Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article highlighting the best players to add to your rosters. We’ll look at players who are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options. We’ll also look at the most-added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites and tell you which players to add and which to leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Tyler Mahle (ATL) – SP (Yahoo – 43%)
Mahle merely did Yeoman’s work Sunday, tossing five innings while earning his fifth win. I’ll admit, it seems counterintuitive to recommend Mahle, considering his underwhelming 4.41 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. But he has performed remarkably better since returning from the IL in late June, posting a 2.29 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 11 starts. His 5.13 PLV is rock-solid. And it’s not like we haven’t seen him pitch well before. Remember what he did a few years ago in Cinci? OK, fine, that version of Mahle is likely gone, but there is no reason he can’t help you during the final few weeks now that he’s on a winning club. And, did I mention his next start is against the Rockies in Atlanta? Yeah, that could be a good one.
Griffin Conine (MIA) – 1B, OF (Yahoo – 22%)
The fun part about a long baseball season is seeing guys pop up unexpectedly. Forgive me, but I don’t think too many people picked Conine to lead the Marlins with a 143 wRC+. But that’s where we are. Conine has been particularly productive lately; his .927 OPS ranks 16th over the last 30 days. However, his .189 batting average against left-handers is what the kids call sus. And so is his 31% strikeout rate. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he gets a blow tonight against Tolle, given his struggles against same-handed pitching (he sat against Suarez yesterday). And whiffs could cut his playing time; only 12 qualified hitters have a K rate over 30%. Regardless, the results when he makes contact have been too loud to ignore. I mean, c’mon, his 151 PLV Power metric is so ridiculous that you almost have to take a shot on him.
Spencer Jones (NYY) – OF (Yahoo – 23%)
There is a very real, and I’d say likely, chance that Jones isn’t a major-league caliber hitter; very few players have success after toting a 30% K rate in Triple-A. And that’s gone up to 36.7% in the majors. Yes, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. But, at this point in the year, it’s all about trying to catch lightning in a bottle. Guys who are six-foot-seven with 91st percentile sprint speed and even better swing speed don’t grow on trees. The 25-year-old rookie has thus far managed a .731 OPS with seven jacks and eight bags. Also noteworthy: he might sit a game or two this weekend, against Sox left-handers Sandoval and Bennett.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Nick Sogard has emerged as Boston’s leadoff hitter and has been productive lately with five multi-hit efforts over his last six games before last night’s series opener against Miami. The 28-year-old switch-hitter is hitting .287 and, while he lacks power or speed, his table-setting abilities look legit (16.7% K rate / 16% BB rate).
Zebby Matthews fell one out short of a QS against the Braves last Tuesday. However, nothing under the hood suggested we should be excited about Zebby moving forward. To quote Nick: “Let’s not do something foolish now by starting him in Sacré Verde. You’re better than that.” If you started him last night and he did OK, count your lucky stars and move on. Like the times you guessed right on multiple-choice tests.
Tim Tawa earned adds for three consecutive multi-hit games. The 27-year-old righty has a .712 OPS this season with a 94 wRC+. Not great. But his 108 Process is pretty solid, and he has a reasonable 22% K rate. Regardless, his secure role and eligibility have him firmly on the deep league radar.
Cal Quantrill received clicks for his second scoreless outing. And, well, he has also posted a 2.23 ERA over his previous nine starts, which earned Nick’s lede yesterday. To summarize: it feels like a classic Vargas Rule without strikeout upside. His pitch quality metrics (4.90 PLV) don’t support the results, either. If it were me, I’d prefer to churn the roster spot with another streamer, especially with a tough matchup against the Brewers in Milwaukee up next. But, again, that’s me.
Mickey Gasper has banged a couple of home runs since being recalled from Triple-A Worcester about a week ago. Give him a look, if you’re in a 15-team, two-catcher league.
George Klassen earned last Tuesday’s SP Roundup cover with a gem complete with a Gallows Pole against the Astros in Houston. Barring a historic performance against the Guardians last night, Klassen is unlikely to kick the PEAS label, meaning he has great stuff but doesn’t always know where it’s going, making them susceptible to blow-ups. Sounds like a lot of rookie pitchers, right?
Ezequiel Tovar and Willi Castro spoiled an otherwise solid outing from Cade Cavalli. Regardless, he entered last night’s game with a 20% K-BB%, which ranks 14th among qualified starters. And he’s 22nd on The List. He’s not going anywhere. Robbie Ray, on the other hand, feels like a borderline option. He entered last night’s start against the Giants with a career-low 8.5% K-BB, and that’s never a good thing. A better supporting cast in San Diego will help. Like, you know, that grand slam robbery by Tatís that saved his bacon at Citi Field. Regardless, I don’t think you need to hold Ray too tightly, especially in shallow leagues.
Speculative Adds
Cristian Javier (HOU) – SP (Yahoo – 9%)
Javier has totaled 13 strikeouts on 37 whiffs over his last two starts. Unfortunately, he didn’t record more than 12 outs in either game, but he is at least on the radar if you’re looking for some strikeouts. He’ll face the Mets later this week in Queens.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Adrian Houser (SF) – SP, RP (Yahoo – 3%) vs. CIN
As we mentioned yesterday, Alvarez is an option today against the Rockies, and so is Houser. You might have missed it, but he looked pretty good while following an opener last week and gets a dream matchup at home against the Reds.
Tomorrow:
Landen Roupp (SF) – SP (Yahoo – 30%) vs. CIN
I had hoped a matchup against the Road Rockies would get Roupp back on track two weeks ago, but no dice. As Jake Crumpler mentioned in last Thursday’s Roundup, Roupp might not be that far from recapturing his first-half form, and I’m willing to get burned again in another good matchup at home against the Reds.
Deep League Players to Watch
Henry Bolte (A’s) – OF (Yahoo – 10%)
Bolte’s roster percentage has crept up a few points over the past week or so. He has led off all but one game since August 15th and has done just enough to be interesting in deep five-OF leagues, slashing .270/ .345/ .369 with 14 steals and six home runs. He has 95th percentile bat speed, but so far it’s translated into nothing but wormburners. We can dream, though, right?
Max Muncy (A’s) – 2B, 3B, SS (Yahoo – 3%)
He has banged a couple of home runs this past week, and the A’s are back in Sacré Verde. You could do worse if you need to stream some at-bats this week.
Hao-Yu Lee (DET) – OF (Yahoo – 4%)
Lee, a 23-year-old right-handed-hitting rookie, started five consecutive games and even hit second last night against Rasmussen. He hasn’t lit the world ablaze, but he has kept his head above water, slashing a respectable .278/ .318/ .435/.
Andrés Chapparo (WAS) – 1B (Yahoo – 1%)
Ortiz has received a bit more buzz, but Chapparo has been quietly productive, slashing .240/ .358/ .512 with eight home runs. And his playing time seems to be on the rise.
Dylan Beavers (BAL) – OF (Yahoo – 1%)
Beavers demonstrated an all-around skillset with Triple-A Norfolk and has started to shake loose with three taters in his last four games.
Vaughn Grissom (LAA) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 1%)
Well, I mean, he’s hitting behind Trout just about every night; that means something, right? Yeah, it means they stink! You’re right. No wonder 27 gets nothing good to hit.
