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Welcome, RotoBallers, to the Week 19 edition of our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for hitters. These fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups are for the week of July 29 - August 4, looking at players below ~50% rostered on ESPN or Yahoo.
We'll be doing this points league roundup every week here at RotoBaller because we know points players get neglected and we're here to help. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll highlight where players are the best and worst fits, with waiver-wire targets being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems on ESPN, Yahoo, CBS, Fantrax, and NFBC.
Position eligibility is taken from Fantrax and players are grouped by their most valuable fantasy position, using a hierarchy of C > 2B > OF > 3B > 1B > SS. Stats and rankings are calculated using games through Saturday, July 27.
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Waiver Wire Caveats and APR Explanation
Roster% Thresholds
We use a combination of Roster% to assess who is in our target pool, relying mostly on Yahoo and ESPN. For some players, you'll notice a wide discrepancy between the two. This is because ESPN's Roster% is heavily weighted by points players, with guys who don't do well in their system (often because of an inflated K% but also sometimes, who really knows?) lagging behind the Yahoo Roster%.
For this reason, you'll sometimes see players (especially early) who might make you question my sanity in including them in a waiver-wire article but don't worry, it's just a necessary glitch for coverage purposes.
APR stands for "Average Platform Rank" and is the average hitter rank between the four major point platforms: ESPN, Yahoo, CBS, and Fantrax. All player data is from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant, with injury information pulled from the Roster Resource section on the former.
Fantasy Baseball First Base Waiver Wire Pickups
Best Choices
Carlos Santana, PIT, 1B (Yahoo: 21%, ESPN: 17%) - Listen folks; I just checked with my wife -- I'm not taking any extra crazy pill, just the norm...So why in the hell does Santana remain so low-rostered? The Points God has a 94 APR for the season but that doesn't do him justice considering how terrible he was at the beginning of the season. Santana averaged a 301 APR through the first four periods of the season but since Week 5 began on April 22, he's slashing .271/.356/.495 over 309 PA, with 14 HR and a .367 wOBA, along with the points-gold of a 15% K% and 10% BB%. Oh, and he'll also get three left-handers out of six games this week (@NYY, vs CHW), against whom he's slashing .315/.357/.576 over 97 PA, with a .399 wOBA and .933 OPS -- continue ignoring gods at your own risk.
Ryan O'Hearn, BAL, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 44%, ESPN: 38%) - O'Hearn already shouldn't be under our Roster% threshold but especially not in Week 19, with Baltimore set to have eight games (vs TOR, @CLE) and six coming vs RHP.
Nolan Schanuel, LAA, 1B (Yahoo: 7%, ESPN: 3%) - This is just starting to feel personal -- how is that Roster% what it is? Shanuel is a classic points-compiler and is now up to a 116 APR for the season, even after early struggles. He has a 36 APR in Week 18, after being #60/#61 the previous two periods and being in the top 100 for six of the past seven. Three left-handers in Week 19 isn't ideal for his scoring but this shouldn't just be a one-week play.
Michael Busch, CHC, 1B/3B (Yahoo: 51%, ESPN: 23%) - Technically above our Roster% threshold for Yahoo but even with a 32% K% Busch has produced at a top-125 level on ESPN.
Next Choices
Juan Yepez, WSH, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 37%, ESPN: 16%) - Hey look -- people are starting to pay attention to Juan Yepez! Yepez has a very points-friendly profile that offers a high floor (with some upside) as long as he's playing every day, something he's done every game since being called up on July 5. Batting cleanup every day with a 16% is a good way to keep yourself relevant under a lot of scoring systems.
Michael Toglia, COL, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 30%, ESPN: 9%) - One of our best picks from last week hasn't disappointed, currently carrying a 38 APR into Sunday's action. You don't have to abandon him because Colorado is going on the road -- Toglia has a .760 OPS and .329 wOBA on the road, compared to a .787 OPS and .322 wOBA at home.
Spencer Horwitz, TOR, 1B/2B (Yahoo: 20%, ESPN: 7%) - A steady job with great plate discipline can do wonders for your floor in most point leagues and Horwitz keeps proving it. Starting almost every game with a 16% K% and 11% BB%, Horowitz should again linger around the top 100 in series at the Orioles and Yankees.
Desperate Choices
Brooks Baldwin, CHW, 1B (Yahoo: 1%, ESPN: 0%) - Baldwin is only slashing .207/.258/.310 in his 31 PA since getting called but does have three doubles and two stolen bases while starting every game. Temper all expectations with a healthy dose of "he's a rookie hitter on a terrible (terrible!) team" but Baldwin had a superb year in the minors, slashing .322/.386/.441 over 319 PA at Double-A, with 6 HR and 16 SB, before doing much of the same in a 35-PA cup of coffee at Triple-A (.345/.441/.655, 2 HR, 1 SB)). Soon to be eligible at second base, Baldwin is a low-risk lotto ticket worth pulling out.
