As we approach the final month of the MLB season, it’s getting harder and harder to find new players to write about here on the waiver wire. But that’s ok because some of the players I’ve talked about before are still rostered in way fewer leagues than they ought to be! And don’t worry, there are also some fresh faces like Brett Baty, David Peterson and Braxton Garrett this week.
One place you’ll usually find new blood is in the deep league adds, a section that typically includes unheralded prospects and journeymen on a hot streak. But this week it also happens to include the best player of the millennium.
Note: Rostered rates are from Yahoo leagues as of Friday.
FAABulous Four: Top Waiver Targets
Vinnie Pasquantino (1B – TB): 52% Rostered
I’ve been shouting from the rooftops to add Pasquantino since before he was even called up, but I suspect this will be his last appearance in the waiver wire column. It can’t be much longer before he is universally rostered. As a quick refresher, Vinnie P. possesses a rare blend of power and plate discipline that has translated seamlessly from the minors to the Majors. He had some unfortunate batted-ball outcomes over his first couple of weeks in Kansas City, but that has quickly corrected itself. He’s hitting .409 with five homers over the last two weeks, and should be a total masher over the season’s final six weeks.
Fresh off Player of the Week honors, Vinnie Pasquantino goes yard. 💪 pic.twitter.com/3Gks0HadEP
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2022
Brett Baty (3B – NYM): 38% Rostered
You may have noticed how excited Baty’s family was when he went yard in his Big League debut. His fantasy managers have reason to be excited, too. Baty is currently the number 19 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and he hit .315 with 19 HRs and 60 RBIs in 95 games between Double-A and Triple-A before earning a promotion to Queens. With Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme both on the injured list, Baty is set to get an extended audition at the hot corner for one of the best offenses in baseball.
He certainly hasn’t had any issue squaring up the ball so far:
Brett Baty's average exit velocity so far on his balls in play is 96.4 mph. That's obviously not sustainable, considering Aaron Judge's 95.5-mph average leads the league, but Baty has been scalding the ball in a small sample.
His latest: a 104.2-mph single. pic.twitter.com/MqpKLlv0P3
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 18, 2022
William Contreras (C – ATL): 54% Rostered
Contreras made an appearance in this column a few months ago, and he’s back in it here in August. After hitting .280 with five homers in May, the Braves’ backstop cooled down a little in June and July, and his playing time remained somewhat sporadic. Contreras’ roster rate subsequently took a hit, even though he appeared in the All-Star game.
He never really went through an extended slump, though, and now he’s increasingly earning at-bats as the designated hitter when Travis d’Arnaud is behind the plate. Those DH opportunities could be even more prevalent now that Marcell Ozuna is once again embroiled in legal troubles. Contreras’ .266 average and 16 homers both rank top-six among catchers with at least 200 plate appearances, and run and RBI chances should continue to be there in the high-scoring Atlanta offense.
Wild Bill just went mammo!@Wcontreras42 | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/xiFX6McEiH
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 16, 2022
Edward Cabrera (SP – MIA): 51% Rostered
Cabrera was one of the headliners in last week’s column, but his Yahoo roster rate has only risen 7%, so he’s here again this week. Check the link if you want to hear my case for adding him. The only thing that has changed since then is that Cabrera went out at threw four scoreless innings with seven Ks against a tough Padres lineup. Sure, you’d like him to be more efficient to he can be eligible for a quality start and/or win, but he should make it through at least five innings most times out and the upside is immense.
He should be rostered in considerably more leagues. Just ask Juan Soto:
Juan Soto approves of Edward Cabrera's Filthy Breaking Ball. 😀 pic.twitter.com/2B3aDWjRUa
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 16, 2022
Priority Pickups: <40% Rostered
Alex Cobb (SP – SF): 40% Rostered
Back in June, I dubbed Cobb the unluckiest pitcher in the Statcast era. At that moment in time, he led all MLB pitchers in every one of Statcast’s expected statistics, yet had a 5.73 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Since then, he has a much more useful 2.92 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, but his roster rate has only gone up five percent. Look for the Giants’ right-hander to post a sub-4.00 ERA, mid-1.20s WHIP and at least a strikeout per inning the rest of the way.
