I titled this Half-Full Nelson because of the pot recommendation, but I’ll get the movie recommendation out of the way as soon as possible. Before Ryan Gosling sold out and became Ken Barbie, he was doing little gems Part of Nelson among them. It’s a tough film, but it’s worth your time for his acting. Enough of that, so let’s get into fantasy baseball!
We’ve reached an exciting point in the season. We have about 45 games for most teams, and it’s a grind on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball. That’s what we baseball addicts love to hear because we can rebuild any system we may have destroyed. That brings me to one of my most important tips: never give up on your dream team. I know it sounds like we’ve been playing since January, but we’re only a quarter of the way through the season. Almost every fantasy manager will make a few mistakes on the waiver wire throughout the year, and it’s important to capitalize on those mistakes. There’s also no shortage too big to fix at this point in the season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at this week’s waiver wire.
The stats and rankings below were updated on 5/15. All rostership percentages are at Yahoo.
Feel free to comment here or contact me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
Also, check out my Streamers article coming out tomorrow.
THE CATCHERS
10/12 Team additions
Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 53% Rostership) – Why is Jeffers still available in the league section of Yahoo? This was one of the best catchers in baseball, compiling a .406 OBP and .948 OPS in the breakout campaign. He’s been even better lately, registering a .432 OBP and 1.060 OPS over his last 24 outings. That’s why he’s hitting third or fourth for the Twins, and it’s time to start sticking him at DH so he can play every day. Playing time is the only real concern, but who cares when he’s hitting like this?
Recommended FAAB %: 5%
QUICK HITS: Drew Dingler (DET, 47% Rostership), Moises Ballesteros (CHC, 30% Rostership)
Deep League is Coming
Kyle Teel (CWS, 10% Rostership) – This download is subject to a waiver. Teel was one of the key pieces in the Garrett Crochet trade, and it looks like he’s coming back with IL. This should be a catch for Chicago going forward, racking up a .375 OBP and .786 OPS in his rookie season last year. That just scratches the surface of what Teel can be, compiling a .403 OBP and .864 OPS during his minor league career. He also has a .958 OPS during his minor league reassignment, so he needs to be picked up in every deep league before fantasy managers see him back.
Recommended FAAB %: 1%
QUICK HITS: JT Realmuto (PHI, 16% Rostership), Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 10% Rostership), Tyler Stephenson (CIN, 4% Rostership)
THE INFIELDERS
10/12 Team additions
Luis Garcia (1B/2B, WAS, 42% Rostership) – Garcia was a player to be picked in the past, and his recent form makes me feel like he can get back to that. The reason why Garcia was so important was because of his two power-hitters, collecting 34 homers and 36 steals over the past two seasons. Any player flirting with a 20-20 season needs to be considered a legend, especially since Garcia has a career AVG of .266. He’s come close to that in a hot stretch, sporting a .526 AVG and 1.524 OPS over his last five games. This guy can rip five homers and five steals while hitting .350 in a month, and it sounds like this could be that month.
Recommended FAAB %: 2-3%
QUICK HITS: Ezequiel Duran (1B/2B/SS/3B, TEX, 31% Rostership), Travis Bazzana (2B, CLE, 41% Rostership), Casey Schmitt (1B/2B/3B, SF, 39% Rostership)
Deep League is Coming
Sam Antonacci (2B/3B/OF, CWS, 14% Rostership) – The White Sox have been one of the worst teams for a few years, but all these prospects make them look like an exciting team for the future. Antonacci is expected to be the speedster for this Chicago team, which is why they have been hitting him for almost two weeks. That promotion to the lineup led to the best season of his career, compiling a .444 OBP and .923 OPS over his last 14 outings. He also stole three bases in that span, which isn’t surprising because he had a .432 OBP and 48 steals in the minors last year. Multi-position eligibility is the icing on the cake, which is why Antonacci needs to be added to every waiver wire available.
Recommended FAAB %: 2-3%
QUICK HITS: Miguel Andujar (SD, 1B/3B, 4% Rostership), Brady House (WAS, 3B, 5% Rostership), Willi Castro (COL, SS/OF, 13% Rostership)
OUTFIELDERS
10/12 Team additions
Jorge Soler (LAA, 48% Rostership) – Dare I say Soler is still an underrated player? This slugger has a career OPS of .785, but no one seems to care. He hasn’t been consistent the past two years, but Soler still has an .818 OPS since April 5. That’s more than a month of solid hitting, which is why Soler is hitting cleanup every day. That’s the planning position behind guys like Zach Neto and Mike Trout, especially if they see LA’s schedule this week. The Angels have seven games at home this week against the Athletics and Rangers, four of which are against the A’s.
