We have made it through another week of action, and there continue to be endless injuries we need to account for on our rosters. Unfortunately, there have also been a lot of solid and slow starts from players that leave us wondering what to do with those roster spots.
Highly-ranked prospects around the league seem to be getting promoted more frequently, making weekly FAAB quite a competition. I have always been careful unless there is a clear path to long-term playing time.
Taj Bradley wasn’t locked in last week, but now is with Jeffrey Springs undergoing Tommy John surgery. That makes Bradley a great add. Conversely, everyone was all in on Eduard Juien, but he was demoted on Friday when Jorge Polanco returned from the IL. The moral of the story, be careful when adding prospects for high FAAB dollars.
Each week, I will highlight a few players to target in your weekly FAAB process, but know there are many others available that may be better fitting for your teams. If you have any questions, please ask me on Twitter (@bdentrek).
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire FAAB Report: Week 4
Each suggestion below was rostered in no more than 60 percent of Yahoo leagues at time of writing.
Hitters
Rostered: 56%
Suggested bid: 6%
Marsh is on quite the heater to start the season. Entering Friday, Marsh is hitting .356 with 12 extra-base hits. Three of those extra-base hits are home runs. In addition, Marsh is barreling the ball 13.2% of the time with a 42.1% hard-hit rate which has aided a .356 ISO. Marsh is locked in and is hitting so well that the Phillies have moved him to 5th in the batting order.
Marsh has been outstanding, and worth adding all 12-team and deeper formats. Unfortunately, there will be some regression as a .514 BABIP, along with a 31.8% strikeout rate will not allow for this production level. However, Marsh will still be solid and should be a reliable fantasy producer going forward; if not, he makes for an easy drop if he struggles.
Rodolfo Castro (2B,3B,SS – PIT)
Rostered: 15%
Suggested Bid: 8%
I am a huge Rodolfo Castro fan of fantasy, and it appears, albeit slowly, that others are joining the party. He took over the full-time shortstop role for the Pirates once Oneil Cruz hit the IL, and Castro has flourished. Since April 10, Castro has been hitting .364 with two home runs, seven runs scored, and eight RBI. In addition, he is only striking out 15.4% of the time to go with a 14.8% barrel rate and 55.6% hard-hit rate.
Castro has been swinging it well all season but has found a new gear since taking over at shortstop. He now has eligibility at 2B, 3B, and SS which is tremendous Castro should be rostered in most 12-team and deeper formats, so jump on the Castro train before it ultimately leaves the station.
Rostered: 9%
Suggested Bid: 2%
Burger was called up a couple of weeks ago when Yoan Moncada hit the IL with a back injury, and Burger has been a very welcomed offensive addition. He is hitting .276 with five home runs and ten RBI since April 6. Burger also has a 35% barrel rate and a 50% hard-hit rate over that stretch.
Burger has shown a strong quality of contact metrics whenever he has had a chance to join the White Sox, but his health has kept him from sticking with the team most of the time. Right now, Burger is healthy, and there is still no exact timetable for Moncada’s rehab assignment as his back is not healing correctly. So Burger could be sent down at any time, or the White Sox could keep him and send someone else down when Moncada returns. Regardless, I’d ride this hot bat while you can, even if only for a week.
Pitchers
Rostered: 54%
Suggested Bid: 16%
Oviedo has been one of the major surprises when it comes to pitching this season. So many pitchers are struggling, yet Oviedo has a 2.22 ERA and 3.69 xFIP. Oviedo has 25 strikeouts over 24.1 innings with a 32.2% O-Swing and 14.7% SwStr. These stats include a gem in Coors Field, where he allowed one run over six innings while striking out six.
There will likely be some rough starts to start the season, like his first start of the season in Boston. However, even with the occasional lousy start, Oviedo appears to be developing into the young starter many thought he could be. He pitches into a great pitching ballpark and should bring some nice fantasy gains as the season progresses.
Rostered: 34%
Suggested Bid: 28%
The shiny new toy of the week is Miller. He is an electric young arm, and he backed up the minor league hype with an excellent start in his debut. Miller threw 4.1 innings while allowing two earned runs while striking out five. He succeeded on 81 pitches with a 34.8% O-Swing and 12.3% SwStr. Miller brings 100 mph heat with some nasty secondary pitches.
Miller is incredible; there is no denying that. The primary concern is how many innings he will pitch this season. The 81 pitches Miller threw in his debut was a career-high. He has battled injuries, including a shoulder injury last season, which allowed him to throw 14 innings. The most innings Miller has thrown in his career was 98 in his final year of college.
Miller is a dynamic pitcher and could be significant. However, he will likely cost way too much for a shortened season. Many more young arms will be coming soon that will be able to throw more innings. Although I will not fault anyone for going all in on Miller, I realize wins will be next to none, so you are relying on strikeouts and ratios with your FAAB dollars.
Rostered: 28%
Suggested Bid: 10%
When reports came out that Strahm would be stretched out and added to the Phillies rotation, there was some excitement from long-time Strahm fans. So far, Strahm has made us pretty happy with what we’ve seen. Over his last three starts, he has allowed three earned runs or less while throwing at least five innings in two starts. Most impressively, is at least six strikeouts in each start, including 11 in his last start versus the Road Rockies.
Strahm has an impressive 28.2% K-BB with a 15.4% SwStr. Strahm has been dominant and has now been stretched out to 82 pitches. Strahm threw only 44.2 innings last year, and 114 innings back in 2019, so a full workload is not likely. But 100-120 innings are possible. With these swing strike skills and continued improvements, Strahm could be a softer tossing Mason Miller for a fifth of the price.
Closers
Rostered: 54%
Suggested Bid: 18%
Puk was a late draft season favorite for those speculating on saves. He has quickly made those late picks pay off, as he already appears to have the closer’s role in Miami. Puk allowed an earned run in his first appearances but has not allowed one over his last six. Puk has three saves with a 1.13 ERA and 21.9% K-BB. He should be one of your top priorities if you need saves, well behind this next guy.
Rostered: 52%
Suggested Bid: 26%
I wrote up Alvarado last week as a speculative closer add that needed to be added immediately. Some have made that addition, but more is needed. It is time to add Alvarado everywhere that you need saves. Alvarado has overtaken the closing duties with three straight saves. He has been insanely dominant with 18 strikeouts over 9.1 innings pitched with a 56.3% K-BB. Alvarado is electric and could be in for a fantastic season with 30+ saves.
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