Ross Stripling (SP – TOR): 34% Rostered
Stripling has been on the injured list multiple times this season with forearm and glute injuries, but when healthy, he’s been very effective for the Blue Jays and fantasy managers. His 2.93 ERA and 1.03 WHIP both rank among the top 25 pitchers who have thrown at least 80 innings. He’s probably due for some ERA regression once his low 0.61 HR/9 rate normalizes, but his 48.1 percent ground ball rate and elite 1.52 BB/9 rate give reason to believe he can continue to limit the damage against him. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but there’s a lot to like about his game otherwise.
David Peterson (SP – NYM): 15% Rostered
With a 3.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 10.37 K/9 across 18 appearances (14 starts), Peterson has been awfully impressive for the Mets this year, even if his control has been a bit iffy at times. His biggest obstacle to fantasy value hasn’t been the walks; it’s been earning a consistent spot in the Mets’ rotation. That should no longer be an issue now that Carlos Carrasco will be sidelined for at least 3-4 weeks with an oblique strain. Peterson will make a start in Saturday’s doubleheader against the Phillies, and should slot right into Carrasco’s rotation spot moving forward.
Braxton Garrett (SP – MIA): 28% Rostered
Edward Cabrera isn’t the only young Marlins hurler making some noise of late. There’s also Garrett. The 25-year-old left-hander has been awfully good since joining Miami’s rotation in early June, posting a solid 3.67 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 9.31 K/9 rate despite a relatively-high .316 BABIP against him. He’s in the midst of a brutal stretch of matchups that have included a trip to the launching pad in Cincinnati, challenging spots against the Phillies and Braves, and now back-to-back starts against the Dodgers league-leading offense. Still, he has done enough to even merit consideration in tough matchups and is slated to get a bit of a reprieve against the Rays at the end of the month.
Drew Smyly (SP,RP – CHC): 18% Rostered
Just uttering Smyly’s name as a fantasy pickup makes me feel like it’s 2015 again. Or maybe 1983 and I’m watching Guy Smiley on Sesame Street. But I digress. Drew Smyly is now at the ripe old age of 33, but he’s having something of a renaissance with the retooling Cubbies. In 76 innings (16 starts), he’s posted a 3.67 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, and he’s allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six outings. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I trust Smyly, but he’s at least worked his way into the streaming conversation for plus matchups.
Jose Suarez (SP,RP – LAA): 12% Rostered
I have my doubts that Suarez will be a rest-of-season hold, but he’s approved for streaming based on his recent form. Over the last month, he’s got a cool 1.19 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, three wins and 21 Ks over 22 2/3 innings. Granted, those starts have come against Kansas City, Oakland (twice) and Seattle, not exactly a murderer’s row. Suarez hasn’t shown any signs of dominance on the mound since back in 2018, so I wouldn’t trust him against top-tier offenses. The good news is he has yet another favorable matchup coming up against the Rays at the Trop.
Alexis Diaz (RP – CIN): 32% Rostered
Diaz hasn’t officially been named the closer in Cincinnati, but he certainly seems to have the upper hand on Hunter Strickland at this point. But saves are far from the only reason to roster Diaz. Sporting a high-90s fastball and wicked slider, Diaz has posted a delectable 1.75 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 12.24 K/9 rate through 46 1/3 innings.
Alexis Díaz, Nasty Sliders. 🎷 pic.twitter.com/IBhuJqEGPS
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 14, 2022
Kyle Finnegan (RP – WAS): 27% Rostered
Finnegan’s ratios aren’t quite as pristine as Diaz’s, but a 3.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 9.06 K/9 will play just fine when you’re also locking down saves. It looked for a moment like Carl Edwards Jr. could be challenging Finnegan’s spot in the ninth, but Finnegan has the Nats’ last two saves and five of seven since the All Star Break. It’s mildly concerning that Finnegan throws his 97-mph sinker 78 percent of the time, but he’s put up solid numbers for three straight seasons, so perhaps he’s the rare one-pitch pitcher that can make it work.
Luis Rengifo (2B,3B,SS,OF – LAA): 34% Rostered
Rengifo had done very little at the plate through his first three Major League seasons, but with the Angels’ season circling the drain, he’s not only stepped into an everyday role; he’s even batting third. Rengifo has also been swinging a pretty hot bat, hitting .299 with four homers, two steals, and 18 RBIs over the last month. It would be no great shock to see him produce at a .250-20-10 pace over the rest of the season, and his positional versatility is a nice bonus for fantasy managers.
