Fantasy Baseball Weekly Waiver Wire Pickups: Mike Tauchman, James Outman, Carlos Santana

This has shaped up to be a pretty entertaining weekend for fantasy baseball. Guys like Whit Merrifield, Bobby Witt Jr. and Zack Gelof have really turned their power up a notch and it’s gone a long way towards helping fantasy managers lock in a win. Now, obviously, Witt and Merrifield are guys who aren’t widely available on the waiver wire, but you get the point. All it takes is a couple of good games out of a player to make or break your fantasy baseball week.

This is why articles like this waiver wire piece and my weekly planner are so essential. The amount of research that goes into these is geared towards helping you find those guys who will perform when you need it. Guys that are lined up to give you the fantasy baseball production you find yourself praying to the fantasy gods for come Sunday morning. Last week it was guys like Edouard Julien and Wilmer Flores, this week we have a new crop of likely producers you need to get the jump on.

Waiver Wire Priority Additions

Mike Tauchman (OF, DH – CHC)

Tauchman highlighted the deep league section of my waiver wire article a few weeks ago, and now he’s back once again. Since July fifth, he’s been on fire, hitting .312 with nine XBH, 14 runs scored, and 17 RBI in just 17 games. He’s giving you elite production in multiple categories. He’s also locked himself as the Cubs’ leadoff man, which means plenty of plate appearances to be had. It’s not often you find a leadoff hitter readily available on waivers, take advantage while Tauchman is tearing the cover off of the ball. He’s viable in all formats.

James Outman (OF – LAD)

Outman was the early season waiver wire darling of the fantasy baseball world. After his torrid March/April, he completely cooled off and had equally bad months in May and June. July has been a different story, though. He’s started walking at a 17% clip, has a 9.3% barrel rate, and has shown to be an equally good combination of power (five XBH) and speed (4 steals). He’s batting lower in the order, but he’s showing a great ability to put the bat on the ball and eye at the plate. The early season shine has worn off, but that doesn’t mean the value isn’t still there.

JAMES OUTMAN WALKS IT OFF FOR LA! pic.twitter.com/f8OBEwbQIR

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 26, 2023

Carlos Santana (1B, DH – MIL)

The trade from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee is set to be a blessing for Santana and those who roster him. According to baseball savant’s ballpark factors, PNC Park is a slightly better hitters’ park than American Family Field, but when it comes to home runs, they’re miles apart. Santana is a switch hitter, and Milwaukee has a 108 overall factor for home runs, while Pittsburgh has an 82. 100 is average. Only two parks in baseball have a worst home run factor than PNC Park. Santana has been hot as of late, hitting .265 with three home runs since July 16th. Look for that power surge to continue once he slots into Milwaukee’s lineup.

Jake Burger (1B, 3B, DH – CWS)

One look at Burger’s stat line the last two weeks and I’ll admit, it looks pretty tasty. There’s a big helping of home runs (5) and RBI (11), with a little bit of unluckiness sprinkled on top in the form of a .120 BABIP. Let’s face it. Burger is essentially a one-trick pony. A good comp for him seems to be Max Muncy, with slightly less power. Despite being consistently unlucky, his quality of contact has been insane. He has a 92.4 MPH average exit velocity, a 20% barrel rate (good lord), and a 50.8% hard-hit rate. The White Sox line up with six games in seven days next week. Look for Burger to get ahold of at least a couple.

Deep League Additions

Andruw Monasterio (2B, 3B, SS – MIL)

First of all, Milwaukee has an incredibly easy seven-game schedule in week 17. Second of all, he has triple position eligibility, which is tough to come by. And third, the kid has been on absolute fire as of late. In his last 11 games, he’s hitting .400 with five XBH and nine runs scored. In that same timeframe, he essentially has as many multi-hit games (seven) as he does strikeouts (8). He was recently moved up to fifth in the order, and if that continues, he’s set to take over the fantasy baseball world. Especially with how thin second base continues to be.

Andruw Monasterio: contact machine. #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/zhhuisKruC

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 26, 2023

Zack Gelof (2B – OAK)

For as hesitant as I was to consider Gelof a must-add in fantasy baseball, he’s done a great job of proving me wrong. Through 13 big league games, he’s hitting just .235, but he’s got eight XBH, 10 runs scored, and five stolen bases. He’s shown he can contribute in every category except batting average, which, honestly, is ok. He showed he had some pop in the minor leagues, which has transferred to the majors to the tune of a 13.3% barrel rate. He compliments it with 97th-percentile sprint speed, which should contribute to plenty more steals the rest of the way. Oakland isn’t great, so Gelof should have plenty of opportunity moving forward to contribute in every way possible.

MLB Waiver Wire MLB Whit Merrifield Bobby Witt Jr. Zack Gelof Edouard Julien Wilmer Flores Mike Tauchman (OF, DH – CHC) James Outman (OF – LAD) Carlos Santana Jake Burger Max Muncy Andruw Monasterio