Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top 10 Pickups for Week 20
Throughout the season, fantasy baseball managers envisioned better times via the trade market. Now with the deadline about up in most leagues, all of everyone's hopes transfer to the waiver wire.
Locking trades entraps owners into feeling their fates are set. With no portal left for deals, everyone is largely stuck to play the season out and watch the end unfold. Free agency is nice, but how many game-changers funnel through the open market?
You'd be surprised. Consider all the contributors who went undrafted in most standard mixed leagues. Brandon Crawford, Matt Duffy, Cameron Maybin, Carlos Correa, Jeurys Familia, Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Martinez have since made indelible marks, and there's still time to expand that list.
Don't get deterred during the dog days of summer. Keep examining the waiver wire for gems blistering under the sun.
Honorable Mentions
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Mixed Leagues
Jackie Bradley Jr., OF, Boston Red Sox
Nick Markakis, OF, Atlanta Braves
Marcus Stroman, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Steven Wright, SP, Boston Red Sox
Sean Doolittle, RP, Oakland Athletics
AL-Only
Greg Bird, 1B, New York Yankees
Travis Shaw, 1B, Boston Red Sox
Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Tyler Collins, OF, Detroit Tigers
Derek Holland, SP, Texas Rangers
NL-Only
Trevor Story, SS, Colorado Rockies
Cole Gillespie, OF, Miami Marlins
Chris Rusin, SP, Colorado Rockies
John Lamb, SP, Cincinnati Reds
Justin Nicolino, SP, Miami Marlins
10. Chris Coghlan, 2B/OF, Chicago Cubs (4 Percent Owned)
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Ask a casual baseball fan who won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2009, and few will answer Chris Coghlan. If not for the giant picture of him under a header reading "Chris Coghlan," plenty of readers would have needed some time to think about it.
Ever since his successful debut, which in hindsight was skewed by a .365 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), he fizzled into a fourth outfielder. That is until reinventing himself into an above-average position player on the Chicago Cubs.
The 30-year-old is hitting .246/.332/.426 with 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Although limited due to his inability to hit lefties, he has cemented the strong end of a platoon with great defense and a career-high 32.1 hard-hit percentage.
But the main reason to consider Coghlan? Starlin Castro's decline has caused the Cubs to slide Addison Russell over to shortstop, clearing space for the outfielder to log nine games at second base. In some leagues, that's enough to present him new eligibility at a scarcer position.
Coghlan certainly doesn't jump off the page as an outfielder, but a second baseman with double-digit homers and steals deserves a closer look in deep leagues.
9. Junichi Tazawa, RP, Boston Red Sox (12 Percent Owned)
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There's one pesky, kind-of-important detail derailing a Junichi Tazawa recommendation. In light of Koji Uehara landing on the disabled list with a season-ending wrist injury, the Boston Red Sox are seemingly handing over their closing duties to Jean Machi.
Need saves? Add Machi at your own risk. The 33-year-old reliever has tallied a 4.97 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 17 walks through 41.2 innings. Enduring the highest contact percentage and lowest swinging-strike percentage of his career, his time in the ninth inning won't last long.
Tazawa couldn't have picked a worse time to stumble. The 29-year-old righty has allowed 11 hits and five runs over his past six outings, including a blown save on Tuesday. If the Red Sox let recency bias cloud their judgment, he's running out of chances.
Yet looking at the full picture, he wields a 3.24 ERA and 2.77 fielding independent pitching (FIP), submitting 48 strikeouts and eight walks. Since 2012, only Uehara, Sean Doolittle and Kenley Jansen have a higher strikeout-to-walk ratio than Tazawa's 5.59.
While Machi is a mere filler, his teammate would morph into a steady No. 2 closer if given the chance.
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8. Enrique "Kike" Hernandez, 2B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (5 Percent Owned)
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Even hardcore baseball nuts will require a double-take when perusing Enrique "Kike" Hernandez's stat line. The 23-year-old is quietly hitting .300/.352/.513 during a 60-game sampling, filing six homers for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although Justin Turner returned from the disabled list, his revival came right after Howie Kendrick went down with a hamstring strain. Jose Peraza threatened to capitalize, but he only lasted two games to make room for Turner.
That demotion demonstrates faith in Hernandez, who's only two years younger than the top prospect acquired from the Atlanta Braves. He chastised the premature "utility man" label thrown his way to the Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez.
“I don't like it,” he said. “I'm only 23 and I believe I have a really long career ahead of me, and I really believe I can play every day.”
Defying expectations all year, Turner spent far too much time on the waiver wire. Beware making the same mistake with Hernandez.
7. Bruce Rondon, RP, Detroit Tigers (15 Percent Owned)
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Two weeks ago, Alex Wilson received inclusion as the Detroit Tigers closer despite personally preferring someone else: "Bruce Rondon throws gas and sports a 2.76 xFIP through 17 appearances, but his 7.24 ERA will shield him from the role."
So much for that.
Rondon has since lowered his ERA to 5.79 with one run through five innings. More importantly for fantasy gamers, he has compiled two saves as Wilson battled shoulder fatigue.
With Wilson back in the picture, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus wouldn't commit to one closer going forward, per the Detroit Free Press' George Sipple.
“Well the way Rondon has been pitching, I may end up giving him some more opportunities,” Ausmus said. “Doesn’t mean all of them. Rondon is obviously going to need days (off) as well, and Wilson would get opportunities then. Wilson is going to pitch in the back end somewhere. It may be in the ninth, it may be in the eighth.”
Even if Ausmus doesn't weigh Rondon's 2.95 FIP, he'll certainly notice a fastball in the high 90s leading to 28 strikeouts through 18.2 frames. His success hasn't materialized from nowhere, as dynasty players have labeled him Detroit's future closer for years. If he can fend off Wilson, the future is now.
6. Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies (35 Percent Owned)
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Once upon a time, Chase Utley ruled the fantasy realm as baseball's premier second baseman. Falling harder than any Game of Thrones character at any wedding, he hit .179/.257/.275 through 65 games before mercifully landing on the disabled list.
The veteran looks much sharper upon his return, going 13-for-26 with five doubles and a homer. In 28 plate appearances back, he's already halfway to matching his extra-base hits accrued through 249 plate appearances before succumbing to a lingering ankle injury.
While 36-year-olds regress, Utley posted a passable .270/.339/.407 slash line last year with 11 homers and 10 steals. Hardly the guy who hit .332 in 2007 or registered a 31-23 campaign two years later, but those numbers will do for a deep-league middle infielder.
A popular waiver trade candidate, he could play out the closing stretch for a contender with more offensive support. Keep monitoring his status, as a relationship with a new club could prove a home run for everyone involved.
5. Drew Smyly, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (46 Percent Owned)
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A popular breakout choice entering 2015, Drew Smyly instead started the season on the disabled list. After collecting 21 strikeouts and three walks through three starts, he went right back on the shelf with a serious shoulder ailment.
On Sunday, the main prize from last year's David Price trade returned from over three months out of action. Getting a tough tilt against the Texas Rangers at Arlington, he yielded five runs through four innings.
Few kept him in their season plans, but the 26-year-old righty now deserves another shot. He helped several owners secure titles last year, posting a 2.20 second-half ERA with 63 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.
Not everyone can ease Smyly back into action, but he's certainly worth adding in leagues with long benches or keeper settings.
4. Chris Bassitt, SP/RP, Oakland Athletics (30 Percent Owned)
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A caveat before drooling over Chris Bassitt's 2.60 ERA: It comes with a 3.66 FIP and 4.14 expected FIP (xFIP), which normalizes homes runs on fly balls. The 26-year-old newcomer won't carry owners to fantasy championships, but he's certainly worth a look.
In eight starts with the Oakland Athletics, he has allowed 14 earned runs over 50.1 innings, never surrendering more than three runs or two walks in a single outing. After getting by with few whiffs, he has amassed 29 strikeouts over his last 28.2 innings.
He'll struggle to sustain a .246 BABIP, but those rising punchouts are a promising sign. An afterthought in last year's Jeff Samardzija trade, he's now the latest in a long line of unassuming Athletics acquisitions to harbor sneaky fantasy appeal.
Fortunately for curious managers searching for pitching depth, Bassitt's next two scheduled starts come against the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners, two light-hitting lineups that will at least keep him in streaming territory.
3. Chris Colabello, 1B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays (31 Percent Owned)
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Chris Colabello's success doesn't make sense, and it doesn't look sustainable. But at what point does a skeptic have to give up and see where this goes?
If the Toronto Blue Jays don't already have enough dangerous bats, the 31-year-old outfielder is hitting .323/.367/.508 through 75 games. A career .214 hitter before leaving the Minnesota Twins for Toronto, he's sitting pretty with a .401 BABIP destined to drop.
He's not a .323 hitter—that much is clear. Yet that doesn't mean he's a useless fantasy contributor once regression strikes. He also has offered 11 homers, exploiting Toronto's loaded lineup for 45 RBI and 43 runs scored.
Like many right-handed sluggers, he's making the most of the Rogers Centre, where he has deposited a .965 OPS and seven long balls. Having collected 11 hits through 10 August games, regression sure isn't in a rush to spoil the party. Might as well enjoy it for now.
2. Raisel Iglesias, SP, Cincinnati Reds (6 Percent Owned)
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Raisel Iglesias deserves your immediate attention.
Due to his 4.70 ERA, the Cincinnati Reds starter isn't drawing any interest. Yet anyone who closes the book there is missing an improving rookie with 61 strikeouts and 17 walks through 59.1 innings, earning him a 3.53 FIP.
Since abdicating five runs each in back-to-back outings before the All-Star break, the 25-year-old righty has recorded a 3.57 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and .280 opposing weighted on-base average (wOBA). Also encouraging, he has generated ground balls on over 55 percent of his batted balls in each of his past three starts.
Somehow he remains unowned in 94 percent of Yahoo leagues. If he keeps this up, Iglesias can be your hero during the final seven weeks.
1. David Peralta, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (50 Percent Owned)
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Daily fantasy players will scoff at David Peralta's designation as waiver-wire fodder. Although his numbers against lefties have improved during a recent hot streak, he crushes righties with a .920 OPS, making the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder a great matchup play.
An active season participant can apply the same philosophy, monitoring the schedule to employ a killer platoon player. Don't have that kind of time? His .786 OPS against southpaws suddenly isn't bad at all.
Since the All-Star break, Peralta is hitting .404 (36-for-89) with three homers and 24 RBI. As a result, anyone looking at his overall production (.304/.371/.528, 12 homers, 63 RBI, five steals) will wonder why in the world he's still a free agent in so many leagues.
Before falling head over heels in love, over 50 percent of his batted balls have fallen for hits during the past 30 days. A .400 BABIP is typically considered a ludicrous rate, so he can't stay this hot forever. Then again, no reasonable person expects anyone to hit .400, right?
To be fair, he has also earned one of baseball's highest hard-hit percentages over that same stretch. If it takes one unsustainable tear to bring an underrated hitter into the limelight, so be it. Anyone who can't make room for Peralta should probably seek out a bigger league next year.
Notes: All advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs. Ownership rates obtained via Yahoo Sports leagues.
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