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
Nick Kurtz (A’s), 1B (27% rostered on Yahoo!)
Last year’s fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest, Kurtz sank the Astros Monday night with his first walk-off bomb. He has been featured a ton here since debuting on April 21st, and his thunderous stick is starting to make very loud noises. The tater off Bryan Abreu two nights ago provides a microcosm of his gargantuan upside, it being the longest home run hit by an Athletic in the Statcast era (447 feet).
Evan Carter (TEX), OF (36% rostered on Yahoo!)
Carter’s roster rate has skyrocketed, with him looking like a post-hype breakout. The .281/.361/.516 slash speaks for itself. He also hit leadoff last night with Josh Smith out of action. I’ll admit, I’m skeptical, considering how much Carter struggled last year, particularly with his lack of Power and egregious swing decisions (37 zDV+). Still, he’s a 22-year-old super-athlete who is about a year or so removed from being one of baseball’s quickest rising prospects.
Will Warren (NYY), SP (51% rostered on Yahoo!)
Yes, the 4.83 ERA and 1.33 WHIP isn’t pretty, but he’s missing bats at a fantastic clip. Last night, he fanned a career-high 11, one of which came on a beautiful backdoor sinker to Mike Trout. Warren’s control has waned at times, but he encouragingly didn’t issue a free pass last night. Granted, the rookie field isn’t terribly strong at the moment, but he currently leads the field with 90 Ks; Chad Patrick is second with 76. His 18.1% K-BB would be 24th among qualified starters.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Brooks Lee homered Saturday and Sunday, but judging by his PLV profile, we probably shouldn’t expect that too often (84 Power+). Still, he has shown good bat-to-ball ability and could be a decent source of batting average as a regular for the Twins. He has played all over the infield and should be locked in at third with Royce Lewis on the IL.
Like Lee, Josh Smith has played a little everywhere for the Rangers and has been quite productive, hitting .288 with seven dingers, eight steals, and a .351 wOBA. He has shown good contact ability while recently emerging as the Rangers’ leadoff man. A hamstring injury kept him out of last night’s lineup, but Bruce Bochy seems to think it won’t cost him much time.
Giancarlo Stanton returned from the IL on Monday and has hit cleanup two nights in a row. The 2017 NL MVP has hit .212 over his previous three seasons (325 games), but you know he’ll be a good source of HR/RBI whenever he gets rolling.
Ben Brown has a terrific curveball that can spark some big strikeout games, but his four-seamer is lacking, leaving him prone to blow-ups. He started last night against the Brewers and struck out five, while allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. His curveball produced six of his seven whiffs (86 pitches). Nick has said it a bunch and I agree; he’s more or less stuck without another pitch to lean on.
Zack Littell has done a great job throwing strikes (3.2% BB) but lacks an arsenal that should get you too excited. He faced the Orioles last night and bagged a quality start, allowing three runs, including a solo shot to Colton Cowser over six innings. I’m not very excited for his next start against the Tigers.
Jay-Mis debuted last week and had everyone buzzing over his silly-good fastball. Walks might be a problem, but there’s no way he can be left on the wire.
Clarke Schmidt held the Angels scoreless on four hits and no walks while pitching into the eighth on Monday, but the suddenly futile Yankee offense denied him his fourth win. Schmidt holds a 2.98 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 16.3% K-BB over his last 27 starts going back to last season. Even if that regresses a little, there’s plenty of room for him to be a solid fourth starter. However, I fear we’ve been sold a bill of goods with this Yankee lineup, so wins might be hard to come by. I’m kidding…sort of.
David Peterson delivered the first complete-game shutout of his career last Wednesday against the Nats and tossed seven innings while allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks in a 5-4 loss to the Braves last night in Atlanta. Much like Schmidt, Peterson has performed well with a 2.74 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over his previous 33 starts going back to 2024.
Jameson Taillon has just a 20% K rate, but his reverence for avoiding free passes has made him a strike-throwing machine; he’s tied for sixth with ten quality starts and finished tied for seventh last season. Taillon’s excellent 5.18 PLV corroborates he’s sparkling 0.98 WHIP. He’ll face the Brewers on Wednesday and be opposed by the rookie sensation Jay-Mis.
