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.
Top Priority Players to Add
Ryan Waldschmidt (ARI), OF (Yahoo – 6%)
It’s quite the surprise to find that Ryan Waldschmidt is only owned in 6% of Yahoo leagues currently, especially when you consider the fact that he’s mostly been as advertised since being promoted by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his first 15 games to start his career, Waldschmidt has four stolen bases, a 0.340 batting average, 0.404 OBP, and a 139 wRC+. He is also showing that his good plate discipline is a reliable trait, with an elite sub-18% chase rate. It’s not the type of thing you see even from a player debuting who does have good plate discipline, so that’s quite impressive from such a young hitter.
Waldschmidt hasn’t hit a home run yet, but has four doubles and a bat speed over 73 mph, which suggests he won’t have a problem hitting the ball hard enough to hit for power. His fast swing percentage is right around 20%, so he could probably also be more aggressive and tap into his power potential that way sooner rather than later. He’s a good player, and if this is the worst he’s going to be, then he should be rostered more.
Paul Goldschmidt (NYY), 1B (Yahoo – 2%)
I couldn’t help but follow up Waldschmidt with Goldschmidt here, with the irony being that it’s perfectly justified. Goldschmidt has been pretty good so far this season, and it’s mostly gone unnoticed. Maybe it’s his age, or the fact he doesn’t have an every day role in the Yankees lineup. The truth is though, that since Giancarlo Stanton went down with an injury, he’s been an everyday player for the New York Yankees. It’s a small sample size for Goldschmidt at 360 pitches seen so far this season, but he currently holds the second-highest process+ behind Yordan Alvarez and ahead of his teammate Ben Rice at 143. In daily lineups, or even weekly at the moment, he’s hitting well enough to be rostered just about everywhere, even if you’re not starting him.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Peter Lambert struggled on Sunday in a tough matchup against the Chicago Cubs on the road, but it still wasn’t a blowup start and it doesn’t fade my enthusiasm for him going forward. He should continue to be a good volume option who earns quality starts, and as a pitcher off the waiver wire, it’s hard to ask for much more than that. His spot in the Houston Astros rotation is secure, and they have no reason to hold back and baby him, so he’d be a great addition to your team if he’s available in your leagues.
Martín Pérez has been a worthy streamer so far this season, as a productive starter on a good Atlanta Braves team. His role is far from secure, but as long as he’s starting, he can be useful in the right matchups.
Ryne Nelson is way too under-rostered, and it’s likely due to the fact that his demise was greatly exaggerated. Over his last three starts, he’s proving to be exactly who he’s always been, logging a quality start in all three while having a WHIP below one. He’s likely to continue being an efficient pitcher who works deep into games while limiting baserunners.
Another one whose roster rate surprises me is Ryan Weathers. His season stats overall are good without needing to be split up, with 61 strikeouts over 50.1 innings with a 3.58 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. As long as he’s healthy and starting for the Yankees, Weathers should be rostered everywhere as long as that’s the case.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings, which he releases every day before any games have been played. It’s a great resource to use all season long. Check them all out here.
Ben Brown (CHC), SP (Yahoo – 19%)
Brown has the first of two starts this week coming on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the other coming over the weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals. So far, his transition back to a starting role with the Chicago Cubs has gone well. He followed up back-to-back scoreless outings with a start against the Milwaukee Brewers, where he was able to complete five innings on 82 pitches. He allowed seven hits, two walks, and three runs while striking out six. With a sinker added to the mix for Brown, it remains to be seen if he has a wide enough arsenal to succeed as a starter. While that’s definitely an unknown, this is a spot where he can reasonably be used with a two-step pitching for a Chicago Cubs team that should give him a good chance at a win or two.
Zebby Matthews (MIN), SP (Yahoo – 17%)
So far in his return to the majors, it’s gone well for two starts for Zebby Matthews, with two quality starts where he’s combined to only give up two earned runs. While there’s been nothing convincing yet to show he’s a different pitcher this time around, it’s still a good opportunity to give him a shot here after his first two starts went so well. He lines up to face the Chicago White Sox on Monday and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. It’s one of those things where it’s good to add Zebby regardless, because if he has two more good starts, he’s going to be in much higher demand on the waiver wire this time next week.
