We have made it through another week of action and are now in the second half of the season. At this point, it is all about playing the hot hand and having great matchups in the coming weeks. We are nearly two-thirds of the way through the season, so there will be a few players to track due to injuries, increased playing time, streaming starting pitchers and some new closers.
I highlight a few players to target in your weekly free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) process and fantasy baseball waiver wire. Know there are many others available and, more importantly, others who may be better fits for your teams. If you have any questions, please ask me on Twitter.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Tools
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire & FAAB Targets: Week 23
Note: We use Yahoo for player percentages and recommend players rostered in no more than 60% of leagues.
Hitters
Rostered: 51%
Suggested Bid: 26%
Lawrence Butler has been a man on a mission for over a month now. He entered Saturday riding a nine-game hitting streak, hitting .378. He’s doing it all with six home runs, 11 runs scored, 12 RBI and two stolen bases over the nine-game streak. The production is great, and the 20% barrel rate and 51.4% hard-hit rate are excellent, but the 5.1% strikeout rate may be the most impressive part of the past nine games. Butler won’t stay this hot, but he should keep producing this year and be rostered in all formats.
Geraldo Perdomo (2B, SS – ARI)
Rostered: 40%
Suggested Bid: 6%
Geraldo Perdomo returned from the injured list (IL) a few weeks ago and has been quite productive. Over his last 11 games, Perdomo is hitting .286 with two home runs and two steals. Perdomo’s production has moved him into the leadoff spot for the Diamondbacks, which should provide plenty of runs scored, with Arizona being one of the best offenses in baseball these days. If you need a good batting average with decent counting stats, Perdomo should be on your radar.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF – CHI)
Rostered: 38%
Suggested Bid: 16%
Pete Crow-Armstrong has experienced many growing pains this season but appears to have settled quite comfortably at the big-league level. Over his last nine games, he’s hitting .424 with two home runs, 11 runs scored, 11 RBI and three stolen bases. Crow-Armstrong is barreling the ball 16% of the time with a 52% hard-hit rate. He’s still hitting at the bottom of the order, which may limit him at times, but for now, Crow-Armstrong is an offensive beast and should be rostered in all formats.
Pitchers
Rostered: 55%
Suggested Bid: 33%
Spencer Arrighetti has been a man on a mission of late. After a slow start to the year, Arrighetti has become one of the best pitchers in baseball. Over his last six starts, he has allowed three earned runs or fewer in five starts. Arrighetti has allowed 10 earned runs over 38.1 innings pitched for a 2.35 ERA and 2.71 ERA. He has also become a strikeout machine with 55 strikeouts over the 38.1 innings pitched for an elite 29.3% K:BB. Arrighetti should be rostered in all formats.
Rostered: 50%
Suggested Bid: 18%
Brayan Bello is coming off a dominating start versus the Blue Jays, where he threw eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Bello has allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of the nine starts for a 3.52 ERA and 4.12 SIERA. Bello has 49 strikeouts over 53.2 innings pitched in those nine starts. He’s become a great floor pitcher in fantasy. Bello has a nice two-step next week versus the Mets and White Sox, making him a must-add streamer.
Rostered: 43%
Suggested Bid: 13%
Osvaldo Bido has been great since the start of August. He has made five starts and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each start. Bido has allowed five earned runs over 29 innings pitched for a 1.55 ERA and 3.98 SIERA. Bido’s control has improved as well, with 28 strikeouts and nine walks for a 17.4% K:BB. Bido has a great two-step next week versus the Mariners and Tigers, with a matchup against the White Sox the following week.
Closers
Rostered: 51%
Suggested Bid: 13%
The Tigers have been playing well of late, and Jason Foley has benefited from the winning. Foley has regained closing duties and has picked up four saves over his last six appearances. He has not allowed a run with four strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched. If you need saves, Foley is one of the top options on the wire.
Rostered: 32%
Suggested Bid: 11%
The Pirates announced David Bednar would be removed from closing duties for now and that a committee would be utilized for saves. With a committee, Aroldis Chapman becomes fantasy-relevant again. Chapman has allowed runs in two of 11 appearances in August with 20 strikeouts and two walks over 11 innings. Chapman could rack up some saves if Bednar is out of the closing role for a while.
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