Category Specific Players to Add
Nolan Schanuel (LAA), 1B (14% rostered on Yahoo!)
Two years after being drafted 11th overall out of Florida Atlantic, Schanuel entered last night’s game against the Yankees rocking a .375 OBP. He cuts a strange profile as a first baseman with excellent plate skills (13.2%K/11.8% BB) but below-average pop (92 Power+). Still, his 124 Contact Ability+ indicates he should help your batting average.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streaming article.
Erick Fedde (STL), SP (18% rostered on Yahoo!)
Fedde has just a 5.4% K-BB% through 14 starts; that’s not ideal, to say the least, but if he is ever going to have a ceiling game, it’ll be against the White Sox. Besides, a little revenge narrative never hurts, right? Kidding aside, Fedde has regressed substantially since logging a sparkling 3.30 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 31 starts last season, so this is a dice roll based on the matchup.
Edward Cabrera (MIA), SP (17% rostered on Yahoo!)
If you want to throw caution to the wind or are just looking to gain ground in strikeouts, consider E-Cab. He cruised early this past Saturday, fanning five of the first seven men he faced, but, alas, he ran into some fella named James Wood. Normally, I’d completely ignore the matchup against the Phillies, and that’s probably the sane thing to do, but their lineup isn’t as strong with Bryce Harper on the mend. Cabrera, meanwhile, has always possessed tantalizing swing-and-miss stuff and has shown signs of a legitimate breakout, shattering his reputation as a perennial tease. However, there is something else you should know: he has failed to reach 70 pitches on either of his last two starts, underscoring that he’s a long shot at netting a win or a QS. Still, I think he should at least be on your radar, because he’s nasty.
Speculative Adds
Dylan Lee (ATL) RP (8% rostered on Yahoo!)
Brian Snitker recently relieved Raisel Iglesias from closing duties. Dylan Lee, meanwhile, has posted a 2.03 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with a 20.2% K-BB across 3o innings. Lee hasn’t notched a save since Iglesias’ apparent demotion. However, as Rick Graham mentioned in Tuesday’s Closing Time, Lee’s recent usage suggests he could be in line for save opportunities. Sure enough, he pitched the ninth inning in last night’s 5-4 win over the Mets in extras, although he might’ve coughed up the lead if not for a brilliant catch from Ronald Acuña on a flyball hi by Pete Alonso.
Orion Kerkering (PHI) RP (16% rostered on Yahoo!)
Kerkering pocketed his first save Monday night in a 5-2 win over the Marlins; Jordan Romano pitched the seventh, and Matt Strahm got the eighth. Kerkering hasn’t allowed a run over his last 16 appearances, but as Rick Graham has also noted, the streak seems somewhat spurious, considering his 6% K-BB. Still, Kerkering could receive more chances to slam the door if that pecking order sticks.
José Soriano (LAA) SP (24% rostered on Yahoo!)
Soriano’s 8.2% K-BB isn’t great, and neither are his pitch quality metrics (see below). Still, he has gotten brilliant results over his last two turns, including a seven-inning shutout in the Bronx and a dozen punchouts against the A’s. You have to be at least a little interested, no?
Cam Smith (HOU) 3B/OF (11% rostered on Yahoo!)
Armed with elite swing and sprint speed, Cam Smith entered the season as a popular breakout candidate, but his rookie season had been rather quiet. Well, until last night when he went 4-for-5 with a pair of dingers. In yesterday’s PLV Power Report, I mentioned that Smith was someone who had shown above-average power but was perhaps bogged down by having faced a preponderance of good pitching. Smith’s 64 Pitch Runs+ is tied for the second-lowest among all hitters who have faced at least 400 pitches, which is to say, his introduction to big league pitching has been every bit a trial by fire, which might warrant extra patience. Last night’s outburst reminded everyone of the talent that led to him being drafted by the Cubs 14th overall out of Florida State a year ago.
Deep League Players to Watch
Reid Detmers (LAA), RP (13% rostered on Yahoo!)
Detmers earned his second save last Wednesday in a 6-5 win over the A’s. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since May 17th and has quickly asserted himself as a high-leverage option in Ron Washington’s pen. Let’s keep an eye on Detmers as a potential closer handcuff should anything befall Kenley Jansen.
For more deep leaguers, check Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire column every Thursday and Saturday.