Rowdy Tellez, PIT, 1B (Yahoo: 10%, ESPN: 3%) - The Rowdy-renaissance continues -- Tellez is on his way to another top-100ish (104) performance, his fourth(ish) in the past five periods. Arizona at home is manageable enough but starting the week on the road at Houston isn't very inspiring.
On the IL
- Anthony Rizzo, NYY, 1B (fractured forearm - no timetable)
- Tyler Soderstrom, OAK, 1B (wrist bruise - no timetable)
- Alex Kirilloff, MIN, 1B/OF (back discomfort - no timetable)
- Wilmer Flores, SF, 1B/3B (knee tendonitis - no timetable)
- Joey Gallo, WSH, 1B/OF (strained hamstring - no timetable)
Fantasy Baseball Second Base Waiver Wire Pickups
Best Choices
Xavier Edwards, MIA, 2B/SS (Yahoo: 30%, ESPN: 7%) - We've talked for a while about how Edwards was a must-add but your time to do so is running out, and not just because Jazz Chisholm Jr. being traded has ushered in the full-rebuild (AKA young guys play). Since being recalled for good on July 2, Edwards is slashing .365/.443/.405 over 89 PA, with a .378 wOBA, 15% K%, and 14% BB%. The Marlins might have an awful lineup (coming soon -- getting worse!) but Edwards is a young and exciting player who simply must be rostered.
Brandon Lowe, TB, 2B (Yahoo: 30%, ESPN: 6%) - The Rays only get five games in Week 19 but none are against LHP and Lowe is red-hot, posting a 16 APR in Week 18 after a 90 APR last week. Since returning from injury on May 20, Lowe is slashing .269/.366/.556 over 186 PA, with a .391 wOBA and 11 HR. No good reason he should be on anyone's wire.
Luis Garcia, WSH, 2B (Yahoo: 42%, ESPN: 15%) - After a dud in Week 17 (299), Garcia has bounced right back to what he's been almost all season, currently running a 45 APR headed into Sunday's games. Throw out that outlier and Garcia has been one of the points leagues' best hitters, averaging a 52 APR in the last five periods.
Next Choices
Spencer Horwitz, TOR, 1B/2B (Yahoo: 20%, ESPN: 7%) - A steady job with great plate discipline can do wonders for your floor in most point leagues and Horwitz keeps proving it. Starting almost every game with a 16% K% and 11% BB%, Horowitz should again linger around the top 100 in series at the Orioles and Yankees.
Michael Massey, KC, 2B (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 3%) - Massey should get a lot of play in a week that'll see the Royals only face one LHP (against whom he never starts) out of their seven games versus awful (@CHW) and soon-to-be awful (@DET) pitching staffs.
Desperate Choices
Jorge Polanco, SEA, 2B (Yahoo: 22%, ESPN: 3%) - Polanco has been quietly effective for a few weeks but won't have strong matchups in a week at Boston and home against Philadelphia.
Jose Iglesias, NYM, 2B/3B/SS (Yahoo: 16%, ESPN: 18%) - When you're desperate, you're desperate, and Iglesias has had an everyday job lately and can do enough compiling when he does with a 10% K%.
David Hamilton, BOS, 2B/SS (Yahoo: 28%, ESPN: 6%) - Hamilton looks like a decent play on paper, with none of Boston's six games scheduled vs LHP but keep in mind that three of those righties are the trio of studs in Seattle.
On the IL
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa, TOR, 2B/3B/SS/OF (sprained knee - rehab assignment)
- Vaughn Grissom, BOS, 2B/SS (strained hamstring - rehab assignment)
- Miguel Rojas, LAD, 2B/SS (forearm tightness - no timetable)
- Tommy Edman, STL, 2B/SS/OF (wrist/ankle - rehab assignment)
- Jorge Mateo, BAL, 2B/SS (elbow sprain - no timetable)
- Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (strained groin - no timetable)
Fantasy Baseball Third Base Waiver Wire Pickups
Best Choices
Matt Vierling, DET, 3B/OF (Yahoo: 26%, ESPN: 10%) - Vierling would be a great play even if third base on the wire wasn't currently a dumpster fire, as a 29 APR in Week 18 gives him his second top-50 week out of the last three, averaging an 89 APR over his last five periods. But third base is a dumpster fire -- and that makes Vierling the relative belle of the ball this week.
