Waiver Wire Week 9: Half-Full Nelson

I’ve titled this article Half-Full Nelson because of a pitcher recommendation, but I’m gonna throw out a movie recommendation really quick. Before Ryan Gosling sold out and became Ken Barbie, he was making little gems, with Half Nelson among them. It’s a heavy film, but it’s worth your time simply for his performance. That’s enough of that, so let’s get into some fantasy baseball!

We’ve hit an interesting point in the season. We’re about 45 games in for most teams, and it’s grind mode on the waiver wire across fantasy baseball. That’s what we baseball addicts love to hear because we can rebuild any roster we might’ve screwed up. That actually brings me to one of my important tips: never give up on your fantasy team. I know it feels 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 handful of mistakes on the waiver wire throughout the year, and it’s imperative to capitalize on those mistakes. There’s also no deficit that’s too large to make up at this point in the season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the waiver wire for this week.

The stats and roster rates below are updated on 5/15. All rostership percentages are on Yahoo.

Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!

Also, check out my Streamers article dropping tomorrow. 

CATCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 53% Rostership) – Why is Jeffers still available in half the leagues on Yahoo? This has been one of the best catchers in baseball, compiling a .406 OBP and .948 OPS in a breakout campaign. He’s been even better recently, registering a .432 OBP and 1.060 OPS across his last 24 outings. That’s why he bats either third or fourth for the Twins, and it’s about time they start sticking him at DH to play every day. The playing time is the only real concern, but who cares when he’s hitting like this?

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Drew Dingler (DET, 47% Rostership), Moises Ballesteros (CHC, 30% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Kyle Teel (CWS, 10% Rostership) – This is an underrated pickup off the waiver wire. Teel was one of the key pieces to the Garrett Crochet trade, and it looks like he’s nearing a return from the IL. This is supposed to be Chicago’s catcher for the future, collecting a .375 OBP and .786 OPS in his rookie season last year. That just scratches the surface of what Teel could become, tallying a .403 OBP and .864 OPS throughout his minor league career. He’s also got a .958 OPS during his minor league rehab assignment, so he needs to be picked up in every deeper league before fantasy managers realize he’s back.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: JT Realmuto (PHI, 16% Rostership), Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 10% Rostership), Tyler Stephenson (CIN, 4% Rostership)

INFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Luis Garcia (1B/2B, WAS, 42% Rostership) – Garcia was a must-roster player in the past, and his recent form makes me feel like he could return to that player. The reason Garcia was so valuable was because of his power-speed duo, collecting 34 homers and 36 steals over the last two seasons. Any player who flirts with 20-20 seasons needs to be considered in fantasy, especially since Garcia has a .266 career AVG. He’s crept closer to that with a hot stretch, sporting a .526 AVG and 1.524 OPS across his last five fixtures. This guy can rip off five homers and five steals while hitting .350 in a month, and it feels like this could be that month.

% of 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 Adds

Sam Antonacci (2B/3B/OF, CWS, 14% Rostership) – The White Sox have been one of the worst teams for a handful of years, but all of these prospects have them looking like a fun team for the future. Antonacci is expected to be the speedster for this Chicago squad, which is why they’ve been hitting him leadoff for nearly two weeks now. That promotion in the lineup has led to the best stretch of his career, collecting a .444 OBP and .923 OPS across his last 14 outings. He also stole three bases during that span, which is no surprise since he had a .432 OBP and 48 steals in the minors last year. The multi-position eligibility is the icing on the cake, which is why Antonacci needs to be added off of every waiver wire out there.

