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
Dalton Rushing (LAD) – C (Yahoo – 16%)
Rushing has been extraordinarily productive, hitting .286 with eight home runs and a 156 wRC+ across 118 PAs. It’s impossible to say what his true talent level is, although his PLV metrics, including a 118 Process and 122 Power, have me pretty excited. And, really, his true talent level may not matter; with Will Smith on the IL, he has a window of opportunity in a loaded Dodger lineup, and that’s all you can ask for. And not for nothing: Rushing has outperformed Smith in the albeit-limited sample we have seen from him this season.
Zack Gelof (ATH) – 2B, 3B, OF (Yahoo – 22%)
Gelof has peppered the box score lately. But his home runs from Monday and Tuesday came in Las Vegas, and there’s the rub; that park is certifiably nuts. Still, those in standard-sized leagues who don’t have King Ketel, Turang, Wetherholt, Altuve, Otto, Jazz, Albies, etc., might want to give Gelof a whirl. He has demonstrated dual-threat abilities with eight home runs and six stolen bases while hitting .266 with a 113 wRC+ across 183 PAs. But I have to confess: his PLV metrics (97 Power, 99 Process) are just average-ish, so it might not be surprising if this turns out to be a mirage. And his 88 Contact suggests his strikeout issues might reappear. The warts are there, but the results have been good enough to put him on the radar as a regular in a powerful A’s lineup.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Braden Montgomery received yesterday’s spotlight. Drafted 12th overall by the Red Sox two summers ago out of Texas A&M, the 23-year-old lefty was a key piece of the deal that sent Crochet to Fenway. He debuted Tuesday, hit sixth, and went oppo on a changeup from Raisel Iglesias for a walk-off home run in the tenth. In case you were wondering, that was the fifth time in history that has happened. Not bad. He has some swing-and-miss risk, but the thump in his bat is well worth chasing.
Jake Crumpler featured Brandon Young in last Saturday’s SP Roundup. In short, Young has demonstrated the ability to earn whiffs with his heater, but his secondary pitchers have lagged behind. He is a decent bet for a W or QS, but his 9.4% K-BB% indicates that we are looking at a guy with a limited ceiling.
Kody Clemens has come alive lately for the Twins. The Rocket’s son has some thump in his bat (116 Power via PLV), but he’s just a play for deep daily leagues as a righty masher, sorta like Gavin Sheets or Joc Pederson.
It’s good to see Max Scherzer is back. Seeing him go out injured isn’t what anyone wanted. But sadly, it doesn’t look like he has the skills anymore to warrant anything more than a desperation streamer.
Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett started yesterday afternoon’s game at the Trop, and the Rays tagged him for five runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He should stick in Boston’s rotation a bit longer after Bello got optioned to Triple-A Worcester, but he hasn’t given us any reason to get too excited after his first three turns.
Reid Detmers most recently tossed a gem at Dodger Stadium. He has been volatile throughout his career, but his 20.7% K-BB% makes him well worth a roster spot in just about any league. He’s 60th on The List.
Nick is a little less fond of Foster Griffin, although his 3.63 ERA and 1.10 WHIP are a little better than Detmers. He’s 77th on The List, aka the Land of the Tobys.
Christian Scott most recently blanked a toothless Padres lineup in San Diego across five and change innings. He is slowly but surely demonstrating the talent that made him a big prospect before being derailed by Tommy John surgery. He’s 56th on the most recent edition of The List, where Nick speculated that Scott will be drafted in most leagues next season; that’s a good enough reason for me to add him everywhere.
Ryne Nelson holds a 4.60 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through 13 starts. He has cruised lately, most notably holding the Dodgers to just two earned runs over seven innings last Thursday. His 10.4% K-BB% doesn’t jump off the page, but he is worth a roster spot in most leagues, especially those that value QS. He’s 52nd on The List.
Speculative Players to Add
Jasson Domínguez (NYY) – OF (Yahoo – 10%)
Domínguez had a huge game Tuesday with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. With Judge on the shelf, he could have a window of opportunity. Aaron Boone didn’t commit to activating him off the IL right away, but he has enough power/speed potential that I’d want to add him in pretty much any five OF league.
Royce Lewis (MIN) – 3B (Yahoo – 21%)
An abysmal start sent Lewis to Triple-A St. Paul, but he has four hits, including a home run last night, since returning last Saturday. It’s a dice roll to see if he rediscovered the swing that made him a top prospect not that long ago.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Hunter Dobbins (STL) – SP (Yahoo – 1%) at NYM
Let’s scrape the barrel for a guy who is available almost everywhere. Dobbins tossed 78 pitches in bulk relief last Friday and will get his first regular start today. The 26-year-old righty doesn’t have anything exciting in his arsenal, but those in 15-teamers can roll the dice here against a Mets lineup that has thus far generated an 87 wRC+.
Tomorrow:
Gage Jump (ATH) – SP (Yahoo – 26%) vs COL
This game will be in Vegas with added risk. Still, Jump has shown enough that I’m tempted to roll the dice against the Road Rockies.
Deep League Players to Watch
Lars Nootbaar (STL) – OF (Yahoo – 4%)
Noot is back in our lives after returning from the IL (heel surgery). He will probably be benched against left-handers. However, he has started well, with a .353 OBP and an excellent hard-hit rate. He should be scooped in any daily five-OF league. The 28-year-old lefty was a breakout candidate years ago, but that’s probably gone. Still, if he clicks, he could be a discount version of Brandon Nimmo.
