. He's swinging at fewer bad pitches. The discipline is tightening alongside the production.
  • Power: 4 home runs and a stolen base across the 14-day window, with 2 of those homers coming in just the last 7 days.

This isn't a guy chasing a high BABIP on lucky singles. Over 55 plate appearances — a solid, confidence-building sample — the production has been backed by real skills improvement at the plate.

The Statcast Data Is Real

Jung's 52.1% hard-hit rate over the last seven days pairs with a 95.0 mph average exit velocity. The 14-day hard-hit rate is even better at 56.8% with a 94.2 mph EV. This is premium-quality contact. When a hitter is barreling the ball this consistently while simultaneously cutting his strikeout rate nearly in half, you're looking at a skills-based surge — not noise.

His 30-day hard-hit rate of 59.7% confirms this isn't a new development, either. Jung has been hitting the ball hard for weeks. The results are simply catching up to the underlying quality of contact.

The Fantasy Landscape Agrees

WaiverScout isn't alone in banging the drum here. Yahoo Fantasy listed Jung among its top Week 6 pickups based on advanced stats, and NBC Sports highlighted his heater as a key waiver target. The difference? We flagged him weeks before the mainstream caught on. The signal was there at 3% ownership for those paying attention.

Who He Replaces

At third base, Jung's recent production puts him in the conversation with far more expensive assets. If you're running out Max Muncy or waiting on Junior Caminero to find his footing, Jung offers a higher floor right now with legitimate upside. He's locked into consistent playing time with 28 plate appearances in the last seven days — no platoon concerns, no lineup juggling.

Verdict: Add Now

The data is clear. A .514 wOBA, a sub-11% strikeout rate, elite-level exit velocity, and a rising ownership trajectory that's about to push him out of the free-agent pool entirely. At 43% rostered, Jung is still available in the majority of leagues. That won't last another week. Add him now before the window shuts.