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. 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.
Top Priority Players to Add
Dylan Moore (SEA), 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF (42% rostered on Yahoo, 33% rostered on ESPN)
Yes, Dylan Moore is eligible for all of those positions for Yahoo users. If you’re an ESPN user, you still get 4/5, losing the first base slot. Moore has been exceptional as of late, with the series against the Cincinnati Reds perhaps looking like his big break. Moore is a real Swiss Army knife type player, not just in terms of position but also what he brings stats-wise. He has been a demon in category leagues as of late, as his batting average is well above what you’d expect to find on the wire, and he’s already hit nearly half of last year’s home run total. Is this level of offensive production sustainable? Maybe not, but his xStats certainly show that he can be a really solid player moving forward. We haven’t gotten into what he is most known for yet, his scrappiness on the basepaths. Moore stole 32 bases last year, which is something we can expect should he continue to get on base at a higher clip than he did in previous years.
There are a couple of concerns with Moore. The first being that he has slid up and down the Mariners’ lineup. He hit leadoff in his two-homer game against the Reds, but immediately went down the order his next time out. Don’t always expect the runs and RBI that come with being in a prime lineup spot, though, for a team like the Mariners, he may have to manufacture those himself. The other issue is his home ballpark in Seattle, which we now affectionately refer to as the “TEA”. This is a brutal environment for hitters, especially during the Spring leg of the season. Still, Moore has shown us a lot lately, and if he is available in your wire, he could be a really useful piece to fill in whatever roster spot you need (unless your need is pitching).
Austin Hays (CIN), OF (8% rostered on Yahoo, 4% rostered on ESPN)
Speaking of players who showed up during the Reds/Mariners series, how about Austin Hays?
The longtime Oriole made this Reds debut in game one of the series, where he immediately made a great first impression, going 2-4 and hitting a home run in the process, driving in four runs on the day in an 8-4 romp. This awarded him the cleanup hitter spot for the next game, though it was definitely the weakest of the three. He bounced back by hitting a home run in the fifth spot the next day, earning him a slot in today’s top priority players column.
Hays looks to play a major role in a Reds team looking to take a step forward. This is a team that has struggled to produce runs at many points this year, so his presence is a blessing for the lineup. What makes his prospects in Cincinnati really exciting for fantasy managers, though, is the ballpark he’s in. GABP is an excellent hitters’ park, something you should always keep in mind when Reds are on the wire. A major role + a hitter-friendly environment is an excellent recipe for players looking to bounce back, so you should grab Hays while you can, even if the expected stats for him aren’t the most eye-popping.
Gavin Sheets (SDP), 1B, OF (8% rostered on Yahoo, 10% rostered on ESPN)
Over the off-season, Gavin Sheets went from one of the worst situations to one of the best. He left a barren White Sox lineup to become the DH against righties for the Padres. He’s looked great thus far, batting well above .300 for a team that has looked unstoppable. He has made a career out of managing launch angles, as he has one of the best sweet spot percentages in the Majors year in and year out. You combine that with a slight improvement in bat speed, and you can see why Sheets is a very useful player for the Padres. Their lineup is performing incredibly well right now, and Sheets is playing his part perfectly.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Luis L. Ortiz was by far Friday’s most added player, with many hoping he could continue to bring the magic against his hold team, the Pirates. There has been quite a bit of hype in the fantasy community around this start, as he was even our very own Kyle McCarthy’s streaming pick in Thursday’s waiver wire article. Ortiz’s last time out saw him pitch a gem off the back of a four-seamer that earned whiffs galore against a bamboozled Royals team. In his start against the Pirates, he continued showcasing his swing-and-miss stuff, notching 8 strikeouts in 5 innings. The WHIP wasn’t amazing, and he did allow two runs, but he earned the win as the Guards blew out the Pirates. This start ultimately goes down as a streaming pick win.
We already spoke about Dylan Moore and his exceptional start to the season. Moore being the most popular hitter to add off the wire shows why you should be quick in bringing him onto your squads. Pavin Smith is another incredibly hot hitter worth your attention, as he has taken the three-hole in the electric Diamondbacks lineup, at least when matching up against righties. He dominated against a struggling Marlins team, hitting two home runs in the three-game sweep in Miami. It feels like Diamondbacks hitters have been very popular adds from the wire this year, which makes sense considering how potent of an offense they have.
When will the David Peterson magic end? We hope never! After being a pretty mediocre pitcher over the years for the Mets, he seemed to turn a corner last year, at least in the ratios department, as he put up a stellar 2.90 ERA. It’s happening again this year, as the ERA is even lower, though the WHIP is higher. It’s been strange to see, as he still allows an above-average number of hits per nine and struggles to avoid the free baserunner via the walk. Peterson was a popular pickup yesterday due to the matchup against the Cardinals, and he looked pretty solid. He allowed three runs in less than 6 innings off 7 hits, but he also fanned 9.
Tyler Fitzgerald feels like a similar pick to Moore, though with slightly fewer eligible positions and weaker underlying numbers. He looked really good in the series against the Phillies, clobbering a home run and going 3 for 5 in the Giants’ 11-run affair. Fitzgerald doesn’t have the best power or contact skills, but he has shown a great ability to pull the ball, which has led to apparent overperformance compared to the expected stats. There’s a lot to like about Fitzgerald here, though there is some risk, especially as, similar to Moore, he hits in a pitchers’ park near the back of the lineup.
