While some of my pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups didn’t do so well last week (two out of five to be exact), my featured batter hopefully made up for it. Mickey Moniak went off for five homers, nine RBI and a batting average over .320. He is a must-add everywhere while still available.
At the start of this week, I was focused on Jordan Walker and Cam Smith as potential waiver wire pickups, but both continued to mash and are now widely unavailable. Fortunately, there are still plenty of other diamonds in the rough available to fulfill those pesky roster needs.
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
- Best Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Tools
- Fantasy Baseball Lineup Assistant
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
This weekly piece will cover players who can help in at least one specific category. For example, if your team is scoring plenty of runs and hitting for a strong average but struggling to steal bases, you can scroll directly to the stolen bases section for a targeted pickup.
While most of these players will contribute across multiple categories, their primary value comes from the category they’re listed under. I also don’t generally repeat players from week to week, so it’s not a bad idea to check back on previous articles to see if any of those players are still available.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category
Without further ado, here are this week’s top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category. All players listed are rostered in fewer than 55% of Yahoo leagues.
Home Runs
Max Muncy (3B – LAD)
Fresh off his three-home run performance, Max Muncy’s rostership has surged, yet the Dodgers’ power thumper is still somehow available in the majority of leagues. After recovering from injury and receiving vision correction last year, few could match Muncy’s production.
The Dodgers third baseman crushed 12 homers over 50 games to go along with 50 RBI. He then hit the injured list (IL) again, only to return in August and send another four balls to the seats over seven games.
Muncy is hitting .286 with a .946 OPS this year and has already clubbed four homers. The Dodgers’ lineup is stacked to the gills, so his counting stats should also be plentiful. Snag the mashing 35-year-old everywhere he’s still available and ride the wave while he’s healthy.
Batting Average
T.J. Rumfield (1B – COL)
T.J. Rumfield has cooled off a bit lately, but his underlying metrics suggest it’s only a matter of time before the production ticks back up. The Rockies first baseman ranks in the top 7% of the league in launch angle sweet spot — meaning he’s squaring the ball up at an ideal angle better than 93% of hitters.
Rumfield raked in the Yankees’ farm system, consistently registering batting averages above .300. In Colorado, he’s hitting .319 with a .511 slugging rate. He doesn’t always start against left-handed pitchers, but the boost from playing half his games at Coors Field should help make up for it. Buy the dip and start Rumfield at home and on the road against lesser righties.
RBI
Josh Bell (1B, DH – MIN)
Josh Bell has been on a tear lately, knocking in runners at a high clip over the past stretch. He’s consistently hit well with runners on (1.271 OPS with runners in scoring position), and he has been a massive boost for the Twins in the early going.
We’ve all witnessed the highs and lows of Bell’s career, but when he’s hot, he’s worth starting everywhere. Batting in the middle of the lineup has done wonders for his production, and he’s even hitting lefties fairly well this season. He’s worth a look in most leagues.
Runs
Max Muncy (2B, 3B, SS – ATH)
The 23-year-old Max Muncy has been crushing as well. I wanted to include the young infielder in last week’s piece. Thankfully, he’s still available in about half of leagues. Muncy mashed in the PCL and has carried that into his sophomore season in the big leagues.
The power-hitting third baseman has been on a run-scoring tear, crossing the plate 12 times in 13 games. He’s pushed his batting average over .314. While that’s likely not sustainable with such a high strikeout rate, he hits the ball extremely hard.
With an average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and launch angle sweet spot all ranking in the top 4% of the league, it’s no surprise Muncy’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is elevated. It makes sense that his expected batting average (xBA) sits at .276 despite striking out in a third of his plate appearances.
With so many extra-base hits and the Athletics’ offense heating up, it’s a good bet Muncy continues to score at a high pace. He also qualifies for a few tough positions to fill.
Stolen Bases
Angel Martinez (2B, OF – CLE)
After Nasim Nunez lit up the basepaths in the opening week, my stolen base pickup from last week put up a dud. While Garrett Mitchell did have a few nice games at the plate, he failed to swipe a bag. He’s still a great addition long term, however, as most of these pickups are meant for the long term. But it was still a bit of a letdown.
