Back again for week three and it feels so good. Some of you may be starting 2-0 if you’re a points league junkie like myself. Categories league you may be killing it, or maybe not. Maybe injuries ravished your team. Maybe underachieving players have screwed you over.
Regardless of your situation, I’ve got you. This week more than ever we have some excellent waiver wire addictions. Guys that can not only help in the short term but the long term as well. Some short-term fixes at certain positions are ok, but ultimately if you want to win your league, additions made this early on need to have a season-long impact.
Let’s go ahead and highlight some guys who can help with that season-long impact.
Week 3 Waiver Wire Targets
Julien is probably about to be the most hyped waiver wire addition of this week. After a crazy successful stint in the minor leagues, why wouldn’t he be? First of all, he plays what many would consider a premier position. At the end of the day, second base is arguably the thinnest position in fantasy baseball, so finding one on a team as good as the Twins is exciting.
Back again for week three and it feels so good. Some of you may be starting 2-0 if you’re a points league junkie like myself. Categories league you may be killing it, or maybe not. Maybe injuries ravished your team. Maybe underachieving players have screwed you over.
Regardless of your situation, I’ve got you. This week more than ever we have some excellent waiver wire addictions. Guys that can not only help in the short term but the long term as well. Some short-term fixes at certain positions are ok, but ultimately if you want to win your league, additions made this early on need to have a season-long impact.
Let’s go ahead and highlight some guys who can help with that season-long impact.
Week 3 Waiver Wire Targets
Julien is probably about to be the most hyped waiver wire addition of this week. After a crazy successful stint in the minor leagues, why wouldn’t he be? First of all, he plays what many would consider a premier position. At the end of the day, second base is arguably the thinnest position in fantasy baseball, so finding one on a team as good as the Twins is exciting.
In the minor leagues, Julien showed a good combination of power and speed. In 2022 he hit 17 home runs and stole 19 bases in 113 games. That success followed him to his first stint in the major leagues. He led off the game Thursday by hitting his first major league home run and finished the game 2-5 with two runs scored. His two games following that standout performance have left much to be desired, but Julien deserves to be added with confidence. Especially seeing as he led off in just his second career start. Add and start him with moving forward.
It hasn’t been long, but the man with the gift of making contact has already been called up to the big leagues. It didn’t take a whole lot of time for the 2022 first-round pick to show he was worthy. Don’t let his 0-4 debut fool you. The man is ready for the show.
When it comes to the value he holds for fantasy, it’s going to mainly depend on your league type. What Neto excels in best is hitting for average and getting on base. In his minor league career, he played just 44 games but hit .322 with a .408 OBP and eight home runs. I believe he needs to be owned everywhere because even if he hits at the bottom of the order, there are a ton of runs to be scored in that Angels lineup. Like most highly touted prospects, there is production to be had here. Just be patient.
Hey, look, my first two-time member of the article! If you’re wondering why it’s because I’m not sure why in the world he’s still available. At this point, Mateo has graduated from “Hmmm, maybe he’s worth an add for steals” to “Yup, he’s contributing everywhere. Roster him immediately.” His 3-for-4 day on Saturday proves that.
In the past week, Mateo has hit .350 with two doubles, one home run, and six RBI. He’s also scored five runs and struck out less than 21% of the time. What was once thought of as a guy who really only gave you excellent stolen base numbers, Mateo is now showing he can contribute all over. The power numbers will never blow you away, but a Mateo that can hit closer to .280 has 50 stolen base potential. Get him before he’s gone.
For whatever reason, Ashcraft is still widely available in a large number of leagues. I know we shouldn’t allow the past success of others to dictate whether or not a player will be good, but…I think we can let Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene serve as examples of why Ashcraft can be.
After his second magnificent start on Saturday, there’s no reason why Ashcraft’s success cannot continue. As a three-pitch guy, both his cutter (.184 xBA) and slider (.157 xBA) have served to be immaculate pitches. His sinker has struggled a bit, but he’s hardly thrown it, so I wouldn’t be too worried. He now has 17 strikeouts in 19 innings and an excellent 1.19 WHIP. He also lines up to start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, who are prone to the swing and miss. Pick him up before you see the “3-0” next to his name and you’re unable.
Deep League Targets
Jameson has been a wild one so far. Coming into the league, he was a very high-producing starter in the minor leagues. The Diamondbacks instead had him join the show and move to the bullpen, where he excelled in relief, securing two wins and a save. They moved him back to his starter role against Milwaukee and only let him pitch the four innings. Although they were a damn good four innings, it was a bit of an odd scenario.
While the four scoreless innings weren’t ideal for fantasy purposes because he wasn’t in line for a win, there is a reason for intrigue. The Diamondbacks have stated that he only went four innings because they’re working on stretching him back out into a full-time starter. Jameson has the stuff to be really damn good, he has 12 strikeouts in 12 innings, and his slider is absurd. His second most utilized pitch, that slider, has a 73% whiff rate on 62 pitches thrown. That puts it up there with the best in the league. If he can keep harnassing the potential of that pitch, Jameson has the ability to rack up both wins and strikeouts while keeping his WHIP way down.
Ramirez has gotten off to a magnificent start like many other Rays players. Unlike many Rays players, Ramirez hasn’t seen many people clamoring over adding him in fantasy. With multi-position eligibility and a hot bat, it’s surprising that he’s not more widely rostered, especially after a year in 2022 where he hit .300 in 120 games.
I understand that the power numbers haven’t always been there. He hit just six home runs in those 120 games last year, but that seems to be turning around. In the small sample size so far, his barrel rate is 6.7%, much higher than the 4% it was in 2022. He’s also greatly increased his launch angle from 4.8 degrees to 12.7 degrees. With a 40% hard-hit rate, low strikeout rate, and a launch angle that leads to more fly balls and line drives, Ramirez may be one of the year’s biggest breakouts.
Much of Dubon’s appeal comes from his playing time opportunity and the lineup he hits in. The Astros will always have one of the most potent offenses in baseball, and on Saturday, Dubon hit atop that lineup. Not only did he lead off, but he went 2-5 with two runs scored.
This Dubon addition to the list will only stay relevant as long as he is getting substantial at-bats in Houston. Don’t think that this is an all-year production kind of move. He’s a light-hitting guy who’s never really flashed a great hit tool or speed. What he does have, though, is great contact skills. Last season he dropped his strikeout rate to just 11%, and he’s kept that up this year, striking out only once in the first 11 games. Look past the lack of power and let Dubon rack up the runs for you in bunches.
“Brent, Brent, he’s our man…if he can’t do it, no one can!” is probably what a lot of Athletics fans chant because, well, the team just isn’t that good. They have glimmers of hope, though, and Rooker is proving to be one of those glimmers, especially now that he’s finally getting everyday at-bats at the major league level.
After hitting below .200 in his previous short stints at the major league level, Rooker seems to have adapted his swing for the better. He’s chasing a lot fewer pitches than he ever has and is making excellent contact. He currently has a hard contact rate of 66.7% and an xBA of .352. He’s lowered his strikeout rate to an excellent 18.2% and has shown the pop is still there. Before his 0-4 performance on Saturday, Rooker had two hits in four straight games with four home runs and 11 RBI in that span. Is he going to light the world on fire the entire year? Likely not. But he is right now, and he’s worth riding to a victory while he’s hot, and Oakland is giving him a chance.
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