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This week, we'll flip our calendars to September and begin the sprint toward the finish line of the marathon that is the MLB's regular season. By now, you should know if your team has a realistic shot at a championship be it via the playoffs, or figuring out where to score points to finish as high as possible in a rotisserie format.
That being said, it's never too late to hit the waiver wire and grab that impact player that could help in the final push for fantasy baseball glory. If you need an upgrade at the middle infield positions, you've come to the right place. There are plenty of young, exciting prospects getting a look in the majors right now, so let's take a gander at which ones are viable fantasy options.
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 23 -- August 28 through September 3.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies (45% rostered)
This time of year, a lot of non-contending teams are calling up top prospects to see what they have for the future. The Rockies, however, are a non-contending team who have had their top prospect on the roster since Opening Day. Yet, he's still somehow rostered in less than half of fantasy leagues.
Ezequiel Tovar got off to a brutal start to the season as he batted just .213 in April. Since May 1, however, Tovar is slashing .272/.306/.469 with all 15 of his homers on the season and seven stolen bases. Yes, the season has been a wild ride, but that should be expected for rookies. Particularly someone like Tovar who was only 21 years old on Opening Day.
Through all of his ups and downs, Tovar still has the power and speed tools that made him such an intriguing prospect to begin with. He should be added and started in fantasy ahead of a full week of home games in Coors Field.
Royce Lewis, SS/3B, Minnesota Twins (37% rostered)
In his brief MLB career, Royce Lewis has destroyed MLB pitching. Yes, he's missed significant time with injuries -- a torn ACL cost him over a calendar year -- but when healthy, Lewis is a must-roster player in fantasy. Guess what, he's healthy now and crushing the ball as usual.
So far this season, Lewis has played 35 games and is slashing a whopping .328/.377/.508 to go with six homers, 17 runs scored, 20 RBI, and two steals. More importantly, Lewis' batted-ball metrics are phenomenal, as evidenced by his 114 mph max exit velocity, which ranks in the top eighth percentile. His 9.7-percent barrel rate is also much better than the league average. Lewis is locked into everyday at-bats for a good Twins lineup and he should be in fantasy lineups as well.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Osleivis Basabe, SS/3B, Tampa Bay Rays (17% rostered)
When the Rays had the starting shortstop job unexpectedly open up, Osleivis Basabe was called up from Triple-A and immediately began producing at the big league level. The 22-year-old Basabe was ranked fifth in Tampa's always-loaded farm system and possibly on the verge of a promotion anyway. In 94 games at Triple-A, Basabe was slashing a robust .296/.351/.426 with 103 runs-plus-RBI and 16 stolen bases.
Through his first 11 big league games, Basabe is 12-for-42 (.308) with his first MLB homer, nine runs scored, and nine RBI. The only thing holding Basabe back in fantasy could be a lack of power -- he only had four homers in Triple-A -- but he's got a great hit tool and will play every day for a stacked Rays lineup. He's the most intriguing rookie for fantasy among the recent prospect call-ups.
Noelvi Marte, SS, Cincinnati Reds (10% rostered)
Speaking of prospect promotions, the Reds called up 21-year-old Noelvi Marte, who was the centerpiece in the package Cincinnati received from Seattle in the Luis Castillo trade last season. Now, he gets to join a Reds lineup that is already bursting at the seams with young, exciting talent and plays in one of the best hitter's parks in the majors.
This season between Double-A and Triple-A, Marte had 11 homers and 18 steals while reaching base at a .360 clip and keeping his batting average right around .280. His bat has gotten off to a slow start in the majors, but he does already have three stolen bases without being caught. He should at least provide speed even if the bat is slower to develop. Those seeking steals down the stretch should look to Marte as a candidate to possibly swipe double-digit bags the rest of the way.
Other Options to Consider:
- Edouard Julien, 2B, Minnesota Twins (18% rostered)
- Jordan Westburg, 2B/SS/3B, Baltimore Orioles (21% rostered)
Prospect Watch
Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (15% rostered)
Normally, this section highlights a minor leaguer who could be on the cusp of a promotion. But with so many prospects getting called up, we can check in on the top Cardinals prospect, Masyn Winn. The 21-year-old prospect has gotten off to a rough start to his MLB career, but still boasts significant pedigree as evidenced by his .288/.359/.474 slash line in Triple-A. In 105 games at that level, he belted 17 homers and swiped 18 bases. The path is there for Winn to develop into a quality fantasy asset.
He's best left for deeper leagues for now, but don't let Winn get lost in the shuffle with all of the other hyped prospects getting the call. He remains an intriguing player who fantasy managers should be keeping an eye on.
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