RADIO
Just three weeks remain in the 2021 season. At this stage of the game, it's a full-out sprint with little room for error. Some of the weaker managers have already peeled off to attend to their fantasy football interests as is tradition, but those who remain will be your daily combatants on the waiver wire.
With the end in sight, we don't care as much about long-term viability. Anybody who's performing right now as least merits consideration. We've seen plenty of flawed players get hot at the right time and carry their fantasy squads to victory. A contribution in the clutch can make one a legend, if only in our own minds - a decade on, Ted Lilly remains a fondly recalled name for yours truly after throwing a gem that helped complete the most improbable comeback in my personal history.
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single-digits who could be worth a Hail Mary. These are your second base and shortstop waiver wire pickups for Week 25 - September 13 through September 19.
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Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Luis Urias, 2B/3B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers (39% rostered)
Urias slumped hard in July and lost his spot atop the Brewers order as a result, but since August began he's slashed .302/.359/.566 with seven home runs and 37 R+BI in 32 games. Milwaukee is cruising toward their fourth straight postseason appearance and second division title in that span, and Urias' emergence as a quality everyday player has been a contributing factor.
Nick Solak, 2B/3B/OF, Texas Rangers (36% rostered)
Solak failed to build on his sizzling start to the year, enduring a cold streak sufficient to make the basement-dwelling Rangers demote him to the minors for a month. He's looked much more comfortable since returning to the big club three weeks ago, posting a .323/.371/.462 line with solid run production, a pair of homers, and a pair of steals.
Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Abraham Toro, 2B/3B, Seattle Mariners (19% rostered)
Toro has flourished as an everyday player since being traded to the Mariners, which has aided the club in hanging around in the American League wild card race. The 24-year-old has produced a .314/.387/.457 triple-slash with four homers, two steals, and 42 R+BI in 40 games.
J.P. Crawford, SS, Seattle Mariners (13% rostered)
At age 26, Crawford has shown himself to be more or less what was expected during his prospect days - an average hitter with a plus glove. That's plenty valuable at a premium position for a real baseball team, but his lack of any loud tools makes him less appealing for our purposes. He has stretches of fantasy utility, though, and is in the midst of one now with a tidy .304/.381/.464 line, a pair of home runs, and 19 R+BI in the past 14 days.
Brad Miller, 1B/2B/3B/OF, Philadelphia Phillies (11% rostered)
Rhys Hoskins' season-ending abdominal injury opened the door to everyday at-bats for Miller, and he's taken full advantage, bashing six home runs en route to a gaudy 1.248 OPS over the last two weeks. Across the last three seasons, the veteran has 38 homers, 94 runs, 94 RBI, and six stolen bases in 662 plate appearances, which makes you wonder if a team might get more value by playing him more often despite his struggles against lefties.
The Hail Mary
Alcides Escobar, 2B/SS, Washington Nationals (4% rostered)
Hang on, what year is it? The days of speed carrying Escobar's fantasy appeal are over - he's swiped just two bags in 54 games this year - but he's been swinging the bat well of late for a Nationals squad that's playing out the string. The veteran middle infielder had a two-hit night on Saturday, scoring twice and knocking in another run. That was his eighth multi-hit effort in the past month, during which he's hit .280 and scored 20 runs.
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