Waiver wire: Be like Indiana Jones and dig
Approaching the mid-point of the season, only one of my fantasy teams is really playing well — first-place, thank you — so it was time to cut some dead weight and add some new blood.
Click the jump for some adventures in waiver wire hunting, and some players to look for.
In baseball, the best way to make minor tweaks to your team is through waiver wire pickups. If you want to get a big name player that will help you in multiple categories, be prepared to deal one or more other guys who already help you in multiple categories. The genius of trades comes in trading excess to acquire categories you have a deficit in.
The wire has less science to it, and more of a luck component. Checking at the right time — did he just drop Huston Street? — and finding a hidden gem a few pages down on the list are key.
Over two wire perusing sessions last week, including one Sunday, a bounty of players that are already producing and more that have potential were readily available. Following are some of the treasures you could probably find on your own waiver wire.
First, some absolute steals:
- Brandon Morrow, RP, Mariners: He’s filling in for injured closer J.J. Putz, but even when he pitches in late relief he’s dominant. Come for the saves while they last, stay for the ridiculous 0.65 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and more than a strikeout per inning
- Huston Street, RP, Athletics: What’s with the closers being available? Yes, he was hurt, but you can’t just drop him. Dude’s got 16 saves and 41 Ks in 37 innings of work. If you see his name on the wire, don’t hesitate to pick him up.
- J.J. Hardy, SS, Brewers: Another interesting available player. He may not have matched expectations early in the season, but seasons seem to even out for baseball players. Hardy’s 16-game hit streak recently ended, but he went on an 18-game stretch where he hit .446. He’s got six homers and 11 RBI’s in six July games.
- Matt Garza, SP, Rays; Kevin Slowey, SP, Twins: They share a spot here because they both have very similar numbers. Low walks (Slowey has only 11), serviceable K numbers and outstanding ERA and WHIP numbers. Pick’em up if you need help.
A little farther off the radar but, still worth a pickup:
- Manny Parra, SP, Brewers: A high WHIP is the only thing not to like about Parra (8-2, 3.69 ERA, 71 Ks)
- Andy Sonnanstine, SP, Rays: This guys a borderline steal. He’s 10-3 with a complete game shutout. But his average numbers, ERA (4.31) and WHIP (1.35) are both high and he’s allowed 127 hits.
- Jeff Baker, 1B, 2B, OF, Rockies: Yes a lot of his appeal is his multiple-position elegibility. His season stats are less than impressive, it’s what he’s done lately that’s earned him a spot on this list and one of my rosters. In 25 games dating back to June, he’s hitting .300 with 27 hits, all six of his homers, 20 of his 30 RBIs and 20 of his 30 runs. He’s also guaranteed playing time because the Rockies are hurting.
- Alexi Casilla, 2B, Twins: Yes, as implied by Slowey above and Jason Kubel below, the Twins still have a team. They’ve got some sneaky good players too. Take advantage if you can. Casilla’s not going to help you in every category, but he’s on his second 13-game hit streak of the season. He’s batting .320 this season with 35 RBIs and 26 runs.
- Jason Kubel, OF, Twins: His overall numbers are solid, but the guy rocked June. He hit .312 with 6 HRs and 15 RBIs, scored 21 runs and had 24 hits and 14 walks to only 12 Ks, his first positive month of the season in those departments. Like Casilla and Baker, pick up Kubel and hope he continues to heat up through the Dog Days.
What do you think? What are some of your best pickups this season?
1 Response to “Waiver wire: Be like Indiana Jones and dig”
[...] April. To win, you must be the guy in your league that knows J.J. Putz got hurt the night before so Brendan Morrow is a sweet pick up. I believe this is where I can help. Unfortunately for me (fortunately for you), I don’t [...]
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