Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top 10 Pickups for Week 24
A new week, another batch of waiver-wire additions just the way you like 'em: hot and fresh out of the oven.
From now until the end of the fantasy season, you'll find a rundown of the top waiver-wire pickups right here every Monday as you get set to face another week of lineup decisions and roster additions.
Some players mentioned last week—including Mookie Betts, Danny Salazar, James Paxton, Michael Wacha, A.J. Pollock, Dioner Navarro and Dilson Herrera—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 24.
Just Missed
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Tom Koehler, SP, Miami Marlins (5.9 Percent Owned)
Edinson Volquez, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (18.0 Percent Owned)
Kendrys Morales, 1B, Seattle Mariners (16.6 Percent Owned)
Dayan Viciedo, OF, Chicago White Sox (14.8 Percent Owned)
Jordy Mercer, 2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates (14.7 Percent Owned)
Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants (25.2 Percent Owned)
Gregor Blanco, OF, San Francisco Giants (27.1 Percent Owned)
Jonathan Schoop, 2B/3B, Baltimore Orioles (8.1 Percent Owned)
Gerardo Parra, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (11.2 Percent Owned)
Andrew Susac, C, San Francisco Giants (0.1 Percent Owned)
Logan Watkins, 2B, Chicago Cubs (0.4 Percent Owned)
Drew Pomeranz, SP/RP, Oakland Athletics (4.4 Percent Owned)
Closer Circle
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Because there's been so much ninth-inning volatility lately due to closers going through slumps, removed from the role temporarily and/or even being shut down, the new/overlooked/replacement/interim/potential closers who are available in the majority of leagues are ranked separately as follows:
- Aaron Sanchez, SP/RP, Toronto Blue Jays (23.9 Percent Owned)
- Wade Davis, SP/RP, Kansas City Royals (33.2 Percent Owned)
- Edward Mujica, RP, Boston Red Sox (18.6 Percent Owned)
- Kevin Quackenbush, RP, San Diego Padres (29.4 Percent Owned)
- Drew Storen, RP, Washington Nationals (3.2 Percent Owned)
- Tyler Clippard, RP, Washington Nationals (29.0 Percent Owned)
- Tony Sipp, RP, Houston Astros (0.8 Percent Owned)
- Josh Fields, RP, Houston Astros (1.0 Percent Owned)
No. 10: Tyler Matzek, SP, Colorado Rockies (1.5 Percent Owned)
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Picking up a Colorado Rockies pitcher is one way to take your fantasy life in your own hands. Doing so with an enigmatic Rockies arm like Tyler Matzek, in particular, is taking that a step further.
Then again, if you'd had the guts to use the 23-year-old over his past four outings, you would be smiling right about now. In that span, the southpaw has three wins, a 1.52 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP, which he improved by hurling his first-ever complete-game shutout over the San Diego Padres on Friday.
Control and command have always plagued Matzek, who owns a ghastly 6.0 walks per nine rate in five minor league campaigns. His 3.2 BB/9 with the Rockies indicates improvement, though, so something finally may be clicking for the 2009 first-round pick.
Matzek's next turn is set for Wednesday against the offensively challenged New York Mets, so consider this a high-risk/high-reward add who should be more of the latter in that one.
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No. 9: Cory Spangenberg, 2B, San Diego Padres (0.1 Percent Owned)
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Called up when rosters expanded on Sept. 1, Cory Spangenberg is off to a nice start for his big league career.
The 23-year-old has gone 6-for-17 (.353) with a stolen base and a pair of homers. The No. 10 overall selection in 2011, Spangenberg is known more for his speed than his pop, as he has 104 steals in four years in the minors, compared to only 12 home runs.
Spangenberg's versatility has helped him find his way into the lineup over the past week, as he's seen time at second base—his primary position in the minors—as well as third base and left field.
Two concussions in two years have slowed Spangenberg's climb to San Diego, but now that he's arrived, the career .296 hitter in the minors is worth a look as a plug-and-play type in NL-only leagues and deeper mixed formats.
No. 8: Vidal Nuno, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks (2.2 Percent Owned)
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Since the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off their pitcher-for-pitcher trade back in July, Brandon McCarthy has received a lot more attention than Vidal Nuno. But the 27-year-old rookie has pitched about as well as the 31-year-old nine-year veteran.
To wit, McCarthy sports a 2.79 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8.1 K/9 in 11 starts with the Yankees, while Nuno's stats in the same number of turns are: 3.16, 0.97 and 7.1. Of course, the big difference is that Nuno just can't win with the lowly D-backs. Despite those numbers, he's somehow 0-5.
A finesse lefty, Nuno wasn't the type of arm that tends to succeed in New York, but in the more pitcher-friendly NL, that profile can work.
After holding down the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend (7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5:2 K:BB), Nuno gets the San Diego Padres on Friday. So you should get Nuno.
No. 7: Juan Lagares, OF, New York Mets (37.6 Percent Owned)
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Known for his dynamite defense, Juan Lagares has been showing some signs with the stick and his baserunning recently.
The 25-year-old, who is in his first full MLB campaign, has gone 21-for-60 (.350) over his past 15 games, with two homers, 10 RBI and eight stolen bases, including three on Sunday night alone.
