Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top 10 Pickups for Week 2
One week after MLB's first pitch, the 2016 season received a major shake-up to the fantasy landscape.
Most teams aren't in a hurry to promote prospects, instead delaying their arbitration clocks while giving veterans the first stabs at sticking in a lineup. Over the weekend, however, two injuries opened a window for a pair of young guns.
Before their call-ups, Week 2's top waiver-wire recommendations featured role players rather than game-changers. A few forgettable guys demonstrated their values with hot starts, and others earned a boost due to clarified roles.
Those players can help, but even jaded fantasy managers perk up when a hot-shot prospect arrives to the big leagues. While astute gamers pounced on Sunday, some late adopters may still need a friendly reminder to act before the opportunity dissipates.
After surviving one week, let's take a look at several free agents available in more than half of Yahoo Sports leagues as of Sunday night.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 11
Should Be Long Gone
Tyler White, 1B/3B, Houston Astros
Eugenio Suarez, 3B/SS, Cincinnati Reds
Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
Juan Nicasio, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Aaron Sanchez, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Mixed Leagues
Adonis Garcia, 3B/OF, Atlanta Braves
Trayce Thompson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Bartolo Colon, SP, New York Mets
Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
Brandon Finnegan, SP/RP, Cincinnati Reds
Trevor May, SP/RP, Minnesota Twins
Hunter Strickland, RP, San Francisco Giants
AL-Only
Bryan Holaday, C, Texas Rangers
Max Kepler, OF, Minnesota Twins
Kendall Graveman, SP, Oakland Athletics
Nick Tropeano, SP, Los Angeles Angels
NL-Only
Adam Rosales, 3B, San Diego Padres
Jeremy Hazelbaker, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Jon Jay, OF, San Diego Padres
Chase Anderson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
Logan Verrett, SP/RP, New York Mets
10. Chris Carter, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers (16 Percent Owned)
2 of 11
Fantasy gamers are destined to spend eternity wondering if Chris Carter's power warrants the massive batting-average hit.
After the slugger veered below the Mendoza Line last year, most drafters decided not to bother. Everyone ran out of patience—except the Milwaukee Brewers, who brought him aboard as their starting first baseman and cleanup hitter.
Carter sent two balls deep during the opening week, and he even sprinkled in a single and two doubles. He's not going to hit .250 all year, but the right-handed raker produces in bunches. Take last year, when he hit .333 with six homers from Sept. 1 onward.
This isn't to suggest a new Carter is going to stop striking out and pulling his keep in average. He is who he is, and that guy is nice to have around for short spurts. The promise of regular playing time in the heart of Milwaukee's batting order doesn't hurt, either.
9. Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Baltimore Orioles (19 Percent Owned)
3 of 11
This could end horribly, but Ubaldo Jimenez won't let fantasy gamers forget about him.
Widely an afterthought in drafts, the 32-year-old righty quickly established his presence with a stellar debut, recording nine strikeouts and no walks against the Minnesota Twins. Is it time to once again throw caution to the wind and gamble on the volatile hurler?
Jimenez quietly settled into a solid starter last season by posting a 4.11 ERA and 3.93 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) for the Baltimore Orioles. While 3.33 walks per nine innings (BB/9) is average at best, it represents the erratic hurler's career-best rate.
For what it's worth, he also opened 2015 with a gem, as he allowed two baserunners through seven shutout frames against the Toronto Blue Jays. He amassed five scoreless outings last year, but he also relinquished seven runs on three separate occasions.
As long as the strikeouts don't vanish, trading velocity for command will help keep Jimenez relevant in most leagues. Due to his past inconsistencies, treat him as a streaming option until he can string together successive impressive starts.
8. Scooter Gennett, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers (15 Percent Owned)
4 of 11
Formerly an appealing middle infielder, Scooter Gennett lost all his luster by batting .264/.294/.381 with six home runs last season. One week into 2016, he's pushing his way back onto mixed-league rosters.
The Brewers second baseman has already clubbed three home runs in six games. Per ESPN.com's Home Run Tracker, two of those long balls traveled over 400 feet with an exit velocity above 105 mph. That includes a shot off the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner—his first career home run against a lefty.
