Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top 10 Pickups for MLB Week 3
A new week, another batch of waiver-wire additions just the way you like 'em: hot and fresh out of the oven.
Some players mentioned last week—including Trevor Bauer, Miguel Castro, Alex Rodriguez, Shane Greene, Jimmy Nelson and Mike Moustakas—are already owned in many leagues, but they remain quality pickups if they're available.
In the interest of keeping the names new, though, let's avoid any repeats. Here are the top 10 waiver-wire pickups for Week 3.
Just Missed
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A.J. Burnett, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (30.4 Percent Owned)
Miguel Gonzalez, SP, Baltimore Orioles (21.7 Percent Owned)
Edinson Volquez, SP, Kansas City Royals (36.3 Percent Owned)
Dexter Fowler, C, Chicago Cubs (20.9 Percent Owned)
Luis Valbuena, 2B/3B, Houston Astros (1.8 Percent Owned)
Josh Reddick, OF, Oakland Athletics (5.6 Percent Owned)
Odubel Herrera, SS/OF, Philadelphia Phillies (1.9 Percent Owned)
Yasmany Tomas, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (15.4 Percent Owned)
Will Middlebrooks, 3B, San Diego Padres (1.0 Percent Owned)
Everth Cabrera, SS, Baltimore Orioles (1.2 Percent Owned)
Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (22.5 Percent Owned)
Jeff Locke, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (2.5 Percent Owned)
Chris Heston, SP, San Francisco Giants (16.9 Percent Owned)
Alex Guerrero, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers (9.1 Percent Owned)
J.T. Realmuto, C, Miami Marlins (0.1 Percent Owned)
No. 10: Kevin Plawecki, C, New York Mets (0.0 Percent Owned)
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When Travis d'Arnaud was hit by a pitch Sunday, thus fracturing his hand—an injury that no doubt will keep the injury-prone backstop out quite some time—fantasy owners lost an emerging top-10 player at the position off to a hot start.
The good news is, those with a quick transaction finger can pick up a very good replacement simply by sticking with the New York Mets' replacement. Youngster Kevin Plawecki will be called up from Triple-A to fill in for d'Arnaud and do so as the everyday catcher, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
Plawecki, 24, is one of the Mets' top prospects, thanks to his status as a 2012 first-round pick and a career slash line of .292/.368/.435. He lacks the same type of pop d'Arnaud possesses, but Plawecki might be a better natural hitter given his knack for making good, hard contact and lots of it (10.5 percent strikeout rate in the minors).
As with any brand-new big leaguer, there's bound to be an adjustment period, but Plawecki has it in him to be a useful fantasy catcher. For now, he just might be an ideal No. 2 in leagues that start more than one, but he has the potential to be C1 eventually. As a short-term, shot-in-the-dark replacement at a shallow position, he's worth a look for those who lost d'Arnaud.
No. 9: Anthony DeSclafani, SP/RP, Cincinnati Reds (16.5 Percent Owned)
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Anthony DeSclafani flew under the radar as a pitching prospect in the Miami Marlins system the past few years, in part because his minor league numbers were more good than overwhelming and in part because he struggled in his brief trials in the bigs.
Now with the Cincinnati Reds, who acquired him for Mat Latos in the offseason, the just-turned 25-year-old looks like a capable major league starter. Through his first two outings, DeSclafani held two pretty good offenses, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, to just seven hits and three walks in 13 innings to go with 11 strikeouts.
Well, the young right-hander's next start is Monday at the Milwaukee Brewers, who are floundering with the worst record in baseball at 2-10, struggling on offense with the fewest runs scored so far and won't have the injured Carlos Gomez, to boot.
In the very near term—like, today—that makes DeSclafani an add and start. In the long run, he's probably a streaming option with upside to stick around on your roster in 12-team leagues or NL-only formats.
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No. 8: Stephen Vogt, C/1B, Oakland Athletics (41.0 Percent Owned)
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This past week was a big one for Stephen Vogt.
