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Welcome RotoBallers to our AL-only and NL-only deeper fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 8 -- May 13 through May 19. The waiver wire can be difficult to navigate. Knowing who to add and when is a game within the game of fantasy baseball. Doing this in a mono league where the player pool is half the size of a full league makes it even more challenging. Every drop and add is significant.
One of the keys to success with roster management is opportunity. A player given the chance to get on the field and produce is one of the first signs of potential. After all, they can't accumulate statistics if they're sitting on their team's bench. These opportunities can arise because of either a promotion from the minor leagues, an injury to another player, or simply because the team has moved on from another player. Whatever the case may be, these players are now given a chance to shine.
It's important to note that these players are on a short leash to see if they can produce. If they don't, then they can be dropped for the next man up. All that being said, here are some of the best players with opportunities.
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Ivan Herrera - C, St. Louis Cardinals (5% owned)
This past week, Willson Contreras suffered a fractured forearm, which will keep him out of action for approximately 10 weeks. This can create a problem for fantasy owners who are looking for a suitable replacement. That's where Ivan Herrera comes into play, as he will be the Cardinals' everyday catcher moving forward. Already armed with some preseason buzz, he has some power upside in his arsenal and could come through in a big way.
Iván Herrera feels confident with a larger workload ahead at catcher after Willson Contreras's injury: "I don't take it as a challenge. I take it as an opportunity for my career. ... It's just go out there and compete. That's all I'm trying to do right now." #STLCards pic.twitter.com/xCnS2dvHiT
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 11, 2024
The team has made some small, yet significant moves to keep him in St. Louis since the end of last season. First, they let him play in the Caribbean Winter League, and then they non-tendered Andrew Knizner, leaving the door wide open for Herrera. Now, the team will count on him to be behind the plate every day. He's already lowered his strikeout rate as it hovers close to 20% on the season, and he's begun elevating the ball more. As it stands, he fits the bill as a suitable replacement if you need a second catcher.
Patrick Sandoval - SP, Los Angeles Angels (6% owned)
Patrick Sandoval limped into this season after struggling to be productive in 2023. After finishing the year with a career-low strikeout rate of 19.6% and a career-high walk rate of 11.3%, there was not much hope for a bounce back in 2024. Luckily for him, he changed both his mindset in the offseason and his approach throughout the regular season. Thus far, the results have been interesting.
Sandoval has all but eliminated his fastball while drastically increasing his slider usage. Over the last four games, he has thrown the fastball just 34 times, with a season-long total of it being tossed 143 times. This was a pitch that batters hit .336 against last season, so the change is a welcomed one.
Conversely, the aforementioned slider has risen to become his second-most used pitch alongside his wicked changeup, making him a very well-equipped two-pitch pitcher. Over his last three games, he has struck out 21 batters while walking only three. While Sandoval will only pitch once next week, he has some long-term appeal and could be someone who finally lives up to the potential that was hoped for when he first debuted.
Harold Ramirez - OF, Tampa Bay Rays (6% owned)
This may not be the most exciting pick, but it's someone who is worth monitoring. Ramirez finished the last two seasons batting .300 or more and has been on fire as of late. He struggled to get going early on in April, but he has had himself quite the month of May thus far, batting over .400 since the calendar change.
Harold Ramirez @RaysBaseball is Monday’s Box-Toppers AL Batter of the Day (2B 4-4 3R BI vs. CHW).
B-T Player of the Game winners in all Monday games: https://t.co/Kuss3Ts6sJ pic.twitter.com/IEIUIo0GMX
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) May 7, 2024
Ramirez doesn't hit the ball hard. In fact, his 37 home runs hit since the start of his career in 2019 rank him 251st out of all hitters with at least 500 plate appearances. What he does well is put the ball to the bat and spread it all over the field. Next week the Rays play seven games, all on the road, at Boston and Toronto. He should play most days and be able to continue this hot streak.
Jose Miranda - 3B, Minnesota Twins (2% owned)
After a breakout season in 2022, the sights were set for Jose Miranda to build on that success in 2023. Unfortunately for him and the Twins, that step forward turned into two steps backward. Miranda regressed in all areas of his game and became a liability at the plate. It was a sad turn for someone who had surprised so many. It turns out that it may have been because of an injured shoulder last season.
Those were very interesting comments from manager Rocco Baldelli. It also speaks volumes to the type of batter that we saw last season, which was decidedly different from the one that debuted a year earlier. Miranda also made adjustments at the plate, which countered the adjustments made on him.
jose miranda is hitting .292/.320/.500 through 50 plate appearances.
one of the improvements came from being able to handle elevated fastballs better
contact% on fb in upper half + above zone:
2022 80%
2023 70%
2024 93%slg on fb in u/h + a/z:
2022 .444
2023 .380
2024 .647 pic.twitter.com/YzfjCZ6J3u— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) April 29, 2024
Miranda now finds himself as the team's everyday third baseman and should remain so for the foreseeable future as Royce Lewis still has a ways to go before returning to the Twins lineup. In the meantime, Miranda can help the team now and perhaps carve a role out for himself at first base later in the season. Perhaps he can do so this week with games at home against the Yankees and on the road at the Guardians.
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