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
Jake Bauers (MIL), 1B/OF (Yahoo – 54%)
After a game on Saturday where he had four walks, a home run, and a stolen base, Bauers is the highest-priority player to be added off the waiver wire at the moment. This was just a continuation of what has been a breakout season so far for Bauers in the Milwaukee Brewers lineup. In 221 plate appearances this season, Bauers is now up to a team-leading 11 home runs, 5 stolen bases, 37 runs, and 40 RBI. His 0.485 expected slugging percentage, 0.365 xwOBA, and 149 wRC+ also back up what he’s been doing.
Bauers did sit on Sunday against a left-handed pitcher, but he’s played consistently enough that it’s more like a scheduled off day that just so happens to be against a lefty. He’s been one of the better hitters on the entire Brewers roster, making him closer to a full-time player. He’s also eligible in the outfield, which has surprisingly turned out to be the weakest hitting position in fantasy baseball this season. Add Bauers anywhere he’s still available.
Curtis Mead (WAS), 1B/2B/3B (Yahoo – 27%)
Now that the hype around Mead has cooled off and his roster rate has stopped rising, it’s time to talk about Mead again and reiterate how good he’s been this season. He’s also picking things back up after launching a two-run home run on Saturday as well as drawing a walk. This is a player worth keeping the faith with, and hopefully you’ve done that in places where you added him already. I still see a really good skill set here, specifically for points leagues, with his great plate discipline, but with nine home runs already in only 177 plate appearances, he has upside value in all leagues.
Colt Emerson (SEA), 3B/SS (Yahoo – 26%)
The Seattle Mariners are one of only two teams this week with a seven-game schedule, and it’s a great time to give Colt Emerson a shot. While he hasn’t done much else so far, it is impressive that he already has four home runs in only 65 plate appearances. With a 0.542 slugging percentage and 139 wRC+, he’s showing more ability to hit for power than fellow rookie Ryan Waldschmidt, for example. With six righties on the schedule as well, I love Emerson in this spot. Add him and get him in your lineup anywhere you have a need he can fill.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Shane Drohan has been a popular add, and I’m buying into what he’s been doing after another strong start on Sunday. Since he’s getting stretched out for the Milwaukee Brewers, it’s encouraging to see that he pitched into the seventh inning in Coors and threw 83 pitches. He pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs, and a walk while striking out four. He’s worth the add anywhere you need starting pitching.
Cade Cavalli stands out for his consistent ability to go deep into his starts as of late, although that wasn’t as much the case on Sunday for him against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I still like the skills and the Aaron Nola impression he does with a good curveball. He should be productive as long as he’s healthy, and has a better win chance than you’d expect with a much improved Washington Nationals offense backing him.
Noah Cameron was mentioned last week in the Streaming Pitchers section of my article last week, and he came through in dominant fashion against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. He pitched well again Sunday, finishing a dominating two-start week where he went a combined 13 innings, allowing four hits, no runs, and no walks while striking out 15. He’s returning to the form we saw last year, so add him while you still can.
Michael Soroka continued his run of success this season, and he is deserving of some attention here. He was on the other side of Cade Cavalli on Sunday and outpitched him, going seven innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and one earned run while striking out six on 100 pitches. It’s good to see Soroka being given a long leash here, and he now has a 3.28 ERA over 74 innings this season. He really should be rostered everywhere at this point.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings, which he releases every day before any games have been played. It’s a great resource to use all season long. Check them all out here.
Andrew Abbott (CIN), SP (Yahoo – 66%)
The streaming options for Monday are very limited, so only Abbott will be mentioned here since he’s the only one I feel comfortable recommending here. Abbott has been much better over his last six starts, dating back to May 5th, where he’s had a 2.12 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 34 innings in that span. It’s an especially good time to use Abbott, who lines up to face the San Diego Padres on Monday. The Padres have been one of the worst offenses against left-handed pitching, with the 3rd-lowest batting average against them so far this season at 0.216. They’re also not especially dangerous against them either, with the 4th-lowest home run total as a team with 11. It’s a great time to use Abbott in your lineups.