Michael Busch, CHC, 1B/3B (Yahoo: 51%, ESPN: 23%) - Technically above our Roster% threshold for Yahoo but even with a 32% K% Busch has produced at a top-125 level on ESPN.
Next Choices
Eugenio Suarez, ARI, 3B (Yahoo: 34%, ESPN: 11%) - Suarez isn't "back" back, but he's at least been playable lately and will face mostly shaky pitching (but also Paul Skenes!) in matchups against the Nationals and Pirates.
Desperate Choices
Jose Iglesias, NYM, 2B/3B/SS (Yahoo: 16%, ESPN: 18%) - When you're desperate, you're desperate, and Iglesias has had an everyday job lately and can do enough compiling when he does with a 10% K%.
Jhonkensy Noel, CLE, 3B/OF (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 2%) - Noel has started seven games in a row but hasn't done anything with the opportunity, with just three hits and a 29% K%. He has "demoted after Cleveland makes a trade" written all over him.
On the IL
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa, TOR, 2B/3B/SS/OF (sprained knee - rehab assignment)
- Wilmer Flores, SF, 1B/3B (knee tendonitis - no timetable)
- Jon Berti, NYY, 3B/SS (strained calf - no timetable)
- Yoan Moncada, CHW, 3B (strained groin - no timetable)
- Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (strained groin - no timetable)
Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Waiver Wire Pickups
Best Choices
Xavier Edwards, MIA, 2B/SS (Yahoo: 30%, ESPN: 7%) - We've talked for a while about how Edwards was a must-add but your time to do so is running out, and not just because Jazz Chisholm Jr. being traded has ushered in the full-rebuild (AKA young guys play). Since being recalled for good on July 2, Edwards is slashing .365/.443/.405 over 89 PA, with a .378 wOBA, 15% K%, and 14% BB%. The Marlins might have an awful lineup (coming soon -- getting worse!) but Edwards is a young and exciting player who simply must be rostered.
Masyn Winn, STL, SS (Yahoo: 35%, ESPN: 14%) - C'mon, y'all -- we're so close! Over his last 11 periods, Wynn has averaged a 101 APR but the numbers are actually much better on the top end, with the overall weighed down by a 170, 202, and 308. In the other eight periods, Wynn has a 55 APR, with six appearances in the top 50. Even leaving the worst weeks in, six top-50s in 11 weeks must be paid attention to.
Zach Neto, LAA, SS (Yahoo: 52%, ESPN: 13%) - Yes -- we did it, fam! Neto is finally above our Roster% threshold on Yahoo, as people finally realized that he's really, really good under most scoring systems. 13% on ESPN is still silly, considering his 22% strikeout rate is nowhere close to being an onerous drag on his value. C'mon, ESPN peeps -- join us in sanity!
Next Choices
Wenceel Perez, DET, SS/OF (Yahoo: 9%, ESPN: 4%) - That's four straight great weeks for Perez (77, 44, 97, 97) who keeps proving his value in points while looking thoroughly unexciting from a roto perspective. The switch-hitter gets six games in Week 19 (vs CLE, vs KC), with just one coming against a LHP, against whom Perez tends to fare much better.
Paul DeJong, CHW, SS (Yahoo: 8%, ESPN: 3%) - Soon-to-be ex-White Sox, Paul DeJong, keeps being playable as long as your league doesn't have a strikeout-penalty (32% K%, 4% BB%) but who knows who he'll get traded to and what his role going forward will be.
Desperate Choices
Angel Martinez, CLE, SS/OF (Yahoo: 9%, ESPN: 5%) - Martinez hasn't been spectacular overall since being recalled for good on July 4 but what he has done is being super points-friendly, running a 15% K% and 12% BB% over 86 PA, along with two HR and two SB. The Guardians have some very manageable pitching matchups in Week 18 (@DET, vs BAL), getting to miss Corbin Burnes.
Jose Iglesias, NYM, 2B/3B/SS (Yahoo: 16%, ESPN: 18%) - When you're desperate, you're desperate, and Iglesias has had an everyday job lately and can do enough compiling when he does with a 10% K%.
David Hamilton, BOS, 2B/SS (Yahoo: 28%, ESPN: 6%) - Hamilton looks like a decent play on paper, with none of Boston's six games scheduled vs LHP but keep in mind that three of those righties are the trio of studs in Seattle.
