Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top 10 Pickups for Week 18
Once the MLB trade deadline passes, fantasy baseball managers need to get busy on the waiver wire.
This is an especially crucial time for AL-only and NL-only gamers, as several superstars swapped leagues. Those in mixed formats won't get the chance to snag Troy Tulowitzki, Johnny Cueto, Carlos Gomez, Yoenis Cespedes or Jose Reyes, but they can exploit the fallout.
The trade deadline always forces several ninth-inning changes, with sellers eager to exploit the closer appeal. Besides Ken Giles, a top-10 stopper replacing Jonathan Papelbon for the Philadelphia Phillies, the promoted relievers are all underwhelming options.
But owners needing saves can't afford to be picky. When someone holding one of the 30 closing gigs is sitting on the waiver wire, managers need to pounce. If Giles is still available for some reason, grab him now. If not, three significantly inferior consolation prizes remain up for grabs in many leagues.
Moves also cleared playing time for other players, creating opportunities for fresh faces to shine. Take a look at these free agents available in over half of Yahoo Sports fantasy leagues.
Honorable Mentions
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Matt Shoemaker, SP/RP, Los Angeles Angels (49 Percent Owned)
R.A. Dickey, SP, Toronto Blue Jays (35 Percent Owned)
Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies (26 Percent Owned)
Jimmy Nelson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (28 Percent Owned)
Ivan Nova, SP, New York Yankees (14 Percent Owned)
Didi Gregorius, 2B/SS, New York Yankees (11 Percent Owned)
Henry Owens, SP, Boston Red Sox (9 Percent Owned)
Michael Bourn, OF, Cleveland Indians (2 Percent Owned)
Hector Olivera, 2B, Atlanta Braves (Not In Yahoo's System)
Katel Marte, 2B, Seattle Mariners (Currently on Waivers)
10. Alex Wilson, RP, Detroit Tigers (21 Percent Owned)
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Based on his 1.76 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, Alex Wilson is the best of the new non-Giles closers. Still, it's hard to get excited about a 28-year-old with 5.27 strikeouts per nine innings during his first full MLB season.
Not fitting the closer archetype, Wilson relies on pinpoint command and a 51.5 ground-ball percentage rather than overpowering stuff. In order to excel, he'll need the continued support of a .254 batting average on balls in play (BABIP).
He'll also have to keep the ball in the park. Only 3.5 percent of his fly balls have cleared the fences, and 10 percent is considered an average rate. That atypical fortune is reflected in his 3.88 expected FIP.
The best case to make for Wilson: Who else do the Detroit Tigers have to save games after trading Joakim Soria? Bruce Rondon throws gas and sports a 2.76 xFIP through 17 appearances, but his 7.24 ERA will shield him from the role.
Wilson represents the best short-term filler. For many desperate owners, a few saves mixed with a poor strikeout rate and ratios at risk of severe regression is better than no saves.
9. Edward Mujica, RP, Oakland Athletics (21 Percent Owned)
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Edward Mujica embodies the concept of empty saves. With a career 3.79 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 7.09 strikeouts per nine innings, he won't help much anywhere else.
The 31-year-old righty has also issued a microscopic 1.47 walks per nine innings, which matches his career 1.48 BB/9 rate. While Wilson has benefited from a low HR/FB percentage, the new Oakland Athletics stopper has endured a bloated 18.8 clip.
There's no upside here, but there's also a higher floor. Also working in his favor, the veteran carries mystical closer experience, giving him a longer leash. Fernando Rodriguez, Evan Scribner or Drew Pomeranz would all make interesting choices, but Mujica will get every chance to close out the final two months.
He also, however, must look over his shoulder for Sean Doolittle, who is still looking to return this season. That doesn't appear imminent, and the former closer won't necessarily regain his role the first day back. Head-to-head contestants should monitor the situation with the playoffs deciding everything in September.