% of 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 Adds

Jorge Soler (LAA, 48% Rostership) – Dare I say that Soler has become an underrated player? This slugger has a .785 career OPS, but it doesn’t seem like anyone cares. He hasn’t quite been the same over the last two years, but Soler still has an .818 OPS since April 5. That’s over a month of solid hitting, which is why Soler hits cleanup every day. That’s quite the lineup spot behind guys like Zach Neto and Mike Trout, especially when seeing LA’s schedule this week. The Angels have seven games at home this week against the Athletics and Rangers, with four of those happening against an atrocious A’s staff.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: Trent Grisham (NYY, 46% Rostership), Adolis Garcia (PHI, 33% Rostership), AJ Ewing (NYM, 34% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Angel Martinez (CLE, 20% Rostership) – The Guardians have been looking for lineup protection for Jose Ramirez for years, and it looks like they’ve stumbled into some with Martinez. This Angel has come from the heavens to give the Guardians seven homers and eight steals so far this season. Some of that production happened this week, with Martinez collecting 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 hit leadoff a couple of times this week. If we could get Martinez hitting leadoff every day, he’d become a must-roster player in most leagues. We also love that he has seven games this week.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: JJ Bleday (CIN, 19% Rostership), Carson Benge (NYM, 12% Rostership), Carlos Cortes (ATH, 18% Rostership)

STARTING PITCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Ryne Nelson (ARI, 52% Rostership) – Nelson was relegated to numerous waiver wires after a slow start, but that was clearly a mistake by the masses. This righty had a 3.39 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 23 starts in a breakout season last year. That’s what we’ve seen recently, with Nelson amassing a 2.33 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 rate across his last three starts. It’s also clear that Nelson is due for some positive regression, as his 4.25 SIERA and 1.16 WHIP are not in line with his 5.40 ERA. He couldn’t have a better schedule this week, either, because he has home matchups against the Rockies and Giants. San Fran is 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP and xwOBA, while the Rockies have been the worst road offense for years.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

Michael McGreevy (STL, 39% Rostership) –McGreevy has lacked strikeout stuff throughout his career, but he’s quietly one of the hottest pitchers in baseball right now. This righty has completed six innings in four straight starts while allowing two total runs. That’s a ridiculous run, with McGreevy maintaining a 0.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in that span. The matchups make it even more miraculous because he had to pitch in Sacramento and face the Dodgers during that sensational stretch. His home matchup against Pittsburgh this week doesn’t compare to those because they have one of the weaker offenses in baseball.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI, 42% Rostership), Reid Detmers (LAA, 39% Rostership), Max Meyer (MIA, 57% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Christian Scott (NYM, 17% Rostership) – Scott has been inconsistent since his call-up, but this is the week to add him off the waiver wire. The most impactful variable is his schedule because he has a two-start week. They really couldn’t be better matchups either because he faces the Marlins and Nationals. Those offenses have been decent this season, but those are not lineups we should be worried about. They’re less concerning when seeing Scott’s recent form, accruing a 3.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 rate across his last three starts. That’s more in line with his 3.33 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 32 percent K rate throughout his minor league career.

% of Recommended FAAB: 2%

Grayson Rodriguez (LAA, 7% Rostership) – This is a total punt pickup because who knows what we’re going to get from G-Rod? It’s worth a speculative add off the waiver wire because Rodriguez was projected to be one of the best pitchers when he was called up by Baltimore a few years ago. He had a 2.11 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 22 starts throughout his Triple-A career and is expected to make his Angels debut sometime over the next week. One great start will have him picked off of nearly every waiver wire out there, so go ahead and stick him on your IL if possible.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Keider Montero (DET, 14% Rostership), Lucas Giolito (SD, 6% Rostership), Aaron Civale (ATH, 6% Rostership)

RELIEVERS

10/12 Team Adds

Gregory Soto (PIT, 41% Rostership) – I had some stock in Dennis Santana, but that appears to be dead. Soto has taken over as the closer for the Pirates, providing a 1.69 ERA and 0.70 WHIP so far this season. That’s why he has three saves and three wins over his last nine appearances, picking up the last three saves for the Buccos. He also had 48 saves between 2020 and 2021, so he’s plenty capable of holding onto this ninth-inning gig.

% of 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’s closing for San Fran? It appears Kilian is 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 over his last four appearances. It’s rare to find a guy who could steal a closer’s job for the remainder of the season, but Kilian could be that guy with a few more successful saves.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Graham Ashcraft (CIN, 14% Rostership), Ben Brown (CHC, 10% Rostership)