Waiver Wired: Waiver Wired: Adding Alex?
We’re just about 26 hours away from the second half of the season. Not that I’m counting or anything. OK, maybe I am. I miss the baseball. Anyway, I hope the downtime enabled you to look at your roster(s) and see the things that you need to improve on in order to finish the season strong. Perhaps a couple of the names below will help you along the way.
In this week’s live chat, I received multiple questions regarding the status of Pirates prospect Josh Bell. And I get it. Did you see that pinch-hit grand slam? Exciting stuff. We love our shiny new toys, especially ones with that sort of power potential. Bell was hitting .324 with 13 homers and a .942 OPS over 83 games at Triple-A Indianapolis this season. There’s little doubt that he’s the first baseman of the future for Pittsburgh, but the future doesn’t appear to be right now.
According to Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said over the weekend that he doesn’t see Bell replacing John Jaso as the primary first baseman. Jaso doesn’t provide the power you usually look for in a first baseman, but he’s hitting for average and getting on base. Meanwhile, the club’s biggest issue is their starting pitching. Perhaps Bell will stick around for a little longer if Gregory Polanco’s hamstring is still an issue, but the best thing for him is to get regular at-bats, whether it’s in the majors or the minors. I don’t see him getting those at the major league level, at least in the short-term. Bell has been a popular add over the past week, but consistent fantasy value doesn’t appear to be imminent.
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MIXED LEAGUES
Michael Conforto OF, Mets (Yahoo: 31 percent owned)
Conforto looked like a budding fantasy stud when he hit .365 in April, but things completely and unexpectedly collapsed from there. His wrist injury was surely a factor, but the 23-year-old batted just .148 with a .519 OPS in 44 games before being demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas last month. So far, he has thrived during his stint in the minors, batting .340/.411/.580 with five extra-base hits (including three home runs) over 13 games. He has drawn six walks while striking out only seven times. You have take Vegas/PCL numbers with a grain of salt, but getting his confidence back away from the bright lights of New York has to be a positive. My guess is that he’ll back in the majors very soon. Terry Collins could still sit him against lefties, but I’m optimistic about him providing value in the second half.
Tyler Clippard RP, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 47 percent owned)
Daniel Hudson RP, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 6 percent owned)
After the Diamondbacks flipped Brad Ziegler to the Red Sox last week, manager Chip Hale said on Wednesday that Clippard will likely take over as closer. Daniel Hudson would be the alternative, but Clippard would seem to have the clear edge in this situation, as he’s been throwing the ball better and has experience in the role. Signed to a two-year, $12.25 million deal over the winter, Clippard has compiled a 2.97 ERA and 41/11 K/BB ratio over 33 1/3 innings this season. He’s been hurt by the home run ball at times despite allowing fewer fly balls than usual, but his whiffs are back up from last season and he’s showing better control. He should be picked up in all formats.
Matt Moore SP, Rays (Yahoo: 37 percent owned)
Moore has had an up and down year, but he’s been on the upswing of late. The 27-year-old southpaw owns a solid 2.52 ERA and 34/11 K/BB ratio in 39 1/3 innings over his last six starts. After lagging for a bit, his fastball velocity has steadily risen in his recent outings. Per FanGraphs, he’s averaging 92.8 mph on his fastball this season, which is his highest since 2012. Control has been an issue for him in the past, but throwing strikes has enabled him to work deeper in games. He has worked six innings or more in a career-best seven straight starts. The home run ball has hurt him this year, but I think he’s interesting again in mixed leagues.
Alex Bregman SS, Astros (Yahoo: 20 percent owned)
So, Bregman looks ready. The 2015 first-round pick was one of the standouts in Sunday’s Futures Game, going 3-for-5 while finishing a home run short of the cycle. The 22-year-old got off to a monster start with Double-A Corpus Christi this season and has backed that up by hitting .389 with five homers and a 1.310 OPS in eight games since his recent promotion to Triple-A Fresno. He got some exposure at third base in Double-A, but has exclusively played third base so far in Triple-A. Where he’s going to fit is a bit tricky, as the Astros haven’t shown any indication that they are willing to move Carlos Correa to third base and Luis Valbuena has actually swung the bat pretty well over the past six weeks or so. Still, I think Bregman is going to be factor at some point soon.
Logan Forsythe 1B/2B, Rays (Yahoo: 48 percent owned)
I was honestly surprised to see that Forsythe is on the wire in more than half of Yahoo leagues. Sure, he has been a little quiet since coming off the disabled list last month, but he owns an .829 OPS overall, which is actually higher than his breakout season last year. Batting leadoff might limit his RBI potential, but he offers power and decent speed and should also score plenty of runs given his strong on-base ability. The multi-position eligibility only helps his appeal. No reason to overthink this one. He should be owned in most formats.