He has already drawn four walks, which is a promising sign since he only netted a dozen free passes in 391 plate appearances last year. Such progress won't stick to such a high magnitude, but these improvements from a career .289 hitter are certainly worth tracking.
Although he took Bumgarner deep, Gennett will play almost exclusively against righties, against whom he holds a career .804 OPS. When he does start, he gets treated to the No. 2 hole, which puts him in prime position to make the most of his playing time. Add him in deeper leagues that allow daily lineup changes.
7. Michael Taylor, OF, Washington Nationals (16 Percent Owned)
5 of 11
Before Opening Day, Michael Taylor received recognition as a widely undrafted player worth adding. Lack of playing time stood out as the main concern, but Ben Revere's oblique strain has since cleared a spot in the Washington Nationals outfield.
Unfortunately, Taylor has not capitalized. The 25-year-old collected his first hit of the season on Sunday, so now he's sporting a .121 OPS. His ownership rate would have skyrocketed with a strong week, but it has instead stayed stagnant despite the playing-time increase.
Washington hasn't set a timetable for Revere's return. The center fielder, however, expressed the importance of not rushing back, per the Washington Post's James Wagner.
“You don’t want to keep aggravating it so you’d lose more time, lose more games, and it’s something I don’t want to do,” Revere said. “Because the more games we play, the more I’ll be aggravated and upset because I won’t be out there trying to help my team win."
Taylor, who hit .229 with a 30.9 strikeout percentage last year, is stinking up the joint after a searing spring. He's also batting leadoff and has shown immense power and speed. Poor week aside, he's worth owning in all but the shallowest of mixed leagues while Revere recovers.
6. Jeanmar Gomez, RP, Philadelphia Phillies (22 Percent Owned)
6 of 11
Drafters truly desperate for saves wasted resources on multiple Philadelphia Phillies closing candidates. David Hernandez, Dalier Hinojosa and even the demoted Andrew Bailey received speculative attention, but none of them are worth rostering a week into the season.
Jeanmar Gomez leapfrogged all three relievers and recorded back-to-back saves against the New York Mets during the weekend. Even if he's not a more inspiring choice on a team that will struggle to feed him late leads, he's decent enough.
Over the last three seasons, Gomez registered a 3.19 ERA as an unheralded middle reliever. His career 5.37 strikeouts per nine should evoke yawns, and the contact pitcher won't help in the WHIP column. Yet the 28-year-old owns a career 49.9 ground-ball percentage, so he should hold the fort down and keep the gig.
Don't expect much besides a usable ERA and a pocket full of sporadic saves, essentially making him a Brad Ziegler knockoff. The same people who drafted Bailey because of the possibility of maybe becoming the closer should embrace Gomez with open arms.
5. Ryan Madson, RP, Oakland Athletics (42 Percent Owned)
7 of 11
The latest forward-thinking team to not care about your fantasy team, the Oakland Athletics are not tying themselves to outdated reliever roles.
On Friday night, manager Bob Melvin called on closer Sean Doolittle in the eighth inning. Per CSNBayArea.com's Joe Stiglich, the Oakland skipper wanted his star lefty on the mound to face the heart of the Seattle Mariners lineup, which included left-handed hitters Ketel Marte, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager.
After Chris Coghlan broke the 2-2 tie with a solo homer for the A's, Ryan Madson recorded his second save of the season with a spotless ninth. The 35-year-old righty dispatched three batters in nine pitches while collecting three strikeouts. He has only allowed two baserunners in four innings this season.
This is typically when everyone would talk about Madson stealing Doolittle's job, citing the latter's spotty outing on Tuesday. Probably not. Instead, look for them to share save opportunities depending on the situation. Doolittle looked superb while closing the door on Sunday.
If a committee leads to Madson accruing 15-20 saves with strong ratios, he's well worth owning. Doolittle owners fearing an injury should especially purchase Madson as an insurance option.
4. Howie Kendrick, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers (39 Percent Owned)
8 of 11
According to the Los Angeles Times' Andy McCullough, Howie Kendrick is slated to make his 2016 debut on Tuesday. When the veteran returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers, will second base remain open for him?
