Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options, and we’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites, and let you know which players to add and which players you can leave on the wire.
Thank you for reading Waiver Wire Picks this season. I’ve loved dumpster diving for hidden gems, and I hope these articles have helped your fantasy team. Good luck closing out the season strong.
Top Priority Players to Add
The List is your best tool for figuring out your playoff pitching. Here are some rapid-fire, elevator pitches for some batters I’d look at to aid a playoff push.
Drake Baldwin (ATL) – C (Yahoo! – 42%)
I don’t think there’s any catcher I’d rather have to close out the season. Baldwin is scorching hot, batting .270 with five home runs in the last month. The Braves are slated to face Brad Lord, Andrew Alvarez, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, and Mike Burrows, and you could hardly ask for an easier spread of matchups.
Ha-Seong Kim (ATL) – 2B, SS (Yahoo! – 22%)
Baldwin’s teammate is nearly as hot, batting .306 with three home runs in the last month. He’s finally coming around after missing most of the season to injury, and he has the softest landing pad imaginable in the Braves’ remaining opponents.
Dylan Crews (WSN) – OF (Yahoo! – 43%)
On a stolen base binge with three in the last week with a .333 average. He has the potential to hit a few home runs along the way, especially against the Braves and White Sox.
Nasim Nuñez (WSN) – 2B, SS (Yahoo! – 0%)
A bench bat with home runs in back-to-back games. He’s drawn a couple of starts, and the Nats could be inclined to let him finish out the season. If you’re in an NL-only roto league that has the fantasy season go all the way through the end of the MLB season, and everyone is still actively competing, this could be the guy for you.
Carter Jensen (KCR) – C (Yahoo! – 4%)
Jensen has carved his way into an everyday role with the Royals, splitting both the catching and DH jobs with Salvador Perez. Kansas City is wrapping up its season with a road trip against the Angels and A’s, which will help Jensen end his season with a bang.
Chandler Simpson (TBR) – OF (Yahoo! – 37%)
Need to win steals? Sampson has 43 on the season and three in the last week.
Austin Martin (MIN) – 2B, OF (Yahoo! – 7%)
A mixed bag of matchups between the Rangers and Phillies, but Austin has been productive for the last two weeks, batting .298 and stealing four bases. A budget Simpson if you’re looking for steals, though his .800 OPS in September isn’t half bad. Don’t expect any homers; he has just one on the season.
Brooks Lee (MIN) – 2B, 3B, SS (Yahoo! – 14%)
The inverse Martin, all home runs and no steals. Lee hasn’t had the most successful season, but he puts up respectable home run and RBI numbers in a pinch.
Otto Lopez (MIA) – 2B, SS (Yahoo! – 33%)
Lopez is a solid all-around bat. He’s batting .279 over the last month with four each of home runs and steals. The Marlins will see the Phillies and Mets, which splashes some cold water on this fish’s fantasy appeal.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Justin Verlander had what should have been an easy matchup against the Cardinals yesterday, but labored through 4.1 innings, giving up four earned runs. He’ll close his season out against the Rockies at home, so hang onto him if you’ve got him.
JV’s opponent, Michael McGreevy, didn’t fare much better, giving up five runs in five innings but nabbing the win. I’d cut him loose before his next start against the Cubs on the road.
Ha-Seong Kim has been a target of mine for a few weeks, and he’s finally getting it together after a tumultuous season. He’s batting .346 with two home runs in the last week.
Drake Baldwin joins his new teammate as one of the hottest batters over the past week, batting .393 with three homers in the last week. The Braves will end their season against the Nats and Pirates, and you could hardly ask for a better set of matchups for Kim and Baldwin.
Poor MacKenzie Gore was on the receiving end of the Braves’ ministrations. He looks to end his season against the White Sox on Sunday if he isn’t shut down early.
ESPN
Verlander got a write-up in the Yahoo! section, along with Drake Baldwin.
Emmet Sheehan delivered a gem against the Giants on Sunday, pitching seven scoreless innings and racking up 10 strikeouts. He lines up against Seattle on the road for his final start, and I’m all in on that.
Mickey Moniak was one of my picks last week – I dropped James Wood for him, and it paid off nicely. He’s benefited greatly from a six-game homestand at Coors Field, but he’ll pay for it in the final stretch. He’ll play his last two series in the anti-Coors ballparks of Seattle and San Francisco. It’s time to let the Maniak go for now.
Caleb Durbin is the latest in the long line of Brewers popping up into fantasy relevance. He’s batting .330 with four home runs and five steals in the last month. His power has dropped off a bit, but he’s still swiping bags and putting the ball in play. The Brewers will end their season against the Padres and Reds, neither of which is scary enough to fade Durbin as a solid across-the-board contributor.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for every streaming option for the rest of the season. Cam Schlittler against the Orioles on Saturday and Verlander against the Rockies on Sunday are two I would try to nab a day or two early, just in case.