Andrew McCutchen (OF – MIL): 39% Rostered
That’s right, McCutchen is still going strong at age 35. While his days as a fantasy star are long gone, he’s quietly produced top-35 outfielder value in standard 5×5 formats this season. He’s typically been good for a .250 average and 20-25 HRs in recent years, but the big surprise is that he’s set to reach double-digit steals again for the first time since 2018.
Bryson Stott (2B,SS – PHI): 12% Rostered
Stott’s transition to the Majors has been a little bumpier than Phillies fans probably hoped, but he seems to be settling in of late. Over the last two weeks, he’s hitting .349 with six runs, five RBIs and two steals. He was already on pace to approach 15 HRs and 15 SBs over a full season, so the improved batting average is promising. Stott regularly hit .300 in the minors, and while his Statcast numbers don’t indicate that his .221 batting average is especially unlucky, he is making a lot of contact as shown in his solid 16.6 percent strikeout rate.
Deep-League Targets: <10% Rostered
Albert Pujols (1B – STL): 3% Rostered
This is probably my last chance to write about the future Hall of Famer as a waiver wire pickup, so I’ll take it. Pujols was a cornerstone of my first keeper squad 15+ years ago, so he’ll always have a special place in my heart. No, he isn’t playing every day, but he has launched four home runs in six games since August 10, and now sits just 10 homers shy of 700 for his illustrious career. He also happens to be hitting .415 since July 23. If you’re a fan of baseball history who plays in a deep league with daily lineups, Pujols is about as fun a late-season add as you can get.
HOME RUN NO. 690 FOR ALBERT PUJOLS IS OH SO GRAND!!!
TV: Bally Sports Midwest
Stream: https://t.co/T19nzOKKEf#STLCards pic.twitter.com/LPQfcwchmi— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) August 18, 2022
Kerry Carpenter (UTIL – DET): 2% Rostered
Carpenter is not a player who was on a lot of top prospect lists entering 2022, but he completely tore the cover off the ball in the minors, hitting .313 with 30 HRs and 75 RBIs in 97 games between Double-A and Triple-A. That home run total led all of the minor leagues, and Carpenter has already sent two more balls over the fence since joining the Tigers, providing the kind of instant impact Tigers fans were hoping to see from Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene. Carpenter is only eligible at utility in Yahoo leagues but should earn outfield eligibility soon. With the kind of minor-league numbers he put up, he’s worth taking a chance on regardless of his prospect status (or lack thereof).
Two days, two home runs.
Kerry Carpenter is fitting in just fine with the @tigers. pic.twitter.com/INa5KOqOtn
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 16, 2022
Lamonte Wade Jr. (1B,OF – SF): 6% Rostered
The 28-year-old Wade is a classic late-bloomer, but the production he’s putting up in San Francisco is becoming hard to ignore. Since joining the Giants at the beginning of the 2021 season, Wade has hit 26 home runs and stole six bases in just 515 plate appearances. Granted, the steals were all last season and he’s currently hitting just .195 this year, but he’s picked it up lately by batting .269 with five homers over the last two weeks. He’s even worked his way into the leadoff spot against right-handed pitchers.
Stone Garrett (OF – ARI): 1% Rostered
Jake McCarthy (OF – ARI): 6% Rostered
Emmanuel Rivera (3B – ARI): 7% Rostered
There is a ton of playing time up for grabs in the desert this summer, and these three young guys are staking their claim to it. Garrett recently joined the Diamondbacks after hitting .275 with 28 HRs, 95 RBIs and 15 steals in 103 Triple-A games. McCarthy is hitting .280 with three homers and nine steals in 61 games with the D’Backs, after hitting .369 with five homers and 11 steals in 36 games at Triple-A. And Rivera has slugged four homers in his first 11 games with Arizona after showing some pop in the Royals’ system. Players like these who are on bad teams outside of the coastal media markets can often fly under the radar at this stage of the season, but they can still help your fantasy team.
Alright, that’s it for this week. If you like what you see here, you can get more of my thoughts on waiver wire pickups, buy-low/sell-high candidates, rest-of-season player values and more by subscribing to the Rest of Season Rankings podcast and going to ROSrankings.com. I’m also always happy to talk about anything fantasy-related on Twitter @andrew_seifter.
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