Filling in during the opening week, Chase Utley submitted nine hits and two walks in 33 plate appearances. If the Dodgers like what they see from the former All-Star, he could eat into Kendrick's playing time, at least until he cools down or the incumbent forcefully takes back the everyday gig.
Unless such a timeshare unfolds, Kendrick is too valuable to waste away on the waiver wire. Batting average isn't a bankable skill for most guys, but the 32-year-old has hit at least .285 over each of the last five seasons. Whenever he's logged more than 120 games, he has produced either double-digit homers or steals.
He's not exciting. He won't win a league or prompt everyone else to curse under their breaths for forgetting about him. He will, however, hit enough to comfortably use as a middle infielder in deeper mixed leagues.
3. Mallex Smith, OF, Atlanta Braves (16 Percent Owned)
9 of 11
Light on speed? Meet Mallex Smith, a must-add for anyone needing stolen bases.
According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, the Atlanta Braves placed starting center fielder Ender Inciarte on the disabled list and promoted Smith, who hit .303 with 56 steals split between Double-A and Triple-A last season. The 22-year-old made Atlanta's decision easier by procuring four hits on Saturday night.
Smith's glove should earn him a starting job, and it's not crazy to envision him leading off a lackluster lineup. Along with making regular contact, he wielded a 10.7 walk percentage throughout his minor league tenure.
For better or worse, the speedster will draw comparisons to Billy Hamilton, the ultimate one-category contributor who would revolutionize fantasy baseball if allowed to steal first base. Smith won't provide any power, but he's not necessarily a batting-average liability.
Like Hamilton, he just needs to hit .250 and exude some patience at the plate. Few free agents can make a major difference in one category, so the speedy newcomer is worth a speculative investment.
2. Yasmani Grandal, C, Los Angeles Dodgers (30 Percent Owned)
10 of 11
Yasmani Grandal is also tabbed to accompany Kendrick back to the Dodgers on Tuesday, per McCullough. If available, he's the perfect candidate to replace the injured Kyle Schwarber.
An abysmal second-half swoon sullied his 2015 breakout. Before hitting .162 after the All-Star break, the catcher batted .282/.401/.526 with 14 homers and a 34.6 hard-hit percentage. Rather than challenging Schwarber for 2016's No. 2 catcher spot, he fell outside of some top-10 rankings.
He kept playing through an injured left shoulder that was clearly hampering his swing. He described the grueling stretch to the Los Angeles Times' Zach Helfand and Dylan Hernandez.
"It was very frustrating, obviously, knowing the capability that I have to help this team out," Grandal said. "The first half was the first half, but I was really looking forward to the second half just because I felt like I could've definitely helped this team out just cruise by and get to that one main goal which is the World Series."
An injury derailed a breakout season, so starting 2016 on the shelf is hardly ideal. Yet he downplayed the right forearm strain, telling McCullough "I could start tonight" on March 24. Hopefully his visit to the disabled list resulted in him and the Dodgers learning to rest rather than play hurt.
A healthy Grandal wields one of the position's premier power bats with an excellent eye. Shortsighted owners dropped the 27-year-old catcher instead of stashing him on the disabled list or bench for a week. Make them pay for their impatience.
1. Nomar Mazara, OF, Texas Rangers (43 Percent Owned)
11 of 11
One of baseball's top prospects debuted sooner than anticipated. After placing Shin-Soo Choo on the disabled list, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson, the Texas Rangers promoted Nomar Mazara on Sunday and immediately slotted him No. 2 in the batting order.
News broke on Sunday afternoon, and he punctuated his arrival by going 3-for-4 with a homer. It should be too late to grab Mazara in active leagues without a waiver system. Baseball Prospectus' No. 5 prospect has the offensive chops to immediately matter in all mixed leagues.
Last season, the left-handed outfielder hit .296/.366/.443 with 14 homers in 131 minor league games—111 in Double-A. He recorded six hits, including a homer, in three Triple-A games last week before getting called to Texas.
His raw power hasn't fully materialized, but he's expected to offer above-average power. For now, his quick bat will shield him from harsh growing pains and instead allow him to contribute with solid numbers across the board.
Mazara isn't this year's Carlos Correa, but he might be 2016's Michael Conforto with a head start and higher ceiling.
All advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
