It’s important to have a plan when scouring the fantasy baseball waiver wire or placing your weekly free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) bids. Below are some players rostered in fewer than 50% of fantasy baseball leagues to consider for the second half.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Runs
Masyn Winn (SS – STL) | 49% on Yahoo; 36% on ESPN
Masyn Winn is batting .255 with a .693 OPS, 53 runs scored, seven home runs, 32 RBI and four steals. His strikeout rate is a respectable 17.5% and his in-zone contact rate is above league average.
Although Winn doesn’t hit the ball very hard and the power will be lacking, 53 runs before the All-Star break will play. Winn should have plenty of opportunities to score runs near the top of the lineup for the 11th-highest scoring team in the league.
Home Runs
Noelvi Marte (3B – CIN) | 20% on Yahoo; 12% on ESPN
Noelvi Marte has looked good since returning from the injured list (IL) on July 4th. His season line sits at a .293 average, .905 OPS, 14 runs scored, six home runs, 22 RBI and four steals. He’s shown the tools for elite power with a 116.7 max exit velocity, a number that puts him with names like Kyle Schwarber and Junior Caminero.
Great American Ball Park plays as the second-best park in terms of home runs, and Marte has a real chance at reaching 20 homers if he stays healthy. His six homers in 26 games translate to a 34-home run pace over 150 games.
RBI
Nathaniel Lowe (1B – WSH) | 49% on Yahoo; 21% on ESPN
Nathaniel Lowe is 15th in the league with 61 RBI. He complements that with a .229 average, .689 OPS, 44 runs scored, 14 home runs and a stolen base. His expected batting average (xBA) of .238 is a four-year low for him, thanks to a 27% strikeout rate.
However, Lowe’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is 43 points lower than his career average, suggesting he’s been unlucky. The Nationals’ lineup should get a boost when Dylan Crews returns and adds another dynamic player for Lowe to bat in.
Stolen Bases
Dylan Crews (OF – WSH) | 50% on Yahoo; 19% on ESPN
Dylan Crews went on the IL in May for an oblique injury and is getting closer to a return after the All-Star break. In his 45 games, he has a .196 batting average, .620 OPS, 24 runs scored, seven home runs, 15 RBI and 11 steals.
Crews had 12 steals in 31 games last year and continues to be aggressive on the basepaths. He has been caught stealing six times in 76 career MLB games, but his 95th percentile sprint speed should help him improve his success rate.
Batting Average
J.P. Crawford (SS – SEA) | 19% on Yahoo; 12% on ESPN
J.P. Crawford is batting .287 with a .775 OPS, 43 runs scored, seven home runs, 37 RBI and five steals. His strikeout rate is under 17% and his walk rate is nearing 14%, leading to an xBA of .279.
Crawford has the 30th-most plate appearances this season and is 26th in batting average among qualified hitters. There aren’t many batters available in 80% of leagues that can provide batting average and volume.
Wins
Emmet Sheehan (SP – LAD) | 28% on Yahoo; 10% on ESPN
Emmet Sheehan has shown promise in his limited usage this season. In two starts and a relief appearance, he’s allowed three runs in 13.1 innings with 13 strikeouts. It’s unclear if he will continue to be used as a follower as Shohei Ohtani builds his pitch count up, or if he’ll return to the rotation.
Either option gives him a chance to earn a win, though. His underlying stats all have the makings of an elite pitcher. The Dodgers have had lots of pitching injuries, and I would imagine he’s the next guy up, should they need a replacement.
Strikeouts
Will Warren (SP – NYY) | 48% on Yahoo; 20% on ESPN
Will Warren has flaws, but his strikeout rate is not one of them. His 11.1 K/9 mark ranks sixth among starters with at least 90 innings pitched, behind only Zack Wheeler, Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, MacKenzie Gore and Dylan Cease.
That’s pretty good company. Warren has been putting 5% more of his pitches in the zone this year and has also increased his whiff rate. His ratios are of concern, but if you need to make up ground in strikeouts, he can be useful in the second half.
ERA & WHIP
Trevor Rogers (SP – BAL) | 36% on Yahoo; 27% on ESPN
Trevor Rogers’ resurgence in Baltimore has been impressive. He has a 1.53 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 3.24 xERA. He’s lowered his walk rate by 3% and raised his strikeout rate by 4.5%, compared to last year.
Rogers’ hard-hit rate and BABIP (.211) suggest he has been lucky thus far with balls in play. While he can’t be expected to maintain this level of run prevention, his ERA indicators still show a productive pitcher.
Saves
Daniel Palencia (RP – CHC) | 48% on Yahoo; 18% on ESPN
Daniel Palencia’s season line stats sit at a minuscule 1.62 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 11 saves and 10.2 K/9. He has done a fantastic job of limiting hard contact while picking up strikeouts.
Palencia’s barrel rate allowed is in the 99th percentile and his 29% strikeout rate is in the 88th percentile. The Cubs are fourth in the league in wins. Despite being 28th in save opportunities, they should have plenty more going forward.
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