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
Drake Baldwin (ATL) C (15% rostered on Yahoo!)
I mentioned Baldwin last week, but I’m going back to him again. Brian Snitker continues to deploy a loose platoon at catcher; last night, Baldwin hit second against righty Zac Gallen. Baldwin’s roster rate has dropped five or so points since last week, and I get it; he is tough to latch onto in standard formats, given the platoon, plus Sean Murphy has played well, hitting nine home runs in limited action. But simply put, Baldwin is a special talent. He entered last night’s game hitting .321 with a .380 wOBA and a 14% K rate across 114 PA. He won the NL Rookie of the Month Award for May, and last night axed Gallen’s shutout in the fourth inning with his sixth longball. Per Inside Edge, his 57% hard-hit rate ranks 12th in baseball. He’s coming.
Parker Meadows (DET) OF (26% rostered on Yahoo!)
The Tigers’ offense has been quite productive, ranking eighth in team wOBA. Two nights ago, they received reinforcements by way of Parker Meadows returning from the 60-day IL with a nerve issue, and AJ Hinch threw him right into the fire by having him hit leadoff against a righty two nights in a row. Through 82 games last year, Meadows hit .244 with nine home runs and swiped nine bags, so you don’t have to squint too hard to see an outfielder who could approach a 20/20 season.
Andrés Giménez (TOR) 2B (49% rostered on Yahoo!)
Giménez returned last night from the IL, hit ninth, and went 0-for-3. He was hitting just .195 before the strained quad, so he was easy to forget about. But he has also stolen 30 bases in each of his past two seasons. For now, he’s probably just a one-category contributor in standard formats. Still, he’s only 26, so there’s a decent chance we haven’t seen his best yet, which might happen in a Blue Jays lineup that’s suddenly looking much better with rebounds from George Springer and Bo Bichette. Plus, the Rogers Centre is much friendlier for lefty home runs than Progressive Field, according to Statcast’s Park Factors.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
A strained hamstring for Mark Vientos has afforded an audition for Ronny Mauricio. The 24-year-old switch-hitting infielder was one of the Mets’ top prospects before tearing his ACL while playing in the Dominican Winter League in 2023. Before the injury, Mauricio demonstrated his broad talents by bashing 23 home runs while hitting .292 with a .369 wOBA across 532 PAs with Triple-A Syracuse; he also stole 24 bases. Later that season, he hit his first big league home run, a 440-foot, 112.4 EV shot off Ryne Nelson. I’m unsure how the Mets plan to deploy him; he hit seventh last night against Kershaw and played third base with Brett Baty on the bench. Regardless, he’s certainly worth a spec add to see what happens.
Sandy Alcantara got the dream matchup last night against the road Rockies and turned in six innings of one-run ball with four Ks. That’s his second quality start of the season, but does it count coming against an historically inept Rockies’ lineup? I don’t know. It pains me to say it, but the version of Sandy we’ve seen doesn’t need to be rostered. Although he gets another good matchup against the Pirates this Sunday, so there’s that.
Hats off to Ernie Clement; he’s hit well lately, including home runs this past Thursday and Friday. The Jays have some wiggle room in their lineup with Anthony Santander on the IL. Still, Clement seems like a flash-in-the-pan, considering he’s mustered a .287 wOBA over 1,005 PAs in his career.
Max Muncy went yard twice last night, giving him six over the past week. He’s 61% rostered on Yahoo, and that should probably be higher, considering he hit 36 home runs just two years ago and has a career .352 wOBA. The batting average is gonna be rough, and he’ll lose some at-bats against left-handers, but he’ll get a ton of RBI opportunities hitting in the middle of the best lineup in baseball.
As you may have heard, Jac Caglianone is the latest stud prospect to get called to the show. Last year’s sixth overall pick hit .322 with 15 home runs and a .427 wOBA across 50 games with Triple-A Omaha before the promotion. He went hitless in last night’s 10-7 win over the Cards, although he did record the highest EV of the game at 113.9.
O’Hearn continues to be a cog for the Orioles and arguably their most consistent hitter, especially with injuries to Tyler O’Neill and Jordan Westburg. He’s sixth among qualified hitters with a .413 wOBA. That’ll play.
Drew Rasmussen has tossed six in each of his past three starts and is #27 on Nick’s latest list; that is to say, he should be rostered.
TJ Friedl is hitting .439 over his last ten games as the Reds’ leadoff man. He’s not a must-roster by any means, but his career .337 wOBA is more than respectable, making him a good grab if you need to fill an injury-related hole in your lineup.