This week, we’ll focus on a lesser-known base stealer in Angel Martinez. He’s red-hot at the plate, collecting 10 hits over his last 17 at-bats. He also stole three bases this week. Martinez is getting an opportunity to start every day with George Valera on the IL, and he’s run with it.
The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .342/.419/.500 across 44 plate appearances with one home run, six RBI, seven runs scored and four steals. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues and anywhere stolen bases are needed.
Saves
Riley O’Brien (RP – STL)
Those holding out hope for JoJo Romero can safely cut ties. There’s a clear-cut closer in St. Louis, and his name is Riley O’Brien. The Cardinals have surprisingly been playing .500 ball, offering O’Brien plenty of save opportunities.
St. Louis isn’t a powerhouse this season, so while they may not win a ton of games, most of their wins should come by slim margins, which should work in O’Brien’s favor.
The 31-year-old O’Brien has yet to give up a run in eight appearances this season and hasn’t walked a batter. He finished with an ERA just above 2.00 last year and can be counted on as a solid source for saves moving forward.
ERA
Joey Cantillo (SP, RP – CLE)
Joey Cantillo was a favorite in many fantasy circles coming into the season, and he’s beginning to show why. Over three starts this season, Cantillo has allowed just four runs. He’s struck out 20 batters in 14.2 innings and has looked sensational in his last two outings.
I wrote about Cantillo this offseason as a sleeper to target, and after two dominant performances, it’s prudent to bring his name back up. He may not pitch deep into too many games, but he’s an excellent waiver wire target for both ERA and strikeouts.
Strikeouts
Michael Soroka (SP, RP – ARI)
I could’ve slotted Joey Cantillo here, but I have to show some love to Michael Soroka and his phenomenal comeback. After dealing with a plethora of injuries, the former Brave is back in action and has the strikeout pitch working.
Soroka’s 23 strikeouts are tied with Cristopher Sanchez for third in the National League. The 6-foot-5 righty has added a cutter and is throwing more curveballs this year, leading to an elite 32.2% called strikes + whiffs rate. There was some early hesitancy when many of his strikes were of the called variety, but that changed in his most recent outing.
After giving up four runs in a rough first inning, Soroka settled in and tossed 4.2 scoreless frames while generating a 14% swinging-strike rate. There’s some concern with the hard contact he allows, but with a strong defensive unit behind him, his 34.3% strikeout rate is worth the gamble.
Noah Schultz (SP – CWS)
I also have to mention Noah Schultz, who is scheduled to make his MLB debut on Tuesday against the Rays. The towering lefty has allowed just four hits over 14 innings in Triple-A this season while striking out 19 and walking just two.
The former first-round pick could go either way early in his career, but the upside is tremendous.
WHIP
Eduardo Rodriguez (SP – ARI)
Eduardo Rodriguez is another pitcher who has experienced ups and downs throughout his career. Largely an afterthought in fantasy circles entering the season, Rodriguez turned heads after pitching well in the World Baseball Classic.
Rodriguez has carried that momentum into the regular season with Arizona, allowing just one run over 18 strong innings with a 1.00 WHIP.
Rodriguez isn’t racking up strikeouts, but he’s evolved into a ground-ball specialist, increasing his groundball rate by over 13% compared to previous seasons. He’s also limiting walks (2.5 BB/9) and keeping the ball in the yard (0.50 HR/9).
Perhaps most importantly, Rodriguez passes the eye test, looking confident and in control every time out. With strong carryover from the World Baseball Classic, he’s worth considering while pitching this well.
Wins
Mitch Keller (SP – PIT)
If you’re searching for wins, turn your attention to Mitch Keller. The quality-starts machine is tentatively lined up for two starts this week, against the Nationals and the Rays. Both are home matchups where Keller hysterically pitches better.
Keller has quietly dominated through three starts this season, posting a 1.00 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. The Pirates lead the National League Central at 9-5, and with a revamped offense and a red-hot Oneil Cruz, Keller has a real shot to deliver two wins this week and potentially 15 on the season.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn
Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
