We’re 10 weeks into fantasy baseball, and that number is one we’re familiar with this season as the new DL designation has been used frequently and freely. Granted, in some cases, the injuries warrant the 10-day stint, but in many others, it’s just a new toy for clubs to maximize their roster spots. For the fantasy owner, that means more players on the disabled list and much more activity is needed on the waiver wire.
Now we’re not likely to find another Aaron Judge at this point, but there are some viable options that are readily available in many leagues. Helping us pinpoint those players are our featured experts below. We’re using a 25% cutoff rate for ownership based on a consensus of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. Here’s who they picked.
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Q1. What one hitter should fantasy owners look into picking up that is owned in less than 25% of Leagues?
Tommy Pham (LF/CF – STL): 11% Owned
“Pham seems to have outright stolen the job from Randal Grichuk and for good reason. He continues to produce at a high level, batting .292 with plenty of power and speed. In fact, if you spread his stats out to a full season, he is a 28 HR, 28 SB player with 106 runs and 85 RBIs while batting .292. Sure, he isn’t going to keep that up, but if he drops off quite a bit, that is still a fantasy hitter definitely worth owning.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
Robinson Chirinos (C – TEX): 2% Owned
“Adrian Beltre missed 51 games with a calf injury, returned for seven games, and landed right back on the DL with an ankle injury. Beltre is a Hall of Famer, but he’s also 38 and has already shown this season just how long it may take to recover. With Mike Napoli on the DL as well, the Rangers may opt to play the struggling Jonathan Lucroy some games at 1B, which could give Robinson Chirinos 2-4 starts per week. Chirinos, who is only 2% owned, has always made the best of his playing time, crushing 32 homers in just 781 PA spanning his 2014-16 seasons; he already has six long balls in only 80 PA so far in 2017. If he can add 8-12 HR the rest of the way, he’ll be very valuable in two-catcher formats and much deeper standard leagues.”
– Seth Klein (The Fantasy Fix)
Lucas Duda (1B – NYM): 24% Owned
“Duda missed nearly a month with an elbow injury, and after shaking off the rust from that layoff, he’s been spectacular. Since May 23, Duda is hitting .350/.400/.750 with six home runs, six doubles, and 24 R+RBI in 15 games. He’s collected multiple hits in eight of those contests.”
– Kyle Bishop (RotoBaller)
Greg Bird (1B – NYY): 18% Owned
“Bird is only owned in 18% of leagues, but that is primarily due to his injury situation. On Thursday, his rehab assignment moved up to AAA, and overall he’s OPS’ed well over .900 over this short rehab stint. He should return to the Yankees soon and jump into what is already a potent lineup.”
– Dave McKay (The Fantasy Sports Brain)
Q2. What one pitcher should fantasy owners look into picking up that is owned in less than 25% of Leagues?
Tommy Kahnle (RP – CWS): 9% Owned
“Chasing saves is a time-honored tradition in the fantasy baseball community, and owners are always looking for the next potential closer. Felipe Rivero and Juan Nicasio have been popular adds over the last couple of days, so it’s likely they’re already owned by now, so I’m going to recommend one of the most dominant set-up men in the game this year: the White Sox’ Tommy Kahnle. David Robertson has been mentioned as a popular trade piece since early spring, and Nate Jones was expected to be the benefactor if the Sox’ closer was sent to a contender. But Jones has been on the DL since late April and it’s now Kahnle who’s stepped up, producing a 1.52 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and the second-best K-rate (46.6%) in all of baseball, trailing only Craig Kimbrel. Jones could still be in the mix for saves, and Zack Burdi is a closer in waiting, but Kahnle is four years younger than Jones and still has three more years of arbitration, which may entice Chicago to keep him around after they begin their fire sale.”
– Seth Klein (The Fantasy Fix)
Felipe Rivero (RP – PIT): 24% Owned
“Rivero is the obvious choice here, still at just 24% ownership. There’s a strong chance he’s the Pirates’ next closer, even if the powers that be haven’t yet publicly demoted Tony Watson. ”
– Dave McKay (The Fantasy Sports Brain)
Matt Strahm (SP/RP – KC): 1% Owned
“After dominating to a clip of 30 Ks and just 13 hits allowed in 22 innings with a 1.23 ERA in his brief rookie season, Matt Strahm is back at it again. This time around, he struggled to open the season, but has now compiled 23 Ks in 18 innings with 8 hits allowed and a 1.48 ERA since rejoining the Royals MLB club. With talks of Kelvin Herrera being dealt, it is only a matter of time before the Royals need a new closer and with the way Strahm has been pitching, they might hand him they keys. Even if they don’t, who couldn’t use a starting pitcher eligible lock-down reliever who can help them in the ratios and Ks?”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
Mike Foltynewicz (SP – ATL): 20% Owned
“It’s been a tough season on the pitching end of things for many fantasy owners, between the rash of injuries and the continuance of the league-wide power surge that began in late 2015. Consequently, the waiver wire pickings are particularly slim. Foltynewicz is worth considering if you can tolerate a bit of volatility. Nearly half of the runs he’s allowed so far came in his two worst starts. In the rest of his appearances, he’s posted a 2.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 2.9 K/BB.”
– Kyle Bishop (RotoBaller)
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Thank you to the experts for naming their top under-the-radar waiver pickups. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and check out our latest podcast below.
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