Jhonny Peralta SS/3B, Cardinals (Yahoo: 22 percent owned)
I was going to mention Peralta last week, but the situation over his surgically-repaired thumb clouded his status. Fortunately, he returned to the Cardinals’ lineup over the weekend and should be fine moving forward. The 34-year-old is batting just .233 with four homers and a .690 OPS through 27 games this season, but he hit 38 homers from 2014-2015. Given his power potential, placement in the Cardinals’ batting order, and multi-position eligibility, he’s capable of helping in most leagues.
Jose Berrios SP, Twins (Yahoo: 12 percent owned)
Berrios admittedly wasn’t ready for primetime during his first stint in the majors earlier this year. He posted a rough 10.20 ERA over four starts while walking 12 batters and giving up five homers in just 15 innings of work. The 22-year-old didn’t let a demotion to Triple-A Rochester get him down, as he has posted a 2.98 ERA and 65/22 K/BB ratio in 66 1/3 innings over 10 starts. Tommy Milone doesn’t figure to be a long-term piece and Ervin Santana is an obvious trade chip, so it’s probably just a matter of time before Berrios gets another chance. We’ve seen time and time again that rookie pitchers are a risky proposition in fantasy leagues, but the opportunity for value should be there down the stretch.
Tyler Naquin OF, Indians (Yahoo: 11 percent owned)
Things could get a little complicated in the Indians’ outfield when Michael Brantley finally returns from the disabled list, but Naquin has done everything he could possibly do to stake his claim for playing time. Since returning from the minors at the start of June, he has mashed to the tune of a .313 batting average with 17 extra-base hits (including nine homers) and a 1.103 OPS over 31 games. Those are 2015 Bryce Harper numbers. It’s easy to point at the strikeouts and .418 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) and say regression is coming. He also has never displayed power like this in the minors, so I get the need to see more, but his hard-hit rate is right there among the league leaders and he has shown better patience during this recent stretch. There are safer options out there in shallow leagues, but it’s time to give him a chance in deeper formats.
Tim Anderson SS, White Sox (Yahoo: 21 percent owned)
Plate discipline was my big concern with Anderson when he was called up from the minors last month and he has done nothing to change that so far. Through 128 plate appearances, the 23-year-old shortstop has struck out 37 times while drawing only one walk. Oof. He has managed to carve out value even with the flawed and aggressive approach, batting .304 with 14 extra-base hits (including four home runs), 10 RBI, 19 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 28 games. The power has been a nice surprise and he’s hitting leadoff in Chicago’s lineup, so there’s a lot to like here. Obviously his upside is going to be a bit limited in OBP leagues, potentially even for the long-term.
James Paxton SP, Mariners (Yahoo: 25 percent owned)
With a sudden spike in velocity, Paxton was a recommended add in Waiver Wired about a month ago. The results have been mixed since then. The southpaw is giving up a ton of hits, but the good news is that the velocity has mostly held and he’s throwing strikes while keeping the ball on the ground. He was incredibly efficient in his final start before the All-Star break and deserved better than a no-decision. Health is always a concern with him, but he will still have a rotation spot even after Felix Hernandez returns. He’s still an intriguing upside play as far as widely-available names go.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:
(Players owned in under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Ryan Dull RP, Athletics (Yahoo: 9 percent owned)
Sean Doolittle was previously the obvious fallback option if Ryan Madson lost the A’s closer job, but he’s currently out indefinitely with a shoulder strain. Given his history, it’s hard to know when he’ll be back or how effective he’ll be upon his return. Madson recently hit another rough patch and has seen his name surface in trade speculation in recent days, so it’s time to stash Dull where he’s available. The 26-year-old recently saw his record inherited runner streak come to an end, but he still owns a fantastic 2.01 ERA and 47/6 K/BB ratio over 44 2/3 innings this season. He has allowed just one run since May 20.
Travis Jankowski OF, Padres (Yahoo: 2 percent owned)
It’s probably just a matter of time before we see prospects like Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot (did you see this catch in the Futures Game?) get a chance on the major league roster, but Jankowski is carving out some value in San Diego’s outfield with Jon Jay sidelined. The 25-year-old has swiped nine bases over his last 17 games (11 starts) while batting .289 with a .418 on-base percentage. He is even seeing at-bats out of the leadoff spot, so he has scored 11 runs in that time. I’ll admit that he’s a bit of a one-trick pony, but speed is hard to come by right now.
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