Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Week 19

In weekly FAAB leagues, your waiver wire claims have likely already been processed. Our FAAB Insights articles are great sources for finding targets ahead of weekly waiver deadlines.

Here, you will find players you can pick up if you have daily waiver claims or if you are able to pick up players throughout the week.

These are players you should consider adding from the waiver wire for matchup number 19 who are available in 60% or fewer of ESPN leagues.

 

Catcher

 

Freddy Fermin (C – KC) 1% Rostered

Freddy Fermin is officially on fire. In his last seven games, he has three home runs, six runs, five RBI, and a .368 AVG. Here is his latest homer:

A Freddy Fermin homer to start the scoring! pic.twitter.com/hx0MBTbpXB

— Royals Daily (@RoyalsDaily_) July 30, 2023

On the season, Fermin has eight homers, 21 runs, 26 RBI, and a .308 AVG. He has earned significant playing time after racking up more runs, homers, RBI, and hits (in fewer at-bats) than Salvador Perez over the last 30 days.

Fermin’s .358 BABIP may be too high to sustain, but considering he has a solid 20% line drive rate and 42% pull rate, it should not fall off too much. He also has a 22% K rate and 76% contact rate, both of which are better than the league average for catchers. This is due to his excellent Strikezone Judgement according to our PLV data:

His run production has been impressive as well. Fermin’s 138 wRC+ is nearly 50 points higher than the 89 wRC+ average for catchers this season. He has excellent hard contact which has led to his eight homers this season, including four since July 23, a driving force behind his wRC+.

Fermin has a 12.6% barrel rate and a 44.1% HardHit rate that would rank second and fourth respectively among qualified catchers if he qualified.

With his combination of hard contact, line drives and pulled balls, and above-average contact skills at the position, he makes for an excellent waiver wire option at catcher.

Honorable Mention: Cal Raleigh (30%), Ryan Jeffers (1%), Yainer Diaz (9%), Mitch Garver (3%), Andrew Knizer (0%), Luis Campusano (1%), Yan Gomes (10%), Gary Sánchez (9%)

 

Corner Infield

 

Curtis Mead (3B – TB) 2% Rostered

Curtis Mead made his big league debut on Friday, August 4, going 1-for-1.

Curtis Mead knocks have arrived in The Show!

MLB's No. 31 prospect (@RaysBaseball No. 3) slashes the first pitch he sees for a hit: pic.twitter.com/ieAJidQxxi

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 5, 2023

He earned the promotion after batting .291 with three homers, 25 runs, 28 RBI, and three steals over 46 games in AAA.

This season in the minors had been a bit of a down year for Mead in terms of power considering he began the season injured. He had 10 homers in AA last season and seven in A ball in 2021 in a similar amount of games. Across all levels in 2022, Mead had 13 homers and seven steals, and in 2021 he had 15 homers and 11 steals. Power has not been his calling card, but he could add a modest amount of pop and some steals with a decent batting average that could be very valuable for the last two months of the fantasy season.

While Mead’s power may not be his best asset, his ability to hit for average should outweigh that issue. He left three of nine minor league stints with an AVG below .280 – one stint was two games and another was four games. He could definitely help some fantasy teams in need of a player who can hit for average considering the league average batting average is .248.

Mead should definitely be on your waiver wire radar for the week ahead.

Honorable Mention: Jeimer Candelario (31%), Ryan McMahon (30%), Carlos Santana (22%), Joey Meneses (24%), Triston Casas (42%), Ryan O’Hearn (5%), Brandon Belt (1%), Mike Moustakas (2%), Jake Bauers (1%), Kyle Manzardo (1%)

 

Middle Infield

 

Brendan Rodgers (SS – COL) 11% Rostered

Brendan Rodgers made his long-awaited season debut on July 31, going 1-for-4. Since then, he has had two RBI and a .238 AVG in five games played.

Rodgers has a small sample size this season, so looking at his history presents the best outlook for him. Last season, Rodgers had his best year in terms of RBI and runs scored, finishing with 63 and 72 respectively. He hit 13 homers after hitting 15 in 2021. Rodgers also improved his walk and strikeout rates last season from the prior one. He dropped his chase rate between 2021 and 2022 and lost only a half percent on his contact rate.

Another good sign for Rodgers is that he added to his barrel and HardHit rates from 2021 to 2022. His 7.2% barrel rate ranked just below league average, while his 45.9% HardHit rate was well above league average. He already has one barrel in 22 plate appearances this season and has improved his HardHit rate again to 46%.

Rodgers has a 46% pull rate and a 26% LD rate, albeit in very few at-bats, but if he can continue to trend in the right direction in terms of plate discipline, hard contact, and directional contact, he could reward fantasy managers in August and September.

Rodgers is an excellent candidate to take a chance on if he is available on your waiver wire this week. And just for fun, here he is launching a bomb during his rehab assignment this season:

Brendan Rodgers with his first home run of the season! He now has three consecutive multi-hit games as part of this rehab assignment.

B5: River Cats 7, Isotopes 1 pic.twitter.com/stCnrsEVnU

— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) July 29, 2023

Honorable Mention: Maikel Garcia (7%), Luis Rengifo (11%), Jon Berti (4%), Jordan Westburg (5%), Wilmer Flores (30%), Zack Gelof (4%), CJ Abrams (28%), Brice Turang (2%), J.P. Crawford (14%), Masyn Winn (1%), Trevor Story (17%)

 

Outfield

 

Cade Marlowe (OF – SEA) 1% Rostered

Cade Marlowe earned the call from the Mariners on July 20. Since then, he has two homers, six runs, six RBI, two steals, and a .313 AVG. And his second homer was a grand slam:

Cade Marlowe – Seattle Mariners (2)
pic.twitter.com/y6bBa1IKOj

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 4, 2023

Marlowe has appeared in all but four games since his debut this season, most recently sitting out against a lefty pitcher in favor of Dylan Moore. Even if he lands in a platoon, Marlowe should see the bulk of the at-bats on the heavier side of the platoon.