I’m fairly certain I dumped cold water on Abbott as a must-add, considering his previous track record. And then, he went on a historic run, posting the lowest ERA (0.55) in May since Nolan Ryan in 1984 (minimum six starts). Your welcome! I still think it’s sorcery, but that doesn’t matter. He’s #42 on Nick’s latest List.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streaming article.
Jack Leiter (TEX), SP (33% rostered on Yahoo!)
Hopefully, you avoided Jacob Lopez last Thursday against the Jays. That was painful, and also what I get for chasing an unproven rookie. And here I am again with another rookie. I never learn. Alright, well, at least Al Leiter’s son has shown us something we can hang our hats on: an exceptional heater and prospect pedigree. The 25-year-old righty most recently subdued a Cards lineup that’s tenth in team wOBA. He’ll face the Rays next, and similar to the Cards, PLV grades them in the solid tier. I’ll admit Leiter’s 6.7% K-BB% has me a little spooked, especially with Brandon Lowe’s sudden resurgence, but he’s my gamble for Thursday’s probables below 40% rostered.
Leiter talk aside, I’d definitely prefer Grant Holmes if he’s available in your league. The Real Estate Broker is 45% on Yahoo! and has done Yeoman’s work of late, most recently racking up nine Ks against the Red Sox. Holmes will face a stiff test in the D’Backs, a team PLV pegs in the top tier. However, he will also oppose a pitcher who was crushed his last time out in Brandon Pfaadt, so he could get some run support.
Speculative Adds
Ryan Yarbrough (NYY) SP (36% rostered on Yahoo!)
Look, I was perfectly fine ignoring the Fratty Pirate’s great game against the Angels last Tuesday, but then he had to go out and blank the Dodgers Sunday night. The 33-year-old lefty has posted a 2.83 ERA and 0.99 WHIP after five turns through the Yankee rotation plus 15.1 innings out of the pen earlier this year. His 17.9% K-BB rate is also the highest of his career. Can he be the unicorn that can succeed in this age with a Reagan-era fastball? The thing is, he’s done it. If you look at his Statcast page, you’ll see that he’s posted average EVs in the bottom fourth percentile each year of his career since 2018. That sort of continued hard-hit suppression is pretty astounding, if you think about it. The question is, can he do it as a starter, considering he hasn’t logged more than nine starts since 2021? Well, that’s why he’s in the speculative section. This could easily turn to dust, but pitchers with low walk rates on winning teams tend to be useful.
Edward Cabrera (MIA) SP (20% rostered on Yahoo!)
E-Cab might be the bizarro-world Yarbrough. He pitches for the Marlins, is right-handed, has flashed strikeout upside, but with boatloads of walks and wonky command. However, that last bit might be a thing of the past, with his control looking much improved over his last two starts against the Angels and Giants. Cabrera has taken turns tantalizing and teasing over the past two years, but could finally be on the verge of a breakout. He’ll face a more challenging test this Friday against the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Tyler O’Neill (BAL), OF (38% rostered on Yahoo!)
The Orioles got Colton Cowser and could be getting another big bat soon in Tyler O’Neill, who has been out since May 18th with a shoulder impingement that might have been related to his earlier neck injury. O’Neill traveled with the team to Seattle, suggesting his return isn’t too far off and makes for a good IL stash. Remember, he bashed 31 home runs with Boston in 113 games last year, so there’s still time for him to have a big summer at Camden Yards.
Deep League Players to Watch
Andrew Benintendi (CWS) OF (2% rostered on Yahoo!)
The former Razorback fell just short of scintillating last season, hitting .229 with a .298 wOBA across 522 PAs with the White Sox. But, hey, he hit 20 home runs! Turn the clock back a year earlier, he hit five home runs in 621 PAs. Yes, you get the point; he’s been brutal for a while now. Still, he’s been hitting cleanup, and his PLV Power+ is well above average at 111 through 95 BBE. I’m somewhat intrigued. Fine, just be glad I didn’t mention Scott Kingery.
Rowdy Tellez (SEA) 1B (1% rostered on Yahoo!)
Tellez was a crush of mine heading into 2023, the year after he swatted a career-high 35 home runs. Spoiler alert: My unrequited admiration was met with a disastrous season. He fell further into the abyss last season, hitting just 13 home runs in 421 PAs with the Pirates. However, last night he obliterated a hanging curveball from Tomoyuki Sagano for his ninth dinger. Sure enough, Rowdy’s PLV Power+ through 96 BBE is looking pretty good at 115, about a standard deviation above league average. Let’s see if he can keep up the promising start.
For more deep leaguers, check Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire column every Thursday and Saturday.