Recommended FAAB %: 3%
QUICK HITS: Trent Grisham (NYY, 46% Rostership), Adolis Garcia (PHI, 33% Rostership), AJ Ewing (NYM, 34% Rostership)
Deep League is Coming
Angel Martinez (CLE, 20% Rostership) – The Rangers have been looking for Jose Ramirez’s roster protection for years, and it looks like they’ve stumbled upon something with Martinez. This Angel from Heaven will give the Rangers seven homers and eight steals so far this season. Some of that production happened this week, when Martinez collected two homers and three steals over his last two outings! He also has a .271 AVG and .812 OPS over his last 31 games and has even led off a few times this week. If we could get Martinez to score a top goal every day, he would be a must-win player in most leagues. We also love that you have seven games this week.
Recommended FAAB %: 1%
QUICK HITS: JJ Bleday (CIN, 19% Rostership), Carson Benge (NYM, 12% Rostership), Carlos Cortes (ATH, 18% Rostership)
STARTING BEAMS
10/12 Team additions
Ryne Nelson (ARI, 52% Rostership) – Nelson was relegated to several ropes after a slow start, but that was a mistake by the masses. The righty had a 3.39 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 23 starts in the postseason last year. That’s what we’ve seen lately, with Nelson amassing a 2.33 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 over his last three starts. It’s also clear that Nelson deserves some decent slack, as his 4.25 SIERA and 1.16 WHIP don’t match his 5.40 ERA. He couldn’t have a better schedule this week either, because he has a home game against the Rockies and Giants. San Fran is 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP and xwOBA, and the Rockies have been the worst road offense for years.
Recommended FAAB %: 5%
Michael McGreevy (STL, 39% Rostership) –McGreevy has lacked offensive output throughout his career, but he is quietly one of the hottest players in baseball right now. The righty has gone six innings in four consecutive starts while allowing a total of two earned runs. That’s a ridiculous run, with McGreevy maintaining a 0.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in that span. The matchups made it even more surprising because they had to jump into Sacramento and face the Dodgers at such a critical time. His home game against Pittsburgh this week doesn’t compare to that because they have one of the weakest offenses in baseball.
Recommended FAAB %: 3-5%
QUICK HITS: Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI, 42% Rostership), Reid Detmers (LAA, 39% Rostership), Max Meyer (MIA, 57% Rostership)
Deep League is Coming
Christian Scott (NYM, 17% Rostership) – Scott has been inconsistent since being called up, but this is the week to add him off waivers. The most influential variable is his schedule because he has the first two weeks. They really couldn’t be a better matchup because you’re facing the Marlins and the Nationals. Those offenses have been good this season, but those aren’t the teams to worry about. They’re less concerned when they see Scott’s recent form, which has racked up a 3.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 average over his last three starts. That’s pretty much in line with his 3.33 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 32 percent K rate throughout his minor league career.
Recommended FAAB %: 2%
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA, 7% Rostership) – This is a total punt download because who knows what we’ll get from G-Rod? He deserves some consideration in the waiver wire because Rodriguez was thought to be one of the best hitters when he was drafted by Baltimore a few years ago. He had a 2.11 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 22 starts throughout his Triple-A career and is expected to make his Angels debut sometime next week. A good start will get him out of almost every dropout string, so go ahead and stick him in your IL if possible.
Recommended FAAB %: 1%
QUICK HITS: Keider Montero (DET, 14% Rostership), Lucas Giolito (SD, 6% Rostership), Aaron Civale (ATH, 6% Rostership)
THE LIBERATORS
10/12 Team additions
Gregory Soto (PIT, 41% Rostership) – I had stock in Dennis Santana, but that seems to be dead. Soto has taken over for the Pirates, posting a 1.69 ERA and 0.70 WHIP so far this season. That’s why he has three saves and three wins in his last nine games, picking up the last three for the Buccos. He also had 48 saves between 2020 and 2021, so he has plenty of potential to hold onto that ninth inning gig.
Recommended FAAB %: 5%
QUICK HITS: Rico Garcia (BAL, 34% Rostership), Jacob Latz (TEX, 35% Rostership)
Deep League Adds
Caleb Kilian (SF, 8% Rostership) – Who knows who closed San Fran? It looks like Kilian is still the guy for now after Ryan Walker was demoted to Triple-A. Kilian has a 1.40 ERA and 1.09 WHIP this season while recording two saves in his last four games. It’s rare to find a guy who can steal a closer’s job for the rest of the season, but Kilian could be that guy with a few successful saves.
Recommended FAAB %: 1-3%
QUICK HITS: Graham Ashcraft (CIN, 14% Rostership), Ben Brown (CHC, 10% Rostership)
