Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players 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 tell you which players to add and which to leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Connelly Early (BOS) – SP (Yahoo – 53%)
The Atlanta Braves entered last night’s game at Fenway Park with a 112 wRC+, third behind the Dodgers and Yankees. And they had also just seen Early two Fridays ago. But guess what? It didn’t matter. The 24-year-old lefty blanked the Braves across seven innings, dropping his ERA to 2.95. His 13.7% K-BB doesn’t jump off the page, but he has very clearly turned his game up a notch in May. Simply put, he’s a really talented young pitcher on the rise who ought to be rostered in all leagues. Don’t forget the Sox had this kid start last year’s do-or-die Wild Card Game in the Bronx. He’s legit.
Jared Jones (PIT) – SP (Yahoo – 40%)
The Pirates haven’t made Jones’ return official, but it’s just a matter of when, considering he tossed 76 pitches this past Thursday with Triple-A Indianapolis. It wasn’t the cleanest outing; he allowed three runs on two hits and three walks. However, his ramp-up has gone without a hitch, and his velocity has been better than ever. It also seems like he’s worked on his two-seamer; that’s pretty exciting for a guy whose four-seamer regularly flirts with triple digits. Last time we saw Jones two years ago, he recorded a 4.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and an 18.5 K-BB% over 121.2 IP. He’s ranked 32nd on The List.
David Sandlin (CWS) – SP, RP (Yahoo – 5%)
A 25-year-old righty drafted by the Red Sox in the 11th round four years ago, David Sandlin was part of last year’s Devers trade and posted a 21.2% K-BB rate across six starts with Triple-A Charlotte before last night’s debut against the Twins. And how about that debut? Yes, it was quite good. He averaged 97.7 mph with his four-seamer and, after surrendering a leadoff bomb to Buxton, retired 18 batters in a row. He only struck out four (7 whiffs on 29 swings). However, he was mind-blowingly efficient, needing only 61 pitches to finish six innings. Maybe some adrenaline had his fastball up a notch, but either way, I’m very curious to see where this goes. I mean, c’mon, that leadoff home run was the only baserunner he allowed. Woah.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Spencer Horwitz is slashing .289/ .391/ .467 with six home runs through 184 PAs. His 13% K rate and 14% BB rate are great, but his 91 Power leaves me unexcited. Paul Goldschmidt, to me at least, seems like a more interesting CI; his 138 Power has me thinking he might have one last big summer in his bat. That would be fun.
Jameson Taillon entered last night’s game against the Pirates with a 5.20 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. Yes, we know he’s certainly better than that, but even still, he’s just a streamer.
Ernie Clement and Brooks Lee are similar; they are probably best left for points leagues, where their lack of power and speed is offset by their low K rates. I’d give the edge to Clement; his 8.3% K rate is stupid good, whereas Lee’s is merely good at 17.9%. Toronto’s lineup also provides more R/RBI upside.
Casey Mize cruised last night, but unfortunately, he left after four innings with a groin injury. Regardless, he had been on a roll, clearing six innings in four of his past five starts. Overall, he owns a 2.27 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and a career-best 18.7% K-BB rate. Sure, his 4.95 PLV is kinda meh, but there’s no way you can leave him on the wire. He’s 69th on The List.
Michael Soroka is the other option here on ESPN that ought to be on more rosters. He earned his seventh win yesterday and owns a 3.25 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and an 18.5% K-BB rate. He’s 44th on The List.
Andrew Abbott has been on a roll recently, including another solid outing last night against the Mets. Still, I’m a little spooked by his 4.9% K-BB.
Steven Matz, like Taillon, is a streamer. However, unlike Taillon, Matz didn’t get the job done last night and was pecked to death by the Orioles at Camden Yards. So it goes.
Hitting .291 with an .887 OPS, Casey Schmitt continues to be a revelation. His track record (he entered the season with a career 85 wRC+) suggests now might not be a bad time to sell high. Still, I get it if you want to keep rolling with him.
Speculative Adds
Matt Boyd (CHC) – SP (Yahoo – 54%)
Boyd remains available in plenty of leagues due to all the injuries that have swept the league. He is on the mend after a freak knee injury and should be back sometime in June. He recorded a 3.21 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP across 31 starts last season, so we know he can be a difference-maker.
Anthony Volpe (NYY) – SS (Yahoo – 7%)
Volpe entered the season with an 85 wRC+ and a .222 batting average across 1,886 PAs; that’s an awfully long sample size to ignore. But he has done well since returning from the IL. At 25 in his fourth season, this feels like his last chance to prove he can hit enough to be a regular player. Hey, there are worse darts to take.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) – SP (Yahoo – 15%) at DET
We’ve only got six games to pick from today. Colin Rea completed seven frames against the Astros in his last start and will face the Pirates; that might work, but he’s also going against Skenes, so the win will be difficult. Let’s roll the dice with G-Rod. The results have been bad, but he deserves a third shot against a Detroit team that has been below average offensively (95 wRC+). If all goes well, there is at least a small chance that he becomes someone you will want to keep on your roster.
Tomorrow:
Stephen Kolek (KC) – SP (Yahoo – 16%) at TEX
Kolek’s CGSHO against the Mariners featured a good bit of dumb luck; he had just two strikeouts and seven whiffs. Regardless, Globe Life Field is a pretty decent place to pitch, and the Rangers have been meh offensively (97 wRC+).
Deep League Players to Watch
Curtis Mead (WAS) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 7%)
Ben Pernick highlighted Mead in last week’s Buy & Sell. In short, his profile looks pretty darn intriguing right now, with an 82nd-percentile K rate of 15.6% and a 90th-percentile BB rate of 14.2%. He hit two jacks during Washington’s demolition of Tanner Bibee two nights ago. And has hit third or second in each of the past four games for the Nats; that’s a pretty juicy spot, considering they boast the fourth-best wRC+ in baseball as a team at 111. Who would have thought?