Marlowe was excellent in AAA this season, hitting 11 homers with 52 runs, 47 RBI, 25 steals, and a .255 AVG. Last season, across two levels, he went 23/83/102/42/.286. He posted similar numbers across the lower levels of the minors in 2021 and has already shown his ability to hit for power and to swipe bags in the majors.

Marlowe has a 46% pull rate this season in the majors, a skill that he honed in the minors and that should continue to reward him with hits in the majors. He just needs to drive the ball better – his line drive rate sits at a very low 11%. If he cannot drive the ball more, he likely cannot continue to sustain a BABIP and AVG over .300. But with his ability to hit for contact (81% contact rate) it should not fall off too far.

Marlowe should be a waiver wire priority for anyone looking for outfield depth down the stretch.

Honorable Mention: Willi Castro (3%), Nolan Jones (5%), Christopher Morel (39%), Jarren Duran (30%), Lars Nootbaar (35%), Mike Tauchman (8%), Chas McCormick (36%), TJ Friedl (13%), Matt Wallner (1%), Sal Frelick (13%), James Outman (23%), Max Kepler (4%), Marcell Ozuna (20%), Dairon Blanco (0%), Tyler O’Neill (18%), Harrison Bader (13%),

 

Starting Pitcher

 

Kenta Maeda (SP – MIN) 24% Rostered

Kenta Maeda was due for some positive regression after a bad start in April ballooned his ERA to over 9.00. He missed time with an injury after that start, landing on the IL until late June. Since then, he gradually lowered his ERA to its current standing at 4.22. He could still continue to experience some positive regression to his ERA, making him an interesting player to add where available.

Since his return in June, Maeda has four quality starts, including a 3-2 W/L record. He has an impressive 72:16 K:BB ratio, and although he does not qualify, his 23% K-BB rate would rank fifth among qualified starters this season. Per our very own Nick Pollack:

Kenta Maeda since returning from the IL on 6/23:

8 Starts
43.2 IP
2.47 ERA
0.98 WHIP
34% Strikeout Rate

— Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) August 6, 2023

Maeda has a 10.8 K/9 rate, which is the second-best of his career, and a 2.4 BB/9 rate, which is the third-best of his career. He has his slider, splitter, and fastball to thank for his strikeout rate this season. The pitches have 28%, 37%, and 26% whiff rates and 25%, 23%, and 28% putaway rates respectively. Here is a look at his splitter:

Kenta Maeda, Wicked Splitters. 🤢

7th K pic.twitter.com/KQviRiTl9P

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 6, 2023

Maeda’s LOB% and GB% are a bit lower than usual, while his BABIP is a bit higher than usual, likely reasons for his 3.76 xFIP and 3.51 SIERA being better than his current ERA.

If Maeda is available on your league’s waiver wire, he is a must-add.

Honorable Mention: Steven Matz (16%), Kenta Maeda (24%), Seth Lugo (25%), Tanner Bibee (39%), Grayson Rodriguez (16%), Christopher Sanchez (19%), Nick Pivetta (21%), J.P. France (29%), Josiah Gray (15%), Tarik Skubal (19%), Michael Lorenzen (32%), José Quintana (6%), Braxton Garrett (27%)

 

Relief Pitcher

 

Matt Brash (RP – SEA) 4% Rostered

Andrés Muñoz looks like the main closer in Seattle after the departure of Paul Sewald via trade, but Brash should still find his way into enough saves to matter. While Muñoz has the edge on Brash in terms of velocity, GB%, and LOB%, Brash has a better K/9 and BB/9 rate than Muñoz, which should land him in the closer role should Muñoz struggle.

Brash’s 15 K/9 rate ranks third among relievers with at least 32 IP. His slider is a big part of that. The only other pitcher who has thrown a slider in at least 25 PAs with both a higher whiff and putaway rate on it is Josh Hader. Brash has a 50% whiff and 35% putaway rate on his slider, while Hader’s rates are 55% and 39% respectively. Here is a look at it:

Matt Brash getting a Whiff on a Slider half-way into the opposite batters box. 😯 pic.twitter.com/prGgngVIVn

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 1, 2023

Brash also tosses a fastball, curveball, and cutter, all of which have whiff rates over 27% and putaway rates over 20%. Despite inducing a number of whiffs, those three pitches each have been hit quite a bit. They all have batting averages against of .295 or higher. But on a positive note, all of their expected batting averages against are lower by anywhere from 10-59 points.

Aside from Brash’s stellar pitches, he also possesses a 74% LOB rate and a 47% GB rate, both of which rank above league average for relievers. Brash dropped his line drive and pull rate allowed from last season, but his BABIP has climbed to over .400. All of those factors likely explain why his 3.21 ERA is higher than his 2.65 xFIP and 2.54 SIERA.

At the very least, Brash should be rostered in leagues that count holds, but even in saves-only leagues, he should be considered from the waiver wire.

Honorable Mention: Adbert Alzolay (22%), Kyle Finnegan (12%), Pete Fairbanks (25%), Brooks Raley (5%),