Rotoworld Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire’s latest column examines a potential Jo Adell breakthrough, former pitcher Taj Bradley’s impending return, and a tasty streaming opportunity for fantasy managers later this week when Pirates rookie Quinn Priester gets the ball against struggling Athletics.
Before we dive into the aforementioned trio of speculative pickups, we are contractually obligated to briefly touch on a pair of intriguing prospects — Joey Loperfido and Jordan Beck — who received their first call-ups earlier this week for the Astros and Rockies, respectively. Let’s start with Loperfido, who possesses immense pop over the fence, earning his first trip to the big leagues after hitting an eye-popping 13 round-trippers, while also making five steals, in just 25 games. by Triple-A Sugar Terra. Unfortunately, the astronomical pop comes with some serious contact issues, as the 24-year-old slugger has also struck out 30 percent of the time in 122 plate appearances. There is some risk here that his poor skills at the plate will ultimately prevent him from making an impact for fantasy managers, but his immense power ceiling juxtaposed by veteran first baseman José Abreu at the plate makes him worthy of at least one speculative roster spot. . deeper mixed leagues.
Meanwhile, Beck finds himself getting an opportunity for the Rockies in place of the injured Nolan Jones (back) after posting a robust .999 OPS with five homers and five steals for Triple-A Albuquerque. He made some legitimate strides early in the season in the plate discipline department, which gives him a considerably higher floor than most hitting prospects. His power/speed offensive mix combined with the high-octane offensive environment of Coors Field should provide plenty of fantasy upside moving forward. He is worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats until further notice, even in superficial mixed leagues. If all goes well, he will make a real impact in fantasy leagues.
Listen to the Rotoworld Baseball Show for the latest player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Jo Adell, OF, Angels
Available on 84% of Yahoo! leagues
Is the long-awaited escape finally happening? It’s too early to draw firm conclusions, but fantasy managers can’t really wait for more data before rolling the dice with a speculative decision here. The 25-year-old has lowered his strikeout rate to a more tolerable 23.6 percent this year after hovering around 40 percent in brief stints in the big leagues over the past four seasons. It’s admittedly a small sample size, but he’s starting to convert his power/speed skill set into major production, batting .327 with three home runs and five steals in 21 games so far. If the growth in plate skills is real, Adell could finally transform into a five-category impact fantasy contributor. There’s a possibility this is all an early-season mirage, but there are enough emergency lights flashing on the dashboard to merit further inspection and a roster spot in all fantasy formats until further notice.
Taj Bradley, SP, Raios
Available on 78% of Yahoo! Leagues
It’s impossible to overstate how impressive Bradley looked last weekend in his first minor league rehab start for Triple-A Durham, when he recorded seven strikeouts in five hitless innings. His four-seam fastball had plenty of life, averaging 96.6 mph, as he generated 12 hits and needed 65 economical pitches to sail through five frames. The 23-year-old former pitcher, who has been on the shelf since mid-March due to a right chest strain, will make an additional outing of rehab later this week before returning to Tampa Bay’s injury-depleted starting rotation mix at some point. moment in mid-May. He showed flashes of great fantasy potential last year in his rookie campaign and still offers immense strikeout potential, making him a valuable stock in all fantasy formats until his return next week.
Quinn Priester, SP, Pirates
Available on 98% of Yahoo! leagues
This streaming opportunity is not for the risk-averse fantasy managers. However, if you’re a reckless data player on the streaming frontier, Priester’s tasty matchup against the Athletics during Wednesday afternoon’s matinee is quite compelling, as Oakland boasts this season’s second-worst OPS against right-handed pitching . There’s a wide range of results given the 23-year-old former top prospect’s extremely brief track record in the major leagues over the last two years, but he’s having a stellar performance last Friday in San Francisco when he recorded six shutout frames with six strikeouts at Oracle Park.
