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 you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Cole Carrigg (COL) – OF (Yahoo! – 16%)
Carrigg is a speed-first Rockies rookie with enough game power to make a significant splash in Coors. He posted a .943 OPS in 60 games at Triple-A this season, with six HR and 30 SB. He’s already up to three HR in seven games in the majors, two of which came away from Colorado. It took him until last night to steal his first base of the season, but I’m sure it will prove to be the first of many.
Carrigg was a mostly unheralded prospect. He wasn’t expected to debut this year: he didn’t make it to Double-A until last season at age 23 and looked overmatched when he did, despite being old for the level. No one anticipated him performing well at Triple-A. Yet he flew through it and kicked down the door to the big leagues. He really has the perfect profile for Coors and should see plenty of playing time. He could prove to be one of the better speed-first hitters, but he lacks the track record to make him a particularly safe bet. I’m adding him wherever he’s available; a speed specialist with a decent hit tool and 15 HR power plays everywhere.
Noelvi Marte (CIN) – SP (Yahoo! – 43%)
Marte looks like a different hitter since returning from Triple-A. He broke camp with the Reds, but was on an extremely short leash and was promptly sent down after posting a .331 OPS in 31 plate appearances. He demolished Triple-A, to the tune of a .984 OPS with 9 HR in 40 games. He rightfully got the call and rejoined the big-league team at the start of June. He’s only played in eight games since rejoining the team, but he has three HR, two SB, and a .912 OPS in that span. He’s hitting better across the board since his first stint in the majors this year. These are small samples on both ends, but his K% is down from 32% to 18%, his Chase % is down from 47% to 32%, and his barrel rate is up from 0% to a very good 12.5%.
He has sat in three games, including last night. While he’s not in a platoon, his playing time may still be a concern. That’s likely enough to keep him off your radar in shallow leagues, but he has the profile for a 20-20 or better season. He’s made real improvements since returning from Triple-A, and he’s worth a look everywhere if his playing time crystallizes.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Brandon Young was the first of the day’s streamers, with a great matchup in a road trip to T-Mobile. He got the exact quality start with 6 IP and 3 ER, with just 2 Ks. He’s a fine back-of-the-rotation arm, but you can find plenty like him on the wire.
Andre Pallante drew a good matchup against the anemic Padres’ offense. He delivered, going 7 IP with 2 ER and 6 Ks. He doesn’t generate many whiffs, and he doesn’t have enough going for him to make him stand out for fantasy purposes.
Willi Castro is on a heater with two HR in the last week with a .348 average over the last month. Excellent positional flexibility makes him easy to find a spot for, and it’s worth working him into your roster while he’s playing like this.
Foster Griffin got the job done yet again, going 6 IP with 1 ER and 6 SO. He’s the more reliable Andre Pallante and Brandon Young.
Reid Detmers with another gem alert. Seven scoreless innings with just three hits. Only three strikeouts in this one is the only nitpick, but it’s hard to deny what Detmers is doing right now.
ESPN
Reid Detmers, Willi Castro, and Brandon Young received write-ups in the Yahoo! section just above.
Javier Assad faces the Rockies later today. He’s thrown 12.1 scoreless innings against the Giants since June 7th, and he looks like the ideal stream for today. His hold on a rotation spot is in jeopardy with Matthew Boyd making his return in the next week or two, but Assad should hopefully win out over Colin Rea.
Peter Lambert is another solid-not-amazing back-of-the-rotation arm. There’s probably an excellent German word for that hyphenated abomination.
Deep League Players to Watch
Garrett Mitchell (MIL) – OF (Yahoo! – 5%)
Mitchell boasts elite contact and power numbers, but is hamstrung by his 35.2% strikeout rate. It’s the streakiest profile imaginable, and Mitchell is on a hot streak with a .304 average over the last month.
Speculative Adds
Mick Abel (MIL) – OF (Yahoo! 16%)
Has been fantastic in his rehab starts and should be back in the next week or two. Velocity on his fastball is up, and he’s been a strike-machine at Triple-A.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for a complete breakdown of every start over the next few days.
Today (Wednesday): Javier Assad (CHC) (13% on Yahoo!) will face the Rockies at Wrigley today. Great matchup, and Assad has been rock-solid of late.
Tomorrow (Thursday): Shane Drohan (MIN) (15% on Yahoo!) tallied seven strikeouts in his last start. It might be a do-or-die start for Drohan if he wants to stick in the rotation, and Cleveland is looking particularly streamer-friendly with José Ramírez out.