The hot stretch has caused the New York Mets to bump him to the top spot in the lineup. While he's not exactly meant to hit leadoff—with just 19 walks in 416 plate appearances—Lagares could see a boost in his runs scored and steals for as long as he stays there.
No. 6: Dioner Navarro, C, Toronto Blue Jays (30.5 Percent Owned)
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If you're hanging on to a catcher who has cooled of late (like, say, Derek Norris or even Miguel Montero), then it's time to just move on to a backstop who's doing something.
Dioner Navarro, 30, has been on the fringes of this column with a number of appearances in the Just Missed section, so he might be owned by now. If not, go for it.
Very quietly, Navarro has had a strong season, ranking eighth among starting catchers in batting average (.283) and tied for fourth in RBI (63).
Already in five September games, he's 6-for-15 (.400) with a pair of home runs and six RBI.
No. 5: Xander Bogaerts, 3B/SS, Boston Red Sox (39.2 Percent Owned)
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Safe to say, after he entered 2014 as a consensus top-three prospect in baseball, Xander Bogaerts's rookie season hasn't gone anywhere close to expectations for Bogaerts, the Boston Red Sox and, especially, fantasy folks (like yours truly) who thought he could be a borderline top-10 shortstop.
Overall, the 21-year-old rookie is batting just .232 with 50 runs, nine homers and 35 RBI in more than 500 plate appearances. Some have blamed the midseason shift from shortstop to third base to accommodate since-traded Stephen Drew for Bogaerts' struggles over the past few months, but perhaps part of the problem was that this is a youngster going through his first 162-game season in the majors.
Since returning from a stint on the disabled list following getting hit in the head by a Felix Hernandez 89-mph changeup on Aug. 22, Bogaerts has started to turn things around a bit. In his nine games upon coming back on Aug. 30, he's gone 12-for-35 (.343) with a home run and four multi-hit efforts, including Sunday's 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The total line isn't pretty, but with just three weeks left in the fantasy season, a player swinging a hot stick right now outweighs prior problems.
No. 4: Travis d'Arnaud, C, New York Mets (11.8 Percent Owned)
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The challenges of his first full MLB season were too much for Travis d'Arnaud to handle early on, as he was demoted back to the minors in early June for almost three weeks after going hitless in his first five games of the year and sporting a .180 average through 128 at-bats.
Upon coming back up for good on June 24, however, the 25-year-old has shown he can not only survive but thrive in the bigs. d'Arnaud is batting .286 with 34 runs, 10 home runs and 29 RBI in 56 starts since.
What's more, d'Arnaud, a former top prospect who has battled injury problems throughout his career, has been getting better as 2014 progresses. Over the past 30 days, only Buster Posey has been better for fantasy purposes, according to ESPN Fantasy Baseball's Player Rater. And in September so far, he's been scalding: 11-for-20 (.550) with five runs, five RBI a homer and three doubles in five games.
No. 3: Miguel Gonzalez, SP, Baltimore Orioles (10.8 Percent Owned)
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In his most recent outing on Wednesday, Sept. 3, Miguel Gonzalez twirled his first complete-game shutout of his three-year career, which explains that pie-in-the-face photo above.
The right-hander now has a 3.38 ERA and 1.29 WHIP for the season as well as 14 quality starts in 23 games. He hasn't given up more than four earned runs in any start since surrendering seven in his very first turn on April 4.
Really, since temporarily being bounced from the rotation in mid-August, Gonzalez has pitched like he has something to prove, allowing only 16 baserunners and three runs while striking out 17 in 22.1 innings over three starts.
He'll get the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Monday, which isn't nearly as scary a matchup as you might think, considering they have scored the fewest runs in the AL this year.
No. 2: Derek Holland, SP, Texas Rangers (9.6 Percent Owned)
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It took quite a while for Derek Holland to make it back on a major league mound after requiring microfracture surgery on his left knee because—you remember this right?—he tripped over his his dog on the stairs during the winter. In fact, it took until the final month of the season.
The 27-year-old lefty has put in two great turns this September, however, pitching seven innings each against the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners and allowing just one run on 12 hits while showcasing an immaculate 11-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Yes, Holland had an unfortunate in-home incident that wiped out almost all of his 2014, but he's been a useful fantasy starter the past three years and can still have an impact with a few more good games down the stretch.
If you're still fighting in your head-to-head league's playoffs or pushing for a rotisserie crown, Holland can help.
No. 1: Jarred Cosart, SP, Miami Marlins (16.7 Percent Owned)
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Is Jarred Cosart finally living up to his former top-prospect status when he was in the Philadelphia Phillies system a few years ago?
The 24-year-old has been flat-out fantastic since being traded from the Houston Astros at the deadline. Following a so-so initial outing with the Miami Marlins, Cosart has shown much more consistency and command, having posted a 1.35 ERA and allowing a mere six walks in 35.1 innings over his past five starts.
The right-hander takes on the righty-heavy—and reeling—Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, which makes him a prime pickup this week. And given how well Cosart has thrown of late, you just might want to hang on to him down the stretch, too.
All ownership percentages courtesy of ESPN Fantasy Baseball. Players owned in more than 50 percent of leagues were not considered. Statistics are accurate as of Sept. 8 and are courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.
To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11
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