Geraldo Perdomo is clearly this week’s mainstay, as we’ve highlighted him in each of the last few articles. He’s hitting high up the Diamondbacks lineup and is showing serious plate discipline and plus contact skills. If you need to up your batting average, this is a guy to target, though he will be increasingly hard to claim off waivers with his growing popularity.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is another guy we have spoken about at length on here. It’s hard to really tell if he’s the kind of player you want to chase. He’s electric on the basepaths for sure, running freely and nabbing bags left and right with his 97th percentile sprint speed, but his offensive profile is somewhat questionable. He hasn’t demonstrated much power or contact ability, at least not consistently. If you need some stolen bases, PCA might be your guy. Just as long as he is able to get on base, which he can struggle to do at times.
Tyler Mahle has impressively kept getting the job done in every start so far, following his ugly season debut against the Red Sox, where he struggled to find the zone. Despite the poor velocity on his fastball, Mahle has generated whiffs on the pitch due to excellent IVB, the perceived vertical rise of the pitch. It’s still hard to know how legit this is, as his statlines so far have certainly been unexpected, and he’s shown some struggles with the secondaries, even if they grade out well by our very own pitch-tracking stat, PLV. The main concern with picking up Mahle, though, is simply his next matchup, a date with the Dodgers.
Drew Rasmussen has been awesome so far this year, even despite his 5-inning limit. He will eventually be stretched out, but in the meantime, he is still a worthwhile add. He’s incredibly unhittable, employing fastballs that are difficult to barrel up. Most of his starts thus far have looked the same, as he’s around a 1 WHIP, strikeout-an-inning type of arm. In his start against the Yankees last night, he looked dominant. He pitched much better than the statline showed, and the stats looked pretty good already. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this Rasmussen start is that the Rays brought him back out for the sixth inning. Once Ras regularly makes it into the sixth, we could be having serious conversations about him being a fantasy ace.
Okay, enough Dylan Moore! We get it, he’s awesome, and you should pounce on him as soon as you can!
Category Specific Players to Add
Jake Mangum (TBR), OF (8% rostered on Yahoo, 7% rostered on ESPN)
The Rays have seen lots of production out of their Triple-A call-ups, as Kameron Misner and Jonathan Aranda have been highly talked about waiver pickups. Jake Mangum deserves some love, too, even if the underlying numbers don’t show the sustainability of production as much. Mangum is an all-hustle player. He slaps singles all over the infield, relying on his wheels to get him to first base. He is currently batting a ridiculous average, largely due to his refusal to whiff and strike out. Once on the basepaths, Mangum is a menace. He currently has seven steals, which is surely to be near the top of the ranks on your league’s wire. If you need to up your average or grab some steals, Mangum might be the guy for you.
Chase Dollander (COL), SP (18% rostered on Yahoo, 9% rostered on ESPN)
This one is scary, and I’m not 100% sure I can recommend it. There is a LOT of risk with Chase Dollander. Young pitchers struggle enough to find consistency, but the fact that you add in Coors Field to the equation makes Dollander a player you should seemingly avoid. Yet, he’s striking batters out at a 29% clip. If you need the strikeouts, this could be a huge play. With games against Washington and Kansas City coming up, Dollander could help you rack up the Ks you need. Just be careful in matchups at home, as the ratios will very likely not be super pretty. It’s also hard to see him adding to your win column, with just how awful the Rockies have been. Tread with caution with Dollander.
Streaming Pitchers
WAIT! You haven’t read Nick Pollack’s starting pitcher streamer rankings for today? Get on that pronto. He ranks every expected starter for each day, highlighting who you should start, sit, and claim off waivers. The whole series of these can be found here: https://pitcherlist.com/category/fantasy/sp-streamers/
In terms of whom I would recommend you pick up? A couple of names come to mind.
Shane Smith (CWS), SP (14% rostered on Yahoo, 9% rostered on ESPN)
Even if he seems raw, there’s a lot to like about what we’ve seen from Shane Smith this season. The Rule 5 draft pick has been off to a hot start this season, putting up great ratios and nabbing some strikeouts along the way. His last start against Boston was pretty good, even if he started to labour as it went on. Whenever Smith is on, I try to watch. I think we are seeing a future stud in the making here, as he will continue to improve as the season grows older. It’s also worth noting that the Red Sox have struggled to find offensive consistency, as they have been striking out quite a bit lately.
Ben Lively (CLE), SP (7% rostered on Yahoo, 2% rostered on ESPN)
There are certainly many more exciting players to go after, as Ben Lively is admittedly not a very flashy option. Despite the deceptive shape, his low-velocity fastball doesn’t generate a lot of swing-and-miss. With that said, it’s hard to turn down a juicy matchup with the Pirates. Will Pittsburgh ever break out of the trend of being the team managers circle to stream against? This seems like a game with a solid win chance and an opportunity to get some cheap ratio help.
Deep League Players to Watch
Chandler Simpson (TBR), OF (6% rostered on Yahoo, 1% rostered on ESPN)
With Richie Palacios back on the IL, the Rays have elected to call up Chandler Simpson. Simpson is FAST. He runs the bases like few players we have seen, producing highlight reel plays in the process. His power is severely lacking, but with his incredible contact skills and baserunning, he could be a big play for those needing to up their average or add some stolen bases.
