After being on a trip this week where I got to see the Washington Nationals and then the Philadelphia Phillies, I had a lot to catch up on the last few days that I missed from around the rest of the majors. If you are also trying to make it to every MLB park, I strongly encourage you to do everything in your power to do so. It’s a great time of the season to do it too. With that out of the way, let’s talk FAAB for the week.
There are a couple of outfielders returning to the majors this week, with Noelvi Marte already returning to the Cincinnati Reds and Jasson Domínguez being expected back in the upcoming week for the New York Yankees from the injured list. You can read my recommendation for both players below. Hopefully, they can provide some relief for those of you that lost Aaron Judge this week.
Let’s jump right in and see how you should be spending your FAAB dollars this weekend.
Throughout the season, this column is designed to help you decide who to target on the waiver wire, as well as how to prioritize who to add. The focus will mainly be on relevant players who are also widely available in all leagues, and will often include players I’ve spent my own FAAB dollars on. Every league is different, so players will not be given an exact dollar amount; instead, I will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker.
Investment Rating System
This week, only two teams have a seven-game schedule, the Baltimore Orioles and the Seattle Mariners. The rest of the teams have a six-game schedule in the upcoming week.
SEVEN GAMES: BAL, SEA
Batters
Outfielders
Noelvi Marte ($$$): One of two outfielders this week listed who are still trying to make it at the MLB level, the Cincinnati Reds are giving Marte another shot here after an extended stay at Triple-A since the middle part of April this season. After a 40-game sample size where he hit 0.369 with eight home runs and nine stolen bases, the versatile Marte is getting another chance. He’s eligible at both third base and the outfield, and it’s a surprising development to see that for fantasy purposes he’s more needed in the outfield I’ve noticed in leagues I’m in. With injuries and guys just not performing, useful outfielders are needed at the moment. He offers a lot of upside he hasn’t fully delivered on, but he has decent plate skills with a good power-speed combo, and is a good sign he’s at least shown that upside at times at the MLB level. If you need outfield help, Marte is a good option whose mostly available, being rostered in only 37% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.
Jasson Domínguez ($$): Dominguez started the season at Triple-A after spending a lot of last season with the New York Yankees. He was given a brief opportunity and was showing improvement before getting injured making an incredible catch and crashing into the wall. He injured his shoulder and went on the injured list, however he started his rehab assignment on Friday and should be back during this upcoming week. With the Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton injuries there is a clear path for playing time at the moment. He is worth the shot even if it’s a speculative upside play. Playing for the New York Yankees still offers a powerful lineup and good hitters park, so he’s a good one to add if you miss out on Marte.
Infielders
Bryce Eldridge ($$$): Eldridge should be the highest priority for you of anyone mentioned on here this week, unless you have a more specific need Eldridge can’t fill of course. He’s mentioned in the infield portion as a DH because he’s only one more game from gaining eligibility at first base in most formats, if not all of them. The most encouraging part of what he’s doing is that his strikeout rate has not come close to being the problem it was advertised as. He has a strikeout rate below 24%, and a respectable walk rate over 11% to go along with that. When you pair that with a 92 MPH average exit velocity and max over 113 MPH, that paints a picture of a player whose likely to break out very soon.
Vaughn Grissom ($$): This would definitely be the cast of a post-hype prospect for Grissom, which is the type of player the Los Angeles Angels take a chance on like clockwork. This may be the rare case where their strategy actually worked. He’s always had good skills and plate discipline but has battled a lot of injuries in his career. His 17:14 K:BB in 134 plate appearances is impressive, both because of the ratio and how little he has struck out when you factor in the plate appearances. He has four home runs and 27 RBI, which is also impressive in so little trips to the plate. His statcast page looks good, and his 0.350 xwOBA would be his best career mark by far. He’s eligible at first, second, and third, so odds are if you need any sort of infielder he can be of use to you. He’s only rostered on Yahoo in 4% of leagues, so let’s change that.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Cade Cavalli ($$$): What Cavalli has been doing has mostly flown under the radar, and it could have something to do with the fact he’s on the Washington Nationals, or also the fact he has a high WHIP and hasn’t really been bought into by the industry. What has stood out to me is his consistent ability to work deep into his starts, going six innings or more in three of his last four starts, including one where he went seven and struck out nine. The data is also on his side, with a 3.78 xFIP and 3.60 SIERA. For the record, I prefer SIERA because it best encapsulates contact quality allowed more than xFIP. The ideal option is to look at both SIERA and a contact quality metric, like xwOBA allowed. Kind of defeats the purpose of needing to use xERA then as well.
Shane Drohan ($$$): It’s still unclear Drohan is here to stay in the Milwaukee Brewers rotation, but for the time being he’s getting his next scheduled start on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. Hopefully he continues to succeed in that start and doesn’t make me look silly here. If you could guarantee a starting spot for him going forward, with the Brewers track record I’m all in. He’s only rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues, so he’s a great add that’s currently not on many radars. In his most recent start against the San Fransisco Giants, he racked up 13 whiffs on only 68 pitches. The low pitch count is due to him being stretched out as a starter, but that kind of dominance as a starter is something that can’t be denied here.
Roki Sasaki ($$$): Sasaki should be the highest priority for you of all the starting pitchers listed. He offers the most upside, and it looks like he’s finally delivering on that reputation. I’m starting to finally buy in after this dominant start against the Los Angeles Angels, where he pitched seven innings allowing only two walks and two hits while striking out ten. He also had 17 whiffs on 98 pitches, so it backs up this sort of stat line. You can take nothing but good from this start, and over his last four starts has pitched 24.1 innings with 29 strikeouts, a 1.48 ERA, and 0.74 WHIP. He’s still available in 39% of Yahoo leagues, so add him anywhere you can.
Brandon Young ($$): Young is a lot like Cavalli in that he’s been doing a great job of working deep into his starts. He’s becoming a great source of volume in points leagues, having pitched six innings or more in each of his last three starts. He’s been especially good and efficient in those three starts, pitching 19.2 innings with 15 strikeouts, a 2.29 ERA, and a 1.12 WHIP. He faced good competition twice in a row against the Toronto Blue Jays and succeeded both times, pitching into the 7th and only throwing 86 and 85 pitches in each start. With Young it’s pretty simple: he has a good fastball foundation, and it’s all going to hinge on if he’s able to find a reliable second pitch. I see him being useful regardless, but to have any sort of ceiling or exciting upside he’ll have to find a way to level up the rest of his repertoire.