Not only did the 30-year-old go 7-for-19 (.368) with a pair of homers and four RBI as the starting catcher for the Oakland Athletics, but he also picked up eligibility at the position, making him that much more fantasy-friendly.
Vogt doesn't have top-five catcher potential, but as the primary backstop for the A's—the lefty swinger will cede some time to righty-hitting Josh Phegley against southpaws—he could hit enough to be on the fringe of the top 10. In his 160 career games in MLB, Vogt owns a .263 average with 16 homers and 60 RBI.
He's rather unknown, but then again, Oakland is among the very best clubs at getting the most out of players you know the least.
No. 7: Avisail Garcia, OF, Chicago White Sox (42.5 Percent Owned)
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Avisail Garcia is off to a fine-enough start, hitting .286 with six runs, a homer, three RBI and a steal through 10 games, but there's another reason he's worth grabbing if still available.
The 23-year-old, who has long been an intriguing talent going back to his days as a Detroit Tigers prospect, has been hitting in a prime spot in the Chicago White Sox lineup. Against right-handers, Garcia is batting fifth; and against lefties, he's been swapping with Adam LaRoche as the cleanup man.
Anyone who gets to come to the plate behind a front four/five of Adam Eaton, Melky Cabrera, Jose Abreu and LaRoche is in a good spot to pick up plenty of RBI. For now, consider Garcia an OF4, but he easily could put up numbers befitting an OF3.
No. 6: Rajai Davis, OF, Detroit Tigers (21.0 Percent Owned)
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Sometimes fantasy owners are so quick to hop on the proverbial next big thing. In the case of the fast and steady Rajai Davis, that would be Anthony Gose, the center fielder acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays last November with whom Davis has been splitting time at the outset of 2015.
Yes, Gose is off to a quick start with a .393 average, six runs and a homer and steal apiece. But the 34-year-old Davis has the proven track record as a player who is a lock for 30-plus stolen bases and who won't hurt hurt his owners in any category.
Oh, and there's this: In the Detroit Tigers' last eight games, it's Davis who has played seven of them, compared to just three for Gose, whose profile really fits as more of a defensive replacement/pinch runner.
Anyone who is hitting atop arguably the top offense in baseball, as Davis does when he plays, is going to benefit quite a bit. And with three steals already, he's off to the races for his seventh straight with 30 swipes.
No. 5: Brandon Morrow, SP/RP, San Diego Padres (11.6 Percent Owned)
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Ever the fantasy tease for his talent that so often gets undercut by his health, Brandon Morrow is at it again.
Now 30 and in the NL for the first time with the San Diego Padres, Morrow has hurled two gems in his first two turns, giving up just two runs on 15 baserunners in 14 innings with 12 whiffs. It's that last category that Morrow has used to tantalize owners everywhere for years, as he owns a career 9.3 strikeouts-per-nine mark.
Alas, Morrow threw just 87.2 frames across 2013-14 with the Toronto Blue Jays while battling injuries, and he has made it past 150 innings but once in his first eight campaigns. The track record? It's not pretty.
Because injuries have been a constant and continuous problem, it's best to get what you can from Morrow while he's healthy. Which is to say, at the moment.
Maybe not his next time out, though, as Morrow goes Tuesday at Coors Field. You might want to add him but keep him in reserve to avoid any high-altitude ugliness. And do recognize that his first two starts came against the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks, two teams that don't exactly feature a murderer's row lineup.
No. 4: Carlos Rodon, SP, Chicago White Sox (2.6 Percent Owned)
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Late Sunday afternoon, news broke that Carlos Rodon, the Chicago White Sox's top prospect and arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball, would be promoted Monday, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.
This completes a meteoric rise to the majors for the 22-year-old southpaw, who was drafted No. 3 overall just last June.
Here are the deets on Rodon's stats in the minors between last year and this, from Scott Merkin of MLB.com:
"Rodon, 22, fanned 13 over 10 innings and walked four, bringing his professional totals to 51 strikeouts and 17 walks over 34 2/3 innings. The organization's goal was to have Rodon stay with the team once he made the jump and not go back and forth between the Minors and Majors.
