Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 2

Juan Nicasio should see an uptick in ownership after his impressive first start

Off to a tough start this fantasy season? These four waiver wire pickups can help owners get things turned around quickly.

Ownership totals are in ESPN leagues as of Friday.

Domingo Santana (OF – MIL) 32.3 percent

One of the centerpieces of last deadline’s Carlos Gomez trade is starting to turn potential into production and could be a worthwhile fantasy pickup for the rest of the season.

Originally a member of the Philadelphia Phillies’ system, Santana posted excellent power numbers with solid plate discipline all the way up through Triple-A. The Houston Astros gave Santana a try in 2014, and he went hitless with just one walk in his first 18 career plate appearances.

Things got better last year, particularly after the trade to Milwaukee. Santana hit .238/.337/.438 in 187 plate appearances, including a solid walk rate of 10.7 percent.

While that strong plate discipline has continued early on this season, the power will determine how valuable Santana is as a fantasy player. Santana is more than capable of a 20-homer season, as he hit at least 23 dingers at two separate levels of the minors.

Brock Holt (2B/3B/OF – BOS) 41.5 percent

Having a super-utility player on a fantasy roster can be tricky given the inconsistent playing time. However, Holt appears to have carved out a fairly permanent role with the Red Sox, and may produce enough at the plate to be a nice fantasy bench piece.

After being an unknown member of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system for nearly five years, Holt became a cult hero in Boston following a strong season in 2014. Holt posted back-to-back 98 wRC+ seasons, making him a valuable player to have given his ability to play any position but catcher.

While that’s not lighting the world on fire from a fantasy prospective, Holt adds in a fair amount of runs, RBI and stolen bases to give him some value. With the positional flexibility added in, Holt can be a nice fill-in for others during off days as long as fantasy owners are on top of when he’s in the lineup.

Holt earned a full-time starting job against right-handers this season and is off to a good start, piling up three singles, a double, two home runs and a walk in 13 plate appearances.

Aaron Sanchez (SP – TOR) 42.8 percent

A longtime top prospect, Sanchez appeared to have found a nice fit in the bullpen in 2014. However, after winning a starting job and turning in a terrific effort to begin 2016, owners should think about adding Sanchez to their fantasy rotations.

After posting a 1.09 ERA with 7.36 strikeouts per nine innings in 24 games as a reliever to begin his career, the Blue Jays gave Sanchez a chance to start last season. It didn’t go well at all, and Sanchez was forced back to the bullpen for the final 30 games of 2015, where he performed well again.

Still, Toronto put Sanchez in the starting rotation after a great spring. Sanchez responded by allowing just one run in seven innings with eight strikeouts and no walks on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Even when Sanchez was successful in the bullpen, it seemed like he should have been able to generate more strikeouts based on how great his pure stuff is. Sanchez may be heading in the right direction in that regard, as he generated 16 whiffs on Tuesday.

Juan Nicasio (SP – PIT) 33.8 percent

The Pirates have done a terrific job with veteran starting pitching reclamation projects over the last few years under Ray Searage. There are signs that Nicasio may be the latest successful bounce-back pitcher in Pittsburgh, giving him some value on the waiver wire.

Nicasio always had the upside of at least a mid-rotation starter, but never carried much fantasy value while spending the first four years of his career in Coors Field. The Dodgers gave Nicasio a chance in the bullpen in 2015, and he turned in a strong campaign.

However, the Pirates were still interested in Nicasio’s upside, and gave him a rotation spot after a terrific spring. Spring stats are one thing, but Nicasio looked terrific against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks over seven innings.

At this point, Searage has proven his ability with pitchers like Nicasio, and the right-hander is worth a flier for many fantasy owners.