Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top 10 Pickups for Week 9
Two months into the season, fantasy owners are starting to feel the pressure to take action.
A long stare up the standings looks steeper nearly one-third through the MLB season, making it harder for downtrodden managers to stay the course. Luckily for active gamers, the waiver wire is there to help.
Nobody is saying to cut bait on David Ortiz and Stephen Strasburg, but it's time to cut your losses on Jayson Werth and Doug Fister. Even though no superstars will remain unclaimed, several overlooked contributors are widely available in standard leagues.
Here's a look at this week's top fantasy adds available in at least half of Yahoo Sports leagues.
Honorable Mentions
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Peter O'Brien, C, Arizona Diamondbacks (0 Percent Owned)
Justin Bour, 1B, Miami Marlins (3 Percent Owned)
Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants (15 Percent Owned)
Andre Ethier, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (31 Percent Owned)
Randal Grichuk, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (3 Percent Owned)
Jesse Hahn, SP, Oakland Athletics (30 Percent Owned)
Chris Heston, SP, San Francisco Giants (25 Percent Owned)
Nathan Karns, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (23 Percent Owned)
Chad Bettis, SP, Colorado Rockies (4 Percent Owned)
Evan Scribner, RP, Oakland Athletics (2 Percent Owned)
10. Mitch Moreland, 1B, Texas Rangers (6 Percent Owned)
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Josh Hamilton receives all the attention, but he's not the only slugger who's returned to the Texas Rangers lineup this season. After ending his 2014 season last June, Mitch Moreland is finally getting comfortable in the batter's box, clubbing four homers during his last 12 games.
The first baseman is hitting .289/.346/.500 this season, defying his two sharpest weaknesses in short samples. Although early, he has gone 9-for-27 against left-handed pitching and generated a .958 OPS away from Arlington.
Before injuring his ankle last year, Moreland finished with an underwhelming .246/.297/.347 line and two homers through 52 games. While he batted only .232 the previous year, he also contributed 23 long balls. That power has not vanished.
Mostly a hot hand to ride in standard leagues, Moreland is a source of pop for deep-league gamers.
9. Lance McCullers, SP, Houston Astros (24 Percent Owned)
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Promoting Lance McCullers seemed like an uncharacteristically impulsive move from the calculated Houston Astros. The 21-year-old earned a call-up after 29 impressive Double-A innings, leapfrogging Triple-A and struggling through different Single-A levels last year.
Still, everything has worked for Houston last year, and the young righty has looked better with each passing start.
Three turns through the rotation, McCullers owns a 2.40 ERA and 18 strikeouts through 15 innings. On Friday night, he demanded everyone's attention by stockpiling seven strikeouts through four innings against the Chicago White Sox, even though he unraveled during the fifth frame.
Given his 4.5 BB/9 rate throughout the minors, his solid command at the next level (3.60 BB/9) smells like a misleading small sample. Yet he's always racked up punchouts in bunches, so roll the dice on the exciting rookie if it's not too late.
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8. Mike Foltynewicz, SP, Atlanta Braves (10 Percent Owned)
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From one Houston prospect to another quickly jettisoned after an underwhelming debut, Mike Foltynewicz has found new life with the Atlanta Braves.
The 23-year-old promptly earned a promotion after tallying a 2.08 ERA and 30 strikeouts through 21.2 Triple-A innings. In six MLB starts, the righty continues to rack up K's, fanning 38 batters through 36.1 frames. The 2010 first-round pick has collected at least seven strikeouts in each of his last five outings.
His 3.96 ERA isn't particularly impressive, which means managers won't need to rush to their computer to beat their leaguemates to the punch. But he has surrendered three runs during his latest two starts, issuing 10 baserunners (eight hits, two walks) and 15 strike-threes during 15.1 innings.
Like McCullers, command is the chief concern. He exited the minors with a 3.9 BB/9 rate, and it's reasonable to expect more walks against patient MLB professionals. It's also reasonable for a top prospect to hit his stride at age 23, and Foltynewicz boasts a lively arm with potent strikeout potential.
7. Steve Pearce, 1B/2B/OF, Baltimore Orioles (30 Percent Owned)
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Steve Pearce recorded a .929 OPS and 21 homers through 101 games last year. Steve Pearce now has second-base eligibility. He's available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues, where he can be used at first, second and outfield.
Of course, he's also hitting a putrid .189/.266/.360 this year with a 23.4 strikeout percentage. Remember when he homered in each of the first two games and everybody berated themselves about anticipating any regression?
Gamers without a spacious bench can't afford to add and play Pearce, but his new designation makes him a worthwhile stash in most leagues. Despite a .195 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), he has posted a higher line-drive rating and hard-hit average this year.
He also sports a higher contact percentage despite the uptick in strikeouts, so don't assume Pearce is broken just yet. If he can maintain a respectable average, which he did last season, he'll provide elite power few second basemen will match.
6. Cameron Maybin, OF, Atlanta Braves (11 Percent Owned)
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Time to dust off the old "Call Me Maybin" team name? Making the most of his new surroundings, the 28-year-old outfielder has tallied five homers and seven steals through 43 games.
After a slow start with the Braves, the last-minute offseason addition hit .290/.371/.409 in May. Although never known for power, this is his first season away from Petco Park since 2011. Some changes in approach are also worth noticing.