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The reason Rodon isn't slightly higher on this list? Because he's headed for a bullpen role, at least initially. That will suppress his fantasy value a good amount, but his talent is very much for real, and Rodon easily could find his way into the rotation before the end of the first half, if either he pitches well or one of Hector Noesi and John Danks continues to underwhelm.
You'll need to exercise some patience until then, as the initial return won't be all that exciting, but Rodon has it in him to pitch like an SP3 once he's starting. And that means this year.
No. 3: Brandon McCarthy, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (37.7 Percent Owned)
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When it comes to Brandon McCarthy, you could get stuck on his 4.50 ERA and say, "I'll pass." Or you could look just a little deeper and see reason to say, "Sign me up!"
There's a reason the 31-year-old landed a larger-than-many-expected $48 million pact from the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason, and he's showing it with a very strong 25-to-3 strikeout-to-walk rate through his first three starts with his new club.
While the ERA is inflated due to six home runs—the long ball has been a bit of a bugaboo for him in his career—McCarthy does have the stuff to be a really good fantasy starter when he's on. Remember that 2.89 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 14 starts with the New York Yankees last year?
His most recent go, on Sunday, was his best yet of the young season, as he shut out the dangerous Colorado Rockies over six innings.
Now that he's on a Dodgers team that should help his wins total and allows him to take the mound at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium half the time, McCarthy really needs to be owned in all formats. Sure, he's sometimes prone to a blowup outing, but on the whole, if you hang tight, McCarthy could reward you with production equivalent of an SP4 in fantasy.
No. 2: Denard Span, OF, Washington Nationals (30.7 Percent Owned)
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Having spent the first two weeks—and the better part of the offseason, really—recovering from surgeries (yes, plural) on his core, Denard Span made his sooner-than-expected return Sunday.
Although his fantasy value has fluctuated over the years from very good to not so useful, the 31-year-old is primed for a follow-up to what was a career year in 2014, as long as he can stay healthy.
For one, he immediately resumed his enviable role hitting atop a deep and talented Washington Nationals lineup that slowly has been getting healthier and should only continue to become more productive, especially as Jayson Werth finds his rhythm, Anthony Rendon gets back and Span gets going.
For another, Span, who led the NL with 184 hits while batting .302 with 94 runs and 31 steals a year ago, is a free agent at year's end, so he just might have a little extra motivation to stick on the field and put up numbers.
Don't expect a repeat of those stats, but Span could come close, which would make him a quality OF3 once again.
No. 1: Steven Souza Jr., OF, Tampa Bay Rays (49.8 Percent Owned)
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It's not often that a player with 20-20 potential is just sitting on the waiver wire, but that is the case, as Steven Souza remains available in about 50 percent of ESPN leagues.
The big get in the somewhat controversial trade in which the Tampa Bay Rays shipped away Wil Myers, Souza started out just 2-for-16 in his first six games. But since? The soon-to-be 26-year-old has caught fire, going 11-for-29 (.379) with five runs, three homers, nine RBI and three stolen bases in his past seven.
That's quite a week, huh? And it shows why the Rays liked Souza, who hit .350 with 18 homers and 26 steals at Triple-A last season.
If Souza can keep up the power-speed combination and approach 20-20, he'll be a third outfielder in fantasy. If he can maintain a batting average north of .280—it's at .289 entering Monday—he might flirt with being an OF2.
That's unlikely, though, given that Souza probably is going to be a super streaky player judging by his 19 strikeouts in 51 plate appearances. Enjoy him while he's hot—like now—and endure him when he's cold, like last week.
Either way, Souza should be owned everywhere, so get on it, will ya?
All ownership percentages courtesy of ESPN Fantasy Baseball. Players owned in more than 50 percent of leagues were not considered.
Statistics are accurate through Sunday, April 19, and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
Need more fantasy baseball help? Come pepper me with your questions on Twitter today at 11 a.m. ET @JayCat11
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