Another week of fantasy baseball is approaching and I’m feeling more prepared than I ever have. That’s one of the joys of following so much baseball and indulging in fantasy baseball at the same time. The thing you do for fun has now become a way of unknowingly researching the thing you love. The more baseball you consume, the better educated you become in the fantasy baseball world.
For me, this has been one of the wildest fantasy baseball seasons thus far. Guys like Juan Soto and Nolan Arenado have gotten off to painfully slow starts. Sandy Alcantara and Max Scherzer have gone from guys who were taken as top 10 pitchers and now you’re worried about starting them each time out. It’s a year where everything you thought you knew coming into the season has been flipped on its head.
That’s why I enjoy doing this article so much, though. Deep diving into all kinds of data and pinpointing the guys who’ll help you instead of hurt you. Over the past few weeks, I’ve highlighted guys like Brent Rooker, Mauricio Dubon, Jack Suwinski, and Jarren Duran who have all since continued to put up big numbers. Let’s see if we can find another handful of guys this week.
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Fantasy Baseball Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups
Here are our top fantasy baseball waiver wire targets for Week 6.
Waiver Wire Priority Targets
Enmanuel Valdez (2B – BOS) 2% Rostered
The new face of the second base position in Boston, Valdez has gone from unknown to must-own in a matter of just 10 games. In those 10 games, he’s hit .343 with three doubles, one home run, six RBI, and three stolen bases. That’s all it took for him to lock down a starting spot at the most shallow position in fantasy baseball. His 2.8% walk rate isn’t the best, but he strikes out less than 20% of the time and has flashed 20+ home run power in the minors. He’s worth an add in most formats at this point.
Matt Mervis (1B – CHC) 26% Rostered
If you’re reading this and you’re in a dynasty, keeper, or very deep league I fully understand the fact that Mervis is probably already owned and has been for awhile. Doesn’t change the fact that he’s rostered in so few leagues and is worth an add in almost all of them. In 2022 he hit 40 doubles and 36 home runs across three levels of the minors with a .309 batting average. The Cubs have a great lineup and seem prepared to keep him as a fixture in the lineup for the rest of the season. Add him and start him with confidence moving forward.
Geraldo Perdomo (2B/3B/SS – ARI) 24% Rostered
So I had left Perdomo off this list for a few weeks intentionally. I loved him this year but the fact that he’s strictly a platoon player worried me. Perdomo does not and will not play against lefties this year and he’s already sat 13 of the Dbacks’ first 33 games because of it. That hasn’t stopped him from being incredibly productive though, that’s why he’s here. Hitting .397 with seven doubles, a triple, and two home runs has proven to be great for fantasy owners. Don’t expect a ton of power, but his 90th-percentile chase rate and 88th percentile whiff rate will prove to be effective for getting on base and putting up numbers elsewhere. Especially in points leagues.
Bryce Miller (SP – SEA) 27% Rostered
Bryce Miller IS CRIMINALLY UNDERROSTERED IN ESPN LEAGUES. That’s what’s driving down his roster percentage currently and I don’t understand it. Again, Dynasty and keeper leagues I get it he’s already been drafted and rostered. ESPN leagues…what are you doing. He was very fastball dominant in his first start, but it generated a 38% whiff rate and had almost 21 inches of total movement which is absurd. It’s the kind of pitch most big leaguers dream their fastball can become. If he’s still available in your league, add him before you regret it regardless of league size.
Bryce Miller's stellar debut was more impressive than you think. ?
(MLB x @SageUSAmerica) pic.twitter.com/rr6azrsVXn
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 3, 2023
Deep League Targets
Louie Varland (SP – MIN) 4% Rostered
Don’t let the 5.91 ERA through two starts fool you, there’s lots to like about him moving forward. Especially in deep leagues. Especially when it comes to strikeout potential. Through 10.2 innings this season he has 14 strikeouts. Much of this has come from his improved velocity and cutter over 2022. This season his velocity is up over a mile per hour across the board. That cutter has become his most used pitch as well. He’s raised the spin rate on it from 2269 RPM to 2388 RPM. The whiff rate on it has jumped from 18.2% to 29%. He lines up next against the Padres, Cubs, and Angels. He should continue the strikeout trend and sneak in a win or two.
Connor Wong (C – BOS) 8% Rostered
Reese McGuire may be the “starter” but Wong is quickly playing his way into that role. In the last five games, he’s hitting .476 with two doubles, three home runs, five RBI, and scored four runs. He even stole a base as well which can be a pleasant surprise from the catcher position. The confidence the Red Sox are showing in Wong is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s not going to start every day, but he’s going to be starting a lot more moving forward. In deep and two catcher leagues he should be picked up and started when he starts.
CONNOR WONG.
HAVE A NIGHT. pic.twitter.com/1ZejZ9eUpg— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 3, 2023
Robbie Grossman (OF/DH – TEX) 4% Rostered
Grossman came into this year on some fantasy radars and then proceeded to hit .135 to start the year. Since then he’s been a hitting machine, especially as of late. Since April 16th, Grossman is hitting .340 with two doubles, two home runs, 14 RBI, and scored nine runs. He has a .929 OPS in that same time frame and it’s led to him having a fairly firm grasp on the Rangers starting DH spot. With them being the highest-scoring team in baseball over the last few weeks, expect Grossman to continue to put up counting stats on a nightly basis. He’s worth an add in deep leagues and approaching rosterable territory in 12-team redraft leagues as well.
Maikel Garcia (SS – KC) 1% Rostered
Here is what I’m going to consider my hidden gem of this entire article. If you weren’t familiar with Garcia before this article, make sure you get yourself very familiar with him after. He is currently up at the major league level because Nicky Lopez is dealing with appendicitis. With his future uncertain after Lopez comes back, Garcia is doing the most to make sure he stays with the big league club. In his five big league games he’s hitting .368 with two doubles, four RBI, three runs scored and he’s stolen two bases. He’s also only struck out one total time. He’s not much of a home run guy, but his 35 stolen bases in 2021 and 39 in 2022 point toward someone who has big stolen base potential. Add and start him while he’s getting the playing time.
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