Maybin has registered an 11.2 percent walk rate, far above his career 7.9 percentage. That gives him more opportunities to flash his speed, as does a career-high 29.4 line-drive percentage. Patience and strong contact is a great combination for someone who swiped 40 bases back in 2011.
Those days are over, but Maybin remains an intriguing power-speed threat in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats.
5. Carson Smith, RP, Seattle Mariners (16 Percent Owned)
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Fernando Rodney is pitching horribly this season. The same closer who allowed five earned runs throughout 2012 has already surrendered 16 during 21.1 innings, reverting to his wild ways with nine walks.
On one hand, there's no reason for an MLB team to shackle its best reliever to the antiquated closer role. Saves are an important fantasy category, but Rodney's 14 saves aren't enough to cover the damage inflicted by his 6.75 ERA and 1.73 WHIP.
Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon still operates under the old-school closer mentality, which is good and bad news for those waiting for Carson Smith to capture the ninth-inning duty. Since Rodney has only blown two saves, he's not yet willing to make a move.
"I don't think you worry about his ERA much," McClendon told MLB.com's Greg Johns last weekend. "A lot of that is inflated from [two early-season games]. My old skipper told me this a long time ago: Your responsibility as a manager is to get the ball to your closer in the ninth inning. After that, what are you going to do? He either wins it or loses it."
If Rodney remains this terrible, however, he'll cost the Mariners some leads. In that case, McClendon—who falls for the spell of viewing closing as a special skill only the best can handle—will realize Carson Smith is his best reliever. Through 22 innings, the 25-year-old righty has yielded two runs with 26 strikeouts and five walks.
Attach some saves to those numbers, and you're looking at a premier fantasy asset. Add him now and enjoy a stellar middle reliever with a strong chance of eventually moving up the pecking order.
4. Billy Burns, OF, Oakland Athletics (22 Percent Owned)
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Although mentioned last week by Jason Catania, Billy Burns' case bears repeating in light of Coco Crisp now out until the All-Star break, according to the San Jose Mercury News' John Hickey.
Burns probably won't hit .327 much longer, and the two home runs are an anomaly. It took him 1,798 plate appearances to clear the fence twice down in the minors.
But he can run. After swiping 57 bags last year, he has already poached nine bases during 27 games with the Oakland Athletics.
His plate presence also isn't Billy Hamilton bad, and Burns could easily rattle off 20-25 more steals before Crisp returns. Considering how high Hamilton was drafted for his ability to impact a single category, it's perplexing to see a top-level speedster running aimlessly on the waiver wire.
3. Logan Forsythe, 1B/2B, Tampa Bay Rays (19 Percent Owned)
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Logan Forsythe is one homer away from matching his career-high of six, and he's a career .244 hitter who has also never collected double-digit steals in a single year.
Fifty games through a breakout campaign, the 2008 first-round pick is simply performing too well to keep ignoring. One of the biggest surprises on the Tampa Bay Rays, the 28-year-old is hitting .291/.369/.465 with five homers and three steals. Among qualified second basemen, his 141 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) trails only Jason Kipnis.
His walk percentage (8.7) has never been higher, and his 14.9 strikeout percentage has careened far below his 18.9 career rate. Entering April, he has essentially been Howie Kendrick.
It's time to at least confront the possibility of Forsythe making a lasting impact as a legitimate late bloomer.
2. Clay Buchholz, SP, Boston Red Sox (43 Percent Owned)
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If not for one dreadful outing at Yankee Stadium, Clay Buchholz would be universally owned and adored as a front-line starter. Instead, he's forced to work his way back into everyone's good graces to repair the nine-run outburst.
In five May starts, the 30-year-old netted a 3.31 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. His ERA remains scarred at 4.33, but his 62 strikeouts, 49.7 ground-ball percentage and 3.09 fielding independent pitching (FIP) speak kindly of his early performance.
Of course, it's easy to remain cautious of a notoriously inconsistent 30-year-old with a career 3.95 ERA and 7.02 K/9 rate. There's no guarantee another blow-up outing isn't waiting around the corner, and he generated just four strikeouts through 7.1 frames during each of the past two starts.
But an 11.3 swinging-strike percentage, by far his highest clip since 2007, supports the extra whiffs. It may not last, but those punchouts shouldn't be going to waste on the waiver wire.
1. Jesse Chavez, SP, Oakland Athletics (44 Percent Owned)
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Perhaps everyone is still skeptical of a starting pitcher who didn't get his chance until turning 30. Or maybe the Oakland Athletics leading Jesse Chavez to a hard-luck 2-5 record has kept his success a secret.
Whatever the reason, it's past time to add him. The righty has registered a 2.11 ERA this season with a 2.38 ERA since rejoining the rotation. Through 59.2 innings, he has compiled a respectable 51 strikeouts and 15 walks, most recently dominating the New York Yankees through eight shutout frames on Sunday. Because of that incredible showing, his ownership will likely soar above 50 percent.
Well, it should.
He's due for some regression once his .269 BABIP and 3.2 home run-fly ball percentage normalize, but even then he'll remain a valuable starter. At the very least, he's a matchup play in the shallowest of mixed leagues and worth using while he stays hot.
Anywhere else, he's a valuable rotation piece for those of us not foolish enough to think wins are indicative of individual skill.
Advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.
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