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8. J.T. Realmuto, C, Miami Marlins (11 Percent Owned)
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Added responsibilities behind the plate often delay a catcher's offensive maturation, making them prime post-hype targets. It took him some time, but J.T. Realmuto has morphed into a viable fantasy option.
He didn't hit his first career homer until May 18, his 38th major league game. Since June 1, however, the 24-year-old is hitting .286 with four homers and two stolen bases.
Although never a power fiend, he exhibited some pop with eight homers through 97 Triple-A games last year. Besides, reaching double-digit long balls makes him interesting when combining his speed at a position impossible to locate any.
Realmuto's four swipes are nothing out of the ordinary, as he poached 18 bags in Triple-A. Carlos Santana, not catcher-eligible in all leagues, is the position's only player with more than four steals this season.
The Miami Marlins rookie has drawn only 12 walks in 305 plate appearances, but he won't hurt owners in batting average. He's a perfect No. 2 catcher or NL-only grab with the potential to matter in all mixed leagues as well.
7. Daniel Norris, SP, Detroit Tigers (14 Percent Owned)
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Five underwhelming starts banished Daniel Norris from the Toronto Blue Jays, who weren't interested in watching a rookie work through growing pains. Months later, they packaged their young arm to the Detroit Tigers for ace David Price. Tossing the towel on 2015, the Tigers promptly promoted their addition.
The 22-year-old righty impressed during his Detroit debut, limiting the Baltimore Orioles to four hits, one walk and one run through 7.1 innings. For all his early struggles, he has a 3.23 ERA this year.
He also holsters a 5.03 xFIP, so don't get overly excited. Still, there's a reason he passed as the centerpiece of a satisfying return for a former Cy Young Award winner. Despite fizzling this season, he collected a 2.53 ERA and 11.8 K/9 through Toronto's farm last season.
Along with boasting massive strikeout upside, he has only allowed two runs in 17.2 frames outside of the Rogers Centre.
6. Rusney Castillo, OF, Boston Red Sox (30 Percent Owned)
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Once upon a time, the Boston Red Sox had too many outfielders. That perceived surplus is no longer an issue with Allen Craig bottomed out, Shane Victorino traded and Mookie Betts on the concussion disabled list.
With Victorino on the Los Angeles Angels, Rusney Castillo will play right field every day. In seven games since his promotion, the 27-year-old signed from Cuba has gone 8-for-24 with two doubles and a homer. Manager John Farrell noticed some encouraging signs to the Providence Journal's Tim Britton.
"He's handling pitches that are close to him," Farrell said. "The swing has freed up a little bit. He's able to address some pitches on the inside part of the plate where he was being attacked the previous time he was up with us."
A big-time get for Boston last year, Castillo boasts five-category potential, even though nobody should count on a high average. Having swiped 10 bags during 40 Triple-A games, he'll make the most noise on the basepaths.
5. Luis Severino, SP, New York Yankees (26 Percent Owned)
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The New York Yankees couldn't hold off Luis Severino any longer. A starting staff stuffed to a 4.37 ERA lost a key contributor in Michael Pineda, forcing the Evil Empire to unleash their premier pitching prospect.
Rated MLB.com's No. 16 prospect, the 21-year-old righty will debut on Wednesday against the rival Red Sox, per ESPN.com's Wallace Matthews. He earned the call-up by weaving a 1.91 ERA through 11 Triple-A starts, registering 98 strikeouts through 99.1 innings throughout the year.
Big-market hype tends to spiral out of control for New York prospects, and he now calls the treacherous Yankee Stadium home. Don't count on him him duplicating Noah Syndergaard's crosstown rookie success, but a strong arrival is certainly plausible.
Rather than riding a hot hand like R.A. Dickey bound to cool down, take a chance on Severino proving he's the real deal.
4. Jed Lowrie, SS, Houston Astros (7 Percent Owned)
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An injury can derail everything. Back in April, Jed Lowrie hit .300/.432/.567 with four homers, announcing a grand comeback from a disappointing 2014.
