If you checked out my weekly planner for week 16, you’d see there are plenty of juicy matchups coming up. Some of these guys are set for massive success, while others may struggle. Nonetheless, we’ve moved into the part of the season where it’s becoming noticeably important that your waiver moves impact your lineup immediately.
The time to start making the push for the playoffs is now. If you’re leading the pack in your league, you can afford a little extra patience with players. If you’re not, though, you need to start moving those players on a cold streak for guys who have been as productive as someone from the waiver wire can be. Lucky for us, tons of guys have been amongst the best in baseball in a few categories still readily available on all platforms. Those are the guys we need to be keying in on.
Waiver Wire Priority Additions
Wilmer Flores (1B, 2B, 3B, DH – SF)
Believe it or not, Flores has been one of the best overall hitters in baseball in the month of July. Not only that, he’s rostered in just 25% of leagues on Yahoo and 17% on ESPN. And those numbers are rising fast. In July, Flores is hitting .417 with eight XBH and already has multiple hits in six games. Since the All-Star break alone, he’s managed four home runs and seven RBI. What’s even more impressive is that he’s struck out just three times this month. Two of those coming on July 2nd. He’s putting up contact numbers similar to the 2019 season in which he hit .317, and with 12 home runs already in 70 games, he seems well on his way to a new career high in that category as well. He’s playable in all league types.
Will Benson (OF – CIN)
I swear I’m not always trying to include the same people on this list, but when it comes to someone making as much of an impact as Benson has been, it’s warranted. His entire month of July has been nuts, but what he’s done the last few games epitomizes that. In the four games before he went hitless on Saturday, Benson had three doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI. He also stole a base and scored four runs. Batting at the bottom of the order isn’t ideal, but overall Benson has been a total base machine with good speed. He’s shown great plate discipline, should be owned in all 12-team or deeper leagues, and has 10-team potential if your rosters are a bit bigger.
Chas McCormick (OF – HOU)
Ok, so I would like to preface this by saying that I am aware he’s just above the roster threshold I usually use to determine who can be on the list. On Yahoo, at least. McCormick’s main reason for being here outside of his production is the fact that he’s owned in just 21% of ESPN leagues. What are y’all ESPN players doing? In July, he’s hitting .388 with two doubles, a triple, and five home runs. He’s also driven in 14 and stole a couple of bases. His 12 home runs on the year have him in line to blow past his previous career high of 14, and he’s got enough speed to turn into a legitimate 20/20 level player. We’ll need to see how he fares once Yordan comes back on Monday, but I think he’s been too hot for the Astros to cut his playing time in any significant way. Add him in all leagues at this point.
Seth Lugo (SP – SD)
Former reliever turned starter Seth Lugo has become the epitome of a steady eddy. Now that he’s moved over to the Padres and their excellent staff, he’s seen some big improvements. He’s managed to start throwing his fastball more, transitioning his way into a mainly curveball/fastball pitcher who also mixes in three other pitches. He has the spinniest curveball in baseball at 3246 RPM, and they’ve done well fooling hitters. Outside of his recent five-run blow-up against the Phillies, Lugo had been on point. In his previous 22 innings, he’d given up five runs. He faces a Pirates squad whos been striking out 26% of the time in July, the seventh worst in baseball. Should the Padres get out to an early lead this week, Lugo should have a dominant performance.
Edouard Julien (2B, DH – MIN)
He’s been up and down a bit between the majors and minors this season, but Julien is now here to stay. He’s been on one of maybe the quietest dominant runs in baseball this season. He’s been dominant for well over a month, but what he’s done the last couple of weeks really hammers home the impact he’s made. In the last 10 games he’s started, Julien is hitting .559 with three doubles, five home runs, 12 runs scored, and seven RBI. He’s got a walk rate (15%) almost equal to his strikeout rate (17.5%) and has barreled the ball up nine times in those 10 games. Second base is still a very weak position overall, and Julien finds himself available in quite a few leagues. The position’s depth and production make him worth an add in all league types and sizes.
Alex Kirilloff (1B, OF – MIN)
Julien’s teammate is just as deserving of this list as he is, so why not add another Twin to the lineup? Kirilloff is someone known for both hot and cold streaks as well as consistent injured status. He’s one of those guys you want to roster and start when the stars have aligned, and he’s both healthy and productive. That time is right now. In his last six games, he’s slashing .400/.407/1.040 with four home runs, seven total XBH, and 13 RBI. This is one of those heaters you want to add him for and enjoy the success. His strikeout rate limits his upside in points leagues, but he offers enough all-around production to still be viable in all league types. Especially those with five outfielders.
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