RADIO
We are entering the final stretch of the 2021 MLB season. Fantasy champions will be crowned in the next few weeks. Not everyone's season was a success though. That goes for fantasy managers, as well as real-life counterparts. Poor Cody Bellinger is still rostered in 81 percent of leagues right now. DJ LeMahieu, a first base and third base darling, has a .711 OPS, his worst mark since he first became a full-time player in Colorado back in 2014. Luke Voit, another supposed corner behemoth out of New York, couldn't stay healthy and now can't find a foothold into the lineup. Eugenio Suarez is putting together one of the oddest seasons in recent memory. He is single-handedly boosting up counting stats while irrevocably decimating rate stats.
We've had some grand surprises too. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Max Muncy were supposed to be okay. Instead, they've been spectacular. Joey Votto was washed until he was one of the best hitters in the league again. Austin Riley finally broke out. Jonathan India did too. And yet, none of these guys are in the conversation to help managers down the stretch. We have to dig much, much deeper.
For our purposes in this column, we are looking at Yahoo!'s rostered percentages, as well as its positional eligibility. We are searching for useful players rostered in fewer than 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues. With that being said, below are my first base and third base waiver wire pickups to consider for Week 25 - September 13 through September 19.
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Luis Urias, Milwaukee Brewers
39% Rostered
I wasn't a believer in Urias' August. Turns out I was right...because he's been even better in a short September sample. The streaky Brewer is streaking in the right direction. In five months (not counting September), he's been unplayable in fantasy for three and All-Star-caliber the other two, with his best leading into where we are right now.
That's no guarantee that he will stay hot through the month, but Urias has gotten his batting line well into respectability. A 41.2 percent hard-hit rate, 9.6 percent barrel rate, and 10.4 percent walk rate are all good signs. So is seeing him get some time in the leadoff spot in the Milwaukee lineup. Though he has a small week this week, games against Detroit and the Cubs should continue the success.
Brad Miller, Philadelphia Phillies
11% Rostered
In terms of streaky hitters, Miller fits the bill quite well. His playing time bounces around, as does his production. Take advantage while both are going in his favor. Miller has started seven of nine this past week-plus and still gets into games as a pinch hitter when sitting. And his batted-ball data are off the charts. Miller ranks in the 96th percentile in average exit velocity, 90th percentile in hard-hit rate, and 84th percentile in walk rate. He is connecting for major power yet waiting for his pitches. It is the profile every hitter wants.
If he was playing every day, perhaps his production would start to wane. It's not the worst thing that Joe Girardi is picking his spots with Miller. Take advantage when he does get into the lineup.
Yoshi Tsutsugo, Pittsburgh Pirates
5% Rostered
During his hot streak, I've been keeping my eye on one thing with Tsutsugo and the Pirates. Would he start to consistently bat in a premiere lineup spot? It seems to be happening. This past week, Tsutsugo played in seven straight games, hitting either second or fourth every game. He continues to produce with the bat, and now the runs and RBI should begin to follow suit thanks to lineup positioning.
Tsutsugo slugged .903 in August. We aren't expecting that in September. But his overall numbers are shaping into form after such a rough start that he's on his third team of the season. With a 40.5 percent hard-hit rate, 9 percent barrel rate, and 11.4 percent walk rate, we are seeing the type of at-bats that make for a productive player. With the move up the lineup card, productive batted-ball data should lead to increase fantasy stats.
The Repeats
Scoop up Bobby Dalbec while you still can. At 38 percent rostered, he won't be eligible much longer. The power is legit, he's moved up in the Boston lineup, and is playing nearly every day.
Folks are still dragging their feet on adding Nathaniel Lowe. He is 37 percent rostered, the same spot he was at last week. This, despite getting his bat in order and starting to produce in a major way. He isn't generating home runs, but everything else is on the table.
A slower week last week doesn't have me departing the Nick Solak (34% rostered) bandwagon quite yet. Keep an eye on the schedule. He may be worth stashing now for his final week-plus schedule alone: at Baltimore and against the Angels to close things out. I'll be using him this week as well, but it's something worth keeping an eye on.
Brandon Belt (31%) is still available. He is hitting the heck out of the ball and playing nearly every day, while now hitting in the two hole for San Francisco. I'm continually baffled why no one wants this guy.
Abraham Toro (19%) keeps hitting. He won't collect much in the way of power or speed but has continued to come through in the other categories.
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