A thumb injury had other plans, costing the resurgent shortstop three months of action. Few owners bothered to stash a career .261 hitter with no speed, and Carlos Correa running away with his job didn't help.
Now that he's back, everyone should take notice. The 31-year-old has shortstop-eligibility banked, even if he doesn't play another inning there this year. As the new starting third baseman over Luis Valbuena, he'll soon gain another position under his belt.
The flexibility offers peace of mind, even if all owners will use him at shortstop anyway. Let's not discredit his impact there; he led all shortstops in weighted runs created (wRC+) during the opening month and finished 2013 second behind Troy Tulowitzki.
Before last year's power outburst, he belted 16 homers in 2012 and 15 during the 2013 campaign. Lowrie is a fine middle infielder for owners with speed elsewhere.
3. Arodys Vizcaíno, RP, Atlanta Braves (35 Percent Owned)
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Whereas Wilson and Mujica are boring, Arodys Vizcaino at least offers some upside. Formerly a highly regarded starting-pitching prospect, the 24-year-old has fanned 11 batters through as many innings for the Atlanta Braves, yielding one run.
Also present in that tiny sample size is a 4.10 xFIP and .222 BABIP, so the Atlanta Braves didn't find their new Craig Kimbrel. If he's a worthy replacement for Jason Grilli, great, but even that's setting the bar high.
At least there's a feasible scenario in which he makes such an immense impact. Able to gear back and throw at full force for short stints, Vizcaino fires his fastball at 96-97 miles per hour. He also didn't pitch until July due to an 80-game suspension and missed all of 2013 due to elbow issues.
He's a highly volatile choice who needed two trades (Kimbrel, Jim Johnson) and Grilli's injury to ascend Atlanta' bullpen hierarchy. But he's here now, so let's see what he can do.
2. Trevor Plouffe, 3B, Minnesota Twins (40 Percent Owned)
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Who wants to play a name game? Well, it's happening regardless of your response:
Player A: .266/.323/.434, 15 HR, 51 R, 43 RBI, 1 SB,
Player B: .255/.314/.455, 14 HR, 50 R, 55 RBI, 2 SB
It would have been fun if neither player was Trevor Plouffe, but the unappreciated third baseman is Player B. The first mystery stat line belongs to Kyle Seager, who has gained respect as a steady bat routinely selected well within the top 100 in all drafts.
Seager sports a higher average due to a lower strikeout rate, but they're otherwise remarkably similar. Since Plouffe hasn't established the same consistent track record as his counterpart, he remains free in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.
A recent slump didn't cause a mass exodus, as he recorded a .506 slugging percentage in July. The only possible explanation is that far too many fantasy leagues need to expand their rosters. Groups with a corner-infield spot, multiple utility slots and/or a deep bench certainly have a place for him.
1. Aaron Hicks, OF, Minnesota Twins (20 Percent Owned)
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This tale will sound familiar. Top prospect Aaron Hicks invaded MLB with substantial buzz, but he wore out his welcome in short order. He's starting to piece the puzzle together, but everyone is slow to remember how much they liked him two years ago.
Over the past two years, Hicks hit .201 through 150 games. He still brandished some skills with nine homers and 13 steals, but most of that came in 2013. The 25-year-old outfielder, who entered the season in the minors, won't go back anytime soon.
Through 53 games, he's hitting .283/.345/.411 with five homers and nine stolen bases. He turned the corner in July, generating a .346/.424/.577 line with four bombs and three steals. He also displayed a much keener approach that month, sporting a 12.0 walk percentage and 14.1 strikeout percentage.
Even though he has raised his line-drive percentage to 25.5 percent, the high average is tough to trust. His squarer contact, however, at least offers hope of a .250-.260 hitter rather than a massive category liability. That's not bad from someone once considered a future 15-30 threat.
Note: All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.
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