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
Travis Bazzana (CLE) – 2B (Yahoo! – 50%)
Bazzana is looking convincingly like a first overall pick. He had a slow start to the season, but it’s been a different story for the last month.
He has 5 HR, 5 SB, and a .277 average. On the season, he has 7 HR, 12 SB, and an .832 OPS. He wasn’t expected to top 15 HR coming into the season; seeing him at 7 already bodes incredibly well for a player with his SB production and rock-solid batting average. He’s been batting leadoff for several weeks now, against both left- and right- handed starting pitchers.
Bazzana is shaping up to be an incredibly well-rounded baseball player. He’ll contribute across all categories, and he’s worth a look in leagues of all sizes.
Owen Caissie (MIA) – OF (Yahoo! – 4%)
Caissie has a strikeout problem. His K% sits at 38.9% on the season, which might well be the worst in the league. In spite of this, he’s managed a respectable enough .708 OPS. His barrel rates and exit velocity are excellent, and it wouldn’t take much improvement in the strikeout department for him to become a legitimate fantasy asset.
In June, he’s managed to rein in his strikeout rate to a slightly more reasonable 31.4%. He was a 30ish% strikeout guy throughout his years in the minors, consistently posting 20-homer, .900 OPS seasons. It’s too early to add Caissie in 10-team leagues, but if he can maintain his current performance, he’s well worth a look in anything deeper.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Sean Burke, Peter Lambert, and Shane Baz are all firmly in the streamer category. They’re all fine, but I wouldn’t prioritize adding any of them.
Sam Antonacci is having a fantastic rookie season. Plate discipline and speed are his primary assets, but he’s putting on a good show power-wise as well. I’m regretting not writing about him as a priority pick, though most of his production has come fairly recently.
Caleb Durbin is really good at not striking out, and sadly, not much else. He’s been on a terrific heater all month, but his average on the season still sits at .220. Ride the wave if you like, but he won’t keep this up forever.
ESPN
Peter Lambert, Sean Burke, and Shane Baz are all firmly in the streamer category. They’re all fine, but I wouldn’t prioritize adding any of them.
Justin Wrobleski has been stellar. He doesn’t offer too much in the way of strikeouts, but he’s delivered plenty of wins and an excellent 2.71 ERA.
Eduardo Rodriguez just keeps rolling. Like Wrobleski, the only nitpick is in the strikeout numbers, but everything else has been fantastic. It’s hard to argue with the results here, both Rodriguez and Wrobleski should be rostered until they stop producing.
Deep League Players to Watch
Ryan Kreidler (MIL) – SS, OF (Yahoo! – 1%)
Kriedler is working his way into the starting shortstop job for the Twins. The 28-year-old hasn’t stuck at the major league level before, but he’s maintaining an .888 OPS in 37 games this season. His plate discipline is his biggest selling point (18.5 K% and 10.9 BB%), but there’s enough power to push him into interesting fantasy territory. It’s the classic lift-and-pull profile, with a solid barrel rate helping him get on the board. He has 4 HR and has started in the Twins’ last four games, against both LHP and RHP. He’s not quite a 12-team-league player, but I’m very interested in him in AL-only leagues.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for a complete breakdown of every start over the next few days.
Today (Wednesday): Gage Jump (ATH) (43% on Yahoo!) I’m a big fan of Jump and I’m excited to see what he can do with a pitcher-friendly ballpark and a pitcher-friendly opposing lineup like the Giants.
Tomorrow (Thursday): Troy Melton (DET) (30% on Yahoo!) I’m a big fan of Melton too, and the Astros are a fair streaming matchup. Like Jump, Melton has the potential of being rosterable long-term, and now’s the perfect chance to try before you buy.
