With just 10 days left until the All-Star break, all of fantasy baseball’s waiver options can be classified into two categories – those that can provide help for the rest of the season and those that offer short-term assistance until we all enjoy of a good. – well-deserved rest for the Summer Classic. Fortunately, there are a few men from each group in the list below.
Apparently no one told Miranda that he should be removed from his job when Royce Lewis returned from IL. The 26-year-old showed that good hitters find a way to stay in lineups, bouncing between 3B and DH while maintaining a .312 average and .859 OPS. There is no way the Twins will move one of their best hitters to the bench, especially when they are in a wildcard position. And of course, the oft-injured Lewis is already back on the IL, this time with an adductor strain. If you need one more reason to add Miranda, Thursday he went 5-for-5 with three RBIs and four runs scored.
Neto and Garcia are the perfect solutions for those looking to solve a midfield problem with a tall player. And both can be used to illustrate the same point: Players who contribute to every category but aren’t special in any tend to be undervalued by fantasy managers. Both men have a chance to post a 20-20 season, as Neto has 11 home runs and 12 steals, while Garcia has collected nine returners and 11 hits. And among players who are available in more than half of Yahoo’s leagues, Garcia is third in RBIs and Neto is sixth. While other managers try in vain to find the next 30-homer hitter or the next 30-steal sprinter, wise managers will attract balanced contributors like Neto and Garcia.
I’m actually not sure where things will go from here to Kjerstad. But what I do know is that his ceiling is high enough to make him worthy of a roster spot in most leagues in the coming days. The second overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft toyed with Triple-A pitchers this year, posting a .998 OPS and homering 16 times in 56 games. And after benching Kjerstad during his initial MLB tryout, the O’s played him more often this time around. The 25-year-old has hit .333 with two home runs and a 1.095 OPS in 28 games since June 24, which should put him in the lineup at least twice during a weekend series against the lowly A’s. The schedule for lefty Kjerstad isn’t favorable next week, but my interest in him has more to do with the long-term possibility of one of baseball’s top prospects flourishing in a lineup that leads baseball in OPS and runs scored.
Christian Scott (SP, New York Mets, 26%)
Fantasy managers have become so fickle that even the best baseball prospects are left on the sidelines if they don’t get to work right away. That’s the case for Scott, who posted respectable ratings (3.90 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) in five May starts before returning to Triple-A for the entire month of June. The right-hander returned Wednesday and was one away from a quality start when Luis Garcia Jr. hit him in the sixth inning. This is the perfect time to add Scott, who is headed toward a two-start week that includes favorable matchups with the Pirates and Rockies.
Managers looking to get ahead of the competition can book Abbott for a favorable two-start week. The left-hander with respectable proportions (3.28 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) will head to the All-Star break shortly after home games against the Rockies, who rank 28th in Road OPS, and the Marlins , who rank last in baseball in overall OPS. Pitching at strike-inducing Great American Ball Park has never slowed Abbott, who owns a 3.43 lifetime ERA at home. The 25-year-old has a concerning FIP of 5.04, which means wise managers will hold him for a week before sending him back to waivers.
I would never recommend the wild pitch Chapman for long term use. After all, the lefty has struck out 29 times in 32 innings this season, which has contributed to a troubling 1.56 WHIP. But Chapman continues to collect whiffs in bunches (14.6 K/9 rate) and over the next 10 days, he could return a lot of value as the Bucs temporarily close in. The 36-year-old has two saves and one win since June 22, and David Bednar, who has yet to throw a bullpen session, is expected to be sidelined during the All-Star break.
Hudson should be rostered in virtually all Yahoo leagues that allow daily roster changes. The reliever hasn’t recorded any saves this season, but he still ranks 36th among all players on Yahoo Player Rater by virtue of posting impressive ratios (0.99 ERA, 0.66 WHIP) while maintaining a heavy workload ( 45.1 IP). Hudson is unlikely to maintain this remarkable pace, but he should remain effective as part of a Brewers organization that often gets the most out of its pitchers. Wise managers will trim their ratios, leaving Hudson on their active roster while moving starters between the lineup and the bench.
