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Welcome back RotoBallers to Week 18 of the MLB season, and another edition of our first base and third base waiver wire pickups.
We're approaching the home stretch of fantasy baseball and, as trade deadlines pass, the waiver wire could be your best chance to improve your roster for a championship push.
Let’s keep rolling right along here with some names to consider as fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for this upcoming week 18 of the MLB and fantasy baseball season – August 8 through August 14.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues (40-59% rostered)
Christian Walker, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks (46% rostered)
Walker started to flex his muscle in Cleveland last week as he launched two homers and added a double in the three-game set. On the season, his numbers look quite pedestrian, but Statcast tells a different story.
Walker has a sturdy 13.4% barrel rate, a 43% hard-hit rate, and his expected slugging percentage ranks in the 92nd percentile among all hitters. Best of all, he's striking out under 20% of the time so he could be in for a big finish if his .188 BABIP corrects itself to his career norm which is 90 points higher at .278.
Aledmys Diaz, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, Houston Astros (41% rostered)
The jack-of-all-trades for the Astros has been scalding-hot since the All-Star Break with a .333 batting average and 16 runs-plus-RBI in that span.
He's recorded multiple hits in four of his last eight games and is racking up the counting stats in the middle of a deadly Houston batting order that got even better last week with the addition of Trey Mancini. With eligibility all over the diamond, Diaz is an asset to add in fantasy.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues (20-39% rostered)
Luke Voit, 1B, Washington Nationals (35% rostered)
It's not the sexiest pickup, but Voit has shown big power in the past and a change of scenery could tap into that power as he joins the rebuilding Washington Nationals. Voit clubbed his 14th homer of the season - and first as a National - on Saturday as he was batting third in the lineup.
Voit never seemed to fit in with a crowded Padres offense, so even though he's in a worse order, Voit should improve with a better lineup slot and assured everyday at bats in DC. If he hits anything close to his .492 career slugging percentage over the last two months then Voit can help make up ground in the power stats for fantasy managers.
Seth Brown, 1B/OF, Oakland Athletics (28% rostered)
Speaking of players with assured playing time in rebuilding teams, Brown is heating up for the A's with four homers in his last five starts. There's not a ton to be excited about in Oakland, but Brown has 16 homers on the season and, better yet, is sporting a career-best strikeout rate which has his wOBA at a sturdy .323.
In addition to his power, Brown also has eight stolen bases on the season making it easier to live with his low batting average in roto leagues.
Others to Consider
- Yandy Diaz, 1B/3B, Tampa Bay Rays (37% rostered)
- Gio Urshela, 3B, Minnesota Twins (30& rostered)
- Jeimer Candelario, 3B, Detroit Tigers (12% rostered)
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