Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Widely Available Free Agents For The Stretch Run
Are you in contention, looking for reinforcements for the stretch run to your fantasy title, but the trade deadline has passed? Well, even though trading is the best way to help your team, there may be help hiding on the waiver wire. Below, you’ll find some of the most useful players widely available in fantasy leagues.
The ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo.
Hitters
Yonder Alonso, 1B, Mariners (41% Owned)
Earlier this year Alonso was crushing the ball so hard that it shocked me to see his ownership percentage so low. Sure there are good players at first base, but Alonso has been left for dead after a slump. His second half has been abysmal, his power has regressed to what it looked like over the entirety of his career before April-June of 2017, and his home splits – in Oakland – were much better than his road splits. That’s important to note because he now plays for the Seattle Mariners.
Now for the plus side; he’s continued to walk at the same rate, and even though his fly ball rate has plummeted, his line drive rate is up four percentage points from the first half. Alonso needs to get back to hitting fly balls, and he will provide value down the stretch. He’s got a lineup spot locked up with the M’s, so stash him on your bench for now and when he heats up a bit he might prove useful.
Aaron Hicks, OF, Yankees (45% Owned)
Hicks missed a huge chunk of time this year, but he’s back and he hit the ground running. Hicks has swatted two homers, stolen a base and posted an .857 OPS in 24 August plate appearances. For the year, he’s slashed .284/.389/.518 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI and eight stolen bases. He is finally reaching his potential, and become an across-the-board contributor. People are slow to get on board, but now’s the time to strike. Not only is he breaking out, he’s going to play almost every day with rookie OF Clint Frazier on the DL, reducing the Yanks’ outfield logjam. No matter your offensive need, Hicks looks capable of contributing.
Curtis Granderson, OF, Mets (25% Owned)
Fantasy owners, like actual MLB contenders, have been slow to realize that Granderson has gotten over his extended early-season slump, and he did so a while ago. The Grandy Man has hit five home runs in August and driven in 10 runs, while scoring 10 runs himself. Over that stretch he’s hit .278 and posted a ridiculous 1.116 OPS. Granderson is the perfect pickup for owners who have just lost Bryce Harper to the DL. Obviously he’s not remotely close to the talent that Harper is, but when Grandy gets hot he becomes an elite power hitter. Pick him up!
Lucas Duda, 1B, Rays (12% Owned)
Duda is not quite as potent as Granderson, but he’s been quietly good in 2017. Duda has good power, but he isn’t quite an elite masher. Picking up Duda makes more sense for teams who want to supplement decent power numbers, or are in need of OBP/OPS. This year, Duda has reached base at a .353 clip, and he’s posted a .381 OBP since being dealt to Tampa Bay. He’s not a flashy player to add, but 12 percent ownership doesn’t make sense to me.
Starting Pitchers
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, Red Sox (46% Owned)
Rodriguez’s ownership percentage is weird. Do people not realize he’s off the DL? He’s posted a solid 3.80 ERA, with a 3.99 FIP to back it up, and he’s striking out almost 10 batters per nine as a starter. These numbers, plus his spot on the best team in the American League, make him a valuable arm down the stretch. He’s a good bet to win in any given start and the Boston offense is getting red hot, which should provide him serious run support. It’s odd to me that he’s not almost universally owned at this point.
R.A. Dickey, SP, Braves (20% Owned)
Dickey is not good anymore. I’ll put it out there. He isn’t striking out many hitters (6.13 K/9), his FIP is damn near 5.00, and he plays for the Braves, who suck. But somehow Dickey is finding ways to grind out Ws – they matter in fantasy – and he’s 8-7 for this awful team. Not only is he figuring out how to earn wins, Dickey is eating innings, and that’s translating to quality starts. Dickey’s notched 15 quality starts, tying him with Jon Lester, Justin Verlander, Jeff Samardzija and several others with ownership percentages near 100. If your squad can absorb some high WHIP games, Dickey can help you catch up with or surpass others in the wins and QS categories.
CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees (27% Owned)
Sabathia, currently on the DL, is looking like he may be back Saturday. Like Dickey, CC has been pretty reliable this season, pitching to a respectable 4.05 ERA and benefitting from the Yankees’ strong lineup to notch nine victories. CC has gotten into trouble when he pitches too deep into games these days, but after the Yankees added David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to their bullpen, Joe Girardi has displayed a very quick hook. CC has the ability to go six innings with some regularity, making him a solid mid-to-end rotation arm that supplements your strikeouts, wins and quality starts while dinging your WHIP.
Relief Pitchers
Arodys Vizcaino, RP, Braves (44% Owned)
Vizcaino seems to have gotten back the closing gig in Atlanta – or at least a healthy piece – and he has changed a little bit as a pitcher in a way that makes him more reliable. His K/9 is down from last year, but it rests at a very nice 9.35 per nine. The benefit of that is that his BB/9 has dropped from 6.05 last year to a manageable 2.76 in 2017. Arodys has benefitted from a .250 BABIP, and his FIP is sitting at 3.69, much higher than his 2.34 ERA, but his swing-and-miss ability is evident and he might be able to keep outperforming his FIP.
Archie Bradley, SP/RP, Diamondbacks (29% Owned)
Bradley is not a closer, so if all you’re hunting for is saves then he’s not your guy. But Bradley has killer stuff, and even though he’s failed as a starter, he’s looked dominant in relief. He’s striking out almost 10 batters per nine and walking fewer than two. His 2.34 FIP shows that Bradley’s for real, and he’s got a nice sparkly sub-1.00 WHIP to go along with it. Lastly, Bradley is used for more than an inning at a time fairly often and those kinds of relievers can also scoop up wins.