RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to Week 23 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 the waiver wire could be your best chance to improve your roster for a championship push.
Let’s keep rolling along with some names to consider as fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for this upcoming week of the MLB and fantasy baseball season – September 12th through September 18th.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools and resources:- Fantasy baseball draft kit
- Fantasy baseball rankings
- Team Sync platform and Draft Assistant
- Fantasy baseball mock draft simulator
- Fantasy baseball draft cheat sheets
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts
- Fantasy baseball prospects
Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues (40-59% rostered)
Patrick Wisdom, 1B/3B/OF Chicago Cubs (55% rostered)
Wisdom (finger) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Saturday after missing the last few weeks due to a left ring finger sprain. The 31-year-old slashed .217/.311/.438 with 22 home runs, 58 RBI, 60 runs, and seven stolen bases over 471 plate appearances in 2022. Wisdom is expected to be Chicago's primary first baseman and will provide fantasy managers power while chipping in other categories down the stretch.
Wisdom has elite power and has mashed 50 home runs from 2021-2022. His statcast data is off the charts in hard-hit percentage (85 percentile), barrel% (94 percentile), and BB% (80 percentile). If Wisdom is available in your league, he's a must-add at this point in any format as he will provide a power bat while qualifying at three different positions heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Eduardo Escobar, 1B/2B/3B New York Mets (44% rostered)
Escobar is starting to heat up and is on a seven-game hitting streak. He is slashing .478/.519/.870 with three home runs, six RBI, and four runs across 27 plate appearances over his last seven games. The 33-year-old has struggled this season but is flourishing since moving back into the starting lineup on August 27th.
Escobar has always had power and has mashed 20-plus homers in four of his last five seasons. Nothing stands out in his statcast data in 2022, but Escobar is heating up at the right time as fantasy managers try to close out a championship. If Escobar is available in your league, he's a must-add at this point in any format as he continues to wield a hot bat while qualifying at three different positions heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues (20-39% rostered)
Seth Brown, 1B/OF, Oakland Athletics (26% rostered)
Brown has been on an absolute tear over his 11 games. He slashed .317/.349/.659 with four home runs, five RBI, eight runs, and two walks across 43 plate appearances during that span. The 30-year-old continues to rack up hits despite posting a 35.9 percent strikeout rate over his last 10 contests.
Brown is eligible at first base and outfield, hitting clean-up for the Athletics. His statcast data is great in xSLG (78 percentile), barrel% (86 percentile), and with a decent sprint speed that's in the 64th percentile, Brown will provide managers both speed and power. Overall, the veteran is having a solid season, hitting .221 with 21 home runs, 55 RBI, 46 runs, and eight stolen bases in 128 games. Brown is heating up at the right time and should be added in all league formats.
Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Rangers (20% rostered)
Jung's contract was selected from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday. He shined in his MLB debut as he went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in his MLB debut. The 22-year-old was set to begin the season as the Rangers' primary third baseman until he suffered a torn left labrum during spring training. Jung wasn't cleared to rejoin the Triple-A club until early August.
When Jung returned to Triple-A Round Rock in August, he was solid over 22 games before getting the call to the majors on Friday. He slashed .274/.317/.526 with six home runs, 24 RBI, 14 runs, and a stolen base. He is set to be the Rangers' primary third baseman and was considered one of the best pure hitters in the 2019 draft. The upside is there with Jung, and he could provide fantasy managers a boost to close out 2022.
Others to Consider
- Triston Casas, 1B, Boston Red Sox (13% rostered)
- Cavan Biggio, 1B,2B, 3B, OF Toronto Blue Jays (11% rostered)
- Edmundo Sosa, 2B,3B, SS Philadelphia Phillies (2% rostered)
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
More Fantasy Baseball Advice
