RADIO
It's Sunday, so that means it's time to hit the waiver wire. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there; let's try and find a gift on the waiver wire that's better than that tie your kids bought (Do dads still get ties on Father's Day?).
In the spirit of the holiday, we're focussing on the Twins (get it?). There's a pair of youngsters with prospect pedigree playing every day for a sneaky-good lineup and managers seeking middle infield help would be wise to look to the Twin Cities. That's not all, however, we've got a full menu of options to help bolster your fantasy squad at 2B or SS.
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting prospects in the single digits who may get the call and deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 13 – June 19 through June 25.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Royce Lewis, SS/3B, Minnesota Twins (44% rostered)
The former top prospect for Minnesota is criminally under-rostered in fantasy given all he's done is hit since he got to the Majors. Lewis flashed elite upside in 12 games last season as he batted .300 with a .550 slugging percentage in, admittedly, a small sample size. His season was cut short by a torn ACL, which kept him out of action into this season.
He's back now and through 13 games Lewis is batting .300 with two homers, nine RBI, and five runs scored. Again, still a small sample at the Big League level, but Lewis consistently hit for high batting averages in the minors with plus power and speed. He's been playing nearly every day at 3B but came up as a shortstop so that dual eligibility is a nice bonus as well.
Owen Miller, 1B/2B/3B, Milwaukee Brewers (40% rostered)
Owen Miller is a batting average machine who has also been racking up the counting stats as he leads off versus lefties and bats cleanup versus righties. The 26-year-old is one of the best contact hitters in baseball and it's led to a .301 batting average to this point in the season. That average feels sustainable given Miller's stellar 17.6% K-rate and the fact he ranks in the 87th percentile in both whiff rate and sprint speed, per Statcast.
Normally, pure-contact hitters aren't huge fantasy assets, but Miller is an exception given the lineup context that allows him to both score runs and drive them in, while also stealing his share of bases. Toss in the friendly confines of Milwaukee's home ballpark (it's not Miller Park anymore, which feels wrong) and you've got a solid across-the-board fantasy contributor.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies (29% rostered)
Writing up Ezequiel Tovar feels like a weekly endeavor and I don't get it. The guy entered the season as the number-one-ranked prospect for the Colorado Rockies. He was all the rage during draft season. Then he has one bad month and can't crack 30% rostership in fantasy? Nuts.
Tovar had a miserable April, let's get that out of the way. It happened. Since the calendar flipped to May, a 41-game sample, Tovar is batting .273 with a .480 slugging percentage, and all six of his homers on the season.
If we isolate his season to only June, Tovar already has three homers, seven runs, and eight RBI in only 14 games this month. As the weather continues to warm up, expect more production from the young phenom who last season batted .333 in Triple-A, and posted a .318 average with a .545 slugging percentage as a 20-year-old at Double-A Hartford (no altitude assistance for the Rockies' Double-A affiliate).
Edouard Julien, 2B, Minnesota Twins (6% rostered)
Another top prospect for the Twins, Julien's overall stats are still being dragged down by a 6-for-30 stretch in his first MLB stint back in April. Since being recalled on May 20, Julien is slashing .292/.407/.542 across 60 plate appearances. That on-base percentage is boosted by a cool 16% walk rate and he had a streak last week of four-straight games with a double.
Julien leads off against RHP and has been manning 2B every day for a quality Minnesota lineup. He comes with a prospect pedigree as well, as he batted .300 with a .490 slugging percentage at Double-A last season. Perhaps the Twins rushed him a little with his call-up early in the season? We'll never know, but Julien seems to have found his footing in the Majors and should be rostered in more fantasy leagues.
Other Options to Consider:
- Miguel Vargas, 2B/1B, Los Angeles Dodgers (34% rostered)
- Luis Garcia, 2B/SS, Washington Nationals (18% rostered)
Prospect Watch
Ronny Mauricio, SS, New York Mets (10% rostered)
The top prospect for the Mets has been on the precipice of the Majors for a few weeks now, but won't seem to get the call despite the struggles to score from the New York lineup. Part of the issue seems to be defense, as Mauricio is being blocked at SS by some guy named Francisco Lindor, who is absolutely not the problem with the Mets.
So, Mauricio has been playing in left field in Triple-A, which has indeed been a problem for the Big League club. You'd have to imagine as soon as the coaching staff deems his outfield defense ready, Mauricio should be on the road from Syracuse to Queens. He is mashing minor league pitching, to the tune of a .907 OPS.
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