The crickets are really chirping, which means that the summer stretch of baseball is coming to an end. Now, we’re entering a time when it becomes extra vital to make the right fantasy decisions, as we have to clinch our playoff spots and then see our teams perform well enough to advance us further and into the finals. These players listed could help you make that final push, especially if you have the FAAB dollars to acquire them.
Throughout the season, this column is designed to help guide those in Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) leagues make the best choices in who to target on the waiver wire. Specifically, we’re focusing on players who are between 20-25% rostered in most 12-team leagues and/or 25-50% rostered in 15-teamers. Every league is different, so we won’t be labeling player bids with any sort of recommended dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker (or LEAGUE-WINNER, if you will).
Let’s dig in!
Investment Rating System
SEVEN GAMES: WSH, ARI, COL, SFG
Batters
Outfielders
Joshua Baez (OF, $$$$): 57% rostered on Yahoo
If you aren’t on board the Joshua Báez train yet, where are you? He’s been one of the most featured players in these articles this season, as there was speculation all year that he would be called up. Since coming up, he already has 4 home runs, which puts his total on the season across both AAA and MLB at 38. That’s an excellent power-hitting season, even if he has notable strikeout issues. He’s also aggressive on the basepaths, which certainly helps up his value.
Spencer Jones (OF, $$$): 15% rostered on Yahoo
The Jones breakout may be here; while his batting average doesn’t look amazing, he’s started hitting at a consistent clip. He has incredible power, and he adds to that with speed. Sound familiar? There are a lot of comparisons you can make between Jones and Baez, though Jones is more of a key piece of the puzzle with the Yankees while Baez is the reason to tune into the Cardinals. Still, Jones is definitely worth trying to pick up as the Yankees will need him if they want to take the lead in their division.
Zac Veen (OF, $$): 12% rostered on Yahoo
We’ve spoken about Veen quite a bit in this article, and he continues to impress each week despite not being a popular pickup in fantasy yet. He sits against lefties, but is often brought in to pinch hit against righty relievers and is utilizing the magic of Coors to hit well. He’s a fun player, though a bit more limited in terms of ceiling and floor compared to the other two.
Infielders
Javier Sanoja (2B, 3B, SS, OF $$): 47% rostered on Yahoo
Sanoja has been a pretty popular player on the waiver wire this season, and it makes sense why. He’s eligible for a bunch of positions and has performed pretty well throughout the season. August has been his masterpiece, though, as he has a 172 wRC+ in the month. The Marlins have been a bit hot and cold as a team throughout the season, but Sanoja has been a highlight for them and he will be integral in their run to try to make it in a Wild Card position.
Jackson Holliday (2B, SS $$): 26% rostered on Yahoo
It wasn’t that long ago when we were discussing whether Jackson Holliday should be viewed as a bust given his lofty expectations. While that conversation can still be had, he’s looked like a real solid contributor for an Orioles team that is on the uptick right now.
Konnor Griffin (SS, OF $$): 8% rostered on Yahoo
This one is a bit of a speculative move, as Konnor Griffin has been on the 60-day injured list with a finger injury. The Pirates are optimistic that he will be ready to return in a couple of weeks, and that feels like enough to bring him in as an IL stash if available in your leagues. He was the top prospect in baseball for a reason, a true five-tool type player who fits well into a surprisingly solid Pirates lineup.
Catchers/UT
Alejandro Kirk (C – $$): 48% rostered on Yahoo
Kirk has been arguably the Blue Jays’ best hitter this season, even while dealing with various injuries that had him sidelined for a segment of time. By now, we know what Kirk brings to a team. He’s a high-contact, low-strikeout type player who will help ratios but maybe won’t pour it on in the home run column. This is okay, especially as he does it from the catcher position. He’s been really hot lately but is available in a majority of leagues, I’d say go get him before another team that needs catcher help puts in a bid that’s too big to fail.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Kade Anderson (SP – $$$$): 58% rostered on Yahoo
Anderson is probably gone in your leagues, as this article is pushed out Sunday morning and the managers who were waiting to see him in action before bidding certainly have submitted their claims by now. Still, if he’s somehow available, he’s worth it. I’ve seen some really absurd bids for Anderson, and they make sense. He had a historic run in the minor leagues, striking out tons of batters and rarely walking any. He’s clearly Major League ready and should add some juice to an already great Mariners rotation.
Shane Bieber (SP – $$$): 47% rostered on Yahoo
Bieber looks to be finding his groove. After an extended stay on the injured list to start the season, Bieber was really up-and-down for several of his starts. He could slice through offenses one night, and then the next start he wouldn’t be able to find the zone. It feels like despite some ugly box scores a few games back, he’s found a rhythm that may stick the rest of the way. Pick him up now, and perhaps he can continue this run into the fantasy postseason.
Quinn Mathews (SP – $$): 8% rostered on Yahoo
Our weekly graphics designer Doug Carlin (by the way, say thank you for the great work he does) was really excited about this one, and I can see why. Mathews has slid into the rotation spot held by Andre Pallante, and he should get at least a couple of turns in the rotation. Mathews is a really promising arm, but is one who hasn’t gone super deep into games thus far in his career. The stuff is really solid; the command is a bit iffy. He has to learn to get quick outs if he wants to morph into the front-line starter some project him to be. Still, he’s worth putting a solid-sized bid towards. Now it is of note that he had a brutal outing yesterday, though here’s to believing he will have a better game against the Pirates at his home, pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Cal Quantrill (SP – $): 12% rostered on Yahoo
Quantrill has been surprisingly really effective for the Texas Rangers, who would’ve thought. He’s settled in and has looked solid against some pretty decent competition. There’s nothing to really love about Quantrill’s arsenal, but he’s really hot right now (only three earned runs in the last four outings). Quantrill has become a borderline Toby type pitcher, one who you start against mediocre teams and hope to come away with decent stats across the board.
Relief Pitchers
Mason Montgomery (RP – $$): 19% rostered on Yahoo
Montgomery is a player I have been clamoring for throughout this entire season. He has so much potential despite somewhat shaky results, and we are starting to see that. The Pirates loaded up on fairly high-leverage relievers, grabbing former closers like Camilo Doval, Kirby Yates, and Luke Weaver. Yet, it feels like Montgomery is the best option in that pen, as his ceiling is so high. He’s had nine straight scoreless outings, and the Pirates would be foolish not to continue to turn to him.
Ben Joyce (RP – $$): 22% rostered on Yahoo
Joyce had his first blown save of the season, allowing a couple of unearned runs to score. This shouldn’t discourage you from picking up Joyce, as the Angels bullpen is pretty brutal and his excellent stuff is enough to shut down any opponent. He has one of the best fastballs in the Majors, and oftentimes, that’s good enough to keep a team scoreless for an inning.
Nate Pearson (RP – $): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Pearson has always had crazy stuff; he just hasn’t been able to command it consistently. He looked promising with the Astros, but he was traded to the Royals, a team devoid of consistency in their bullpen. Pearson may be the solution, as he’s fired off a couple of saves for his new club and has looked solid while doing it. The walks may be a problem, but he’s gotten the job done this season and has kept the ERA way down.
