With injuries piling up for starting pitchers, nobody can have enough of it, and we’re at a point where it’s hard to come by at the moment. There are seemingly a lot more good hitting options available in comparison to pitching. So this week, hitters are favored a bit more than they have been so far. That’s all to say that your FAAB dollars may be better off spent on hitters at the moment, or by saving up for more pitching prospect promotions later on in the season.
There are some rather widely available hitters where I love what they’re doing, and you can find them below. The pitchers this week are more like speculative adds or streamers for the upcoming week, but those hold value and can be worth spending a little bit on as well. Those are also the types of moves that can turn into holds on your rosters, so if they pitch well or get a real opportunity, they can turn into more than just a streamer or speculative add.
For what it’s worth, just keep in mind that I’d prioritize the hitters in the article this week over the pitchers!
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 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 spend some FAAB dollars!
Investment Rating System
This week, there are 12 teams have a seven-game schedule, and y0u can see them listed below. Nathaniel Lowe and Moisés Ballesteros are two players mentioned this week that have a full slate of games, while the rest of the teams not mentioned have six games this week.
SEVEN GAMES: BAL, BOS, CHC, CIN, CLE, KCR, MIA, NYY, PHI, SDP, STL, TBR
Batters
Outfielders
Carlos Cortes ($$$): It may seem like Cortes has come out of nowhere, but even last year, he was a productive player in limited action for the Athletics. In 99 plate appearances last season, he had four home runs and a respectable 0.866 OPS. In 82 plate appearances this season, he’s been even better, hitting 0.384 with four long balls and a 1.095 OPS. Surely he won’t keep this up, but hot streaks to this extent clearly mean something. He also has eight walks to seven strikeouts, and hits in a great home park for hitters in Sacramento. Last season was worth mentioning because this isn’t as out of nowhere as it seemed. Now he does have it working against him that he’s still in a strict platoon despite the blistering start he’s on. He isn’t playing at all against lefties, so in weekly leagues, that’s still very much working against him. In daily leagues and in the right weeks where he faces mostly righties, he’s a great option to start when he’s in the lineup. His 0.441 xwOBA also shows he’s earned his production up to this point as well.
Infielders
Miguel Vargas ($$$$): Vargas very well could have belonged in this article last week, but he’s still appropriate to use here. It worked out nicely since it allowed Vargas to be the featured player in the graphic for this week. He’s showing more upside than we’ve previously seen with the way he’s impacting the ball. His baseball savant page is quite impressive, where he’s above average in every single category at the moment. The batting average is still low at 0.214, but if he’s going to keep producing in the way he has, that honestly doesn’t matter for fantasy purposes. That comes with a 0.360 OBP because of his elite walk rate at 17.3%. His BB:K ratio currently is 24:23, and he’s also already chipped in six homers and five steals on the season. The Chicago White Sox as a whole are a much more interesting offense to watch this season, and Vargas has been right in the middle of it as a consistent producer.
Nathaniel Lowe ($$$): This is more of a deeper league play, but I’m loving what I’ve seen from Nathaniel Lowe so far this season. Going back to his good seasons with the Texas Rangers, Lowe has always been an underrated hitter. After bouncing around a lot last season, he may have found his home playing for the Cincinnati Reds. In only 64 plate appearances, Lowe currently has five home runs and a 0.991 OPS. He’s looking a lot more like the best version of Lowe that we saw in Texas in 2022 and 2023. Even last season Lowe drove in 84 runs. He’s also swinging hard more often, with his fast swing percentage going up from 24% last season to 44% this season. His pull air rate is also up to 20 percent, so there is real upside for his home run potential playing in Great American Ballpark. As long as he continues to receive regular playing time, Lowe is looking like a great option.
Catchers/UT
Moisés Ballesteros ($$$$): Ballesteros is the first repeat hitter in the FAAB recommendation articles this season, and for good reason. All he’s done is get even hotter, while making two appearances at catcher as well. The Chicago Cubs also stated he will be catching on a more regular basis going forward, which will only give him more value for fantasy baseball. So far, Ballesteros is hitting 0.338 with a 1.012 OPS. There were questions about how much power he would hit for, and it hasn’t proven to be an issue at all so far, as Ballesteros already has five long balls this season, too. If you just watch him hit, it comes naturally to him in a way that’s really not common. He makes hitting look like it’s easy, and that’s the type of player worth betting on. As long as he keeps producing, expect him to continue seeing regular playing time as well.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Elmer Rodríguez ($$): Rodríguez made his debut for the New York Yankees on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. It was a bit of a mixed bag for Rodriguez, who allowed four hits and four walks over four innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out three. This recommendation is more based on potential opportunity than anything else. He’s not a pitcher with crazy upside, and it’s hard to say how much of a chance he’s going to get here, but in the meantime, he’s well worth a speculative add in case this goes somewhere. Pitching for the Yankees is a great situation to be in, and their pitching development can be trusted as much as any of them. I see this as a situation worth taking a shot at if you have a roster spot to play with.
Luis Severino ($$): This may be more of a streamer recommendation, but I generally like the idea of using Severino when he’s not pitching in Sacramento. With that said, he pitched well in Sacramento on Wednesday, pitching seven innings, striking out eight, and only allowing one run on four hits and two walks. This was great to see, especially considering Severino was likely to appear in this article regardless. He lines up for two starts next week, both on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles. He’s looking more like the vintage Severino this season, and if these starts go well, he’ll likely be a starting pitcher you hang onto for a while and use in the right matchups.
Relief Pitchers
Jacob Latz ($$): Latz has earned each of the past two saves for the Texas Rangers, including a two-inning save on Wednesday. Latz is ideally suited to be a starter, but has been very effective as a high-leverage reliever for the Rangers so far this season. Over 16.2 innings this season, Latz now owns a 1.08 ERA and 0.48 WHIP, and the team has clearly taken notice as well by giving him a chance to close out games. This feels like the best option the Rangers have come up with yet, as using Jakob Junis as their closer was not a real solution. If you’re in need of saves, Latz is worth adding.