On the IL
- J.P. Crawford, SEA, SS (fractured pinkie - no timetable)
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa, TOR, 2B/3B/SS/OF (sprained knee - no timetable)
- Vaughn Grissom, BOS, 2B/SS (strained hamstring - rehab assignment)
- Jacob Wilson, OAK, SS (strained hamstring - no timetable)
- Miguel Rojas, LAD, SS (forearm tightness - no timetable)
- Tommy Edman, STL, 2B/SS/OF (wrist/ankle - rehab assignment)
- Jorge Mateo, BAL, 2B/SS (elbow sprain - no timetable)
- Jon Berti, NYY, 3B/SS (strained calf - no timetable)
- Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (strained groin - no timetable)
Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Waiver Wire Pickups
Best Choices
Masataka Yoshida, BOS, OF (Yahoo: 42%, ESPN: 47%) - Why are we still doing this? Yoshida is a point player's dream who got dropped way too much after struggling following his return from the IL. Three of his past four periods have been in the top-75 and he absolutely should not be on your wire, particularly if your league has a strikeout penalty.
Ryan O'Hearn, BAL, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 44%, ESPN: 38%) - O'Hearn already shouldn't be under our Roster% threshold but especially not in Week 19, with Baltimore set to have eight games (vs TOR, @CLE) and six coming vs RHP.
Jo Adell, LAA, OF (Yahoo: 14%, ESPN: 4%) - Adell might be a bust for now but the dude still pops lefties -- over 70 PA in 2024, Adell has posted a .395 wOBA (.424 xOBA) and .646 SLG (.678 xSLG). With LHP in three of six games, this week is as good as any to try to get back some of that early-season lightning.
Victor Robles, SEA, OF (Yahoo: 12%, ESPN: 2%) - Robles just won't stop getting on base and now has back-to-back weeks in the top 75. Boasting a .396 OBP on the season and currently batting leadoff in front of new teammate, Randy Arozarena, Robles' stock continues to rise.
Colton Cowser, BAL, OF (Yahoo: 41%, ESPN: 18%) - Poor Colton Cowser, overshadowed by all of the other young studs in Baltimore, is back under our threshold. Cowser has a 19 APR over the past two weeks and has been in the top 50 three of the past five weeks.
Hunter Renfroe, KC, OF (Yahoo: 5%, ESPN: 3%) - Renfroe is complying his way back to points relevance, posting back-to-back top-75 performances. With three top-75 periods in the past five and five of the past ten, Renfroe should again keep compiling his way to a top-100 week in matchups against the White Sox and Tigers.
Matt Vierling, DET, 3B/OF (Yahoo: 26%, ESPN: 10%) - Vierling would be a great play even if third base on the wire wasn't currently a dumpster fire, as a 29 APR in Week 18 gives him his second top-50 week out of the last three, averaging an 89 APR over his last five periods. But third base is a dumpster fire -- and that makes Vierling the relative belle of the ball this week.
Next Choices
Juan Yepez, WSH, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 37%, ESPN: 16%) - Hey look -- people are starting to pay attention to Juan Yepez! Yepez has a very points-friendly profile that offers a high floor (with some upside) as long as he's playing every day, something he's done every game since being called up on July 5. Batting cleanup every day with a 16% is a good way to keep yourself relevant under a lot of scoring systems.
Michael Toglia, COL, 1B/OF (Yahoo: 30%, ESPN: 9%) - One of our best picks from last week hasn't disappointed, currently carrying a 38 APR into Sunday's action. You don't have to abandon him because Colorado is going on the road - Toglia has a .760 OPS and .329 wOBA on the road, compared to a .787 OPS and .322 wOBA at home.
Jesus Sanchez, MIA, OF (Yahoo: 4%, ESPN: 2%) - Umm, yeah; so Jesus Sanchez is finally kind of good now? Sanchez has been in the top 75 for three of four weeks and four of six...Just in time to get traded, buddy!
Wenceel Perez, DET, SS/OF (Yahoo: 9%, ESPN: 4%) - That's four straight great weeks for Perez (77, 44, 97, 97) who keeps proving his value in points while looking thoroughly unexciting from a roto perspective. The switch-hitter gets six games in Week 19 (vs CLE, vs KC), with just one coming against LHP, against whom Perez tends to fair much better.
Mike Yastrzemski, SF, OF (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 1%) - That's another great week in the books for Yastrzemski, with a 63 APR making it three top-100 weeks in a row. Hell, he's even starting vs. lefties! It's a good week to keep riding the hot hand, with San Francisco set for good matchups against Oakland and Cincinnati.
Desperate Choices
Miguel Andujar, OAK, OF (Yahoo: 16%, ESPN: 8%) - Andujar has been pretty solid for Oakland from a points point of view, running a 139 APR over 10 periods, with only two true "duds." Andujar only has five games in Week 19 but three will come vs LHP, against whom he has a .487 wOBA (.369 xwOBA) over a very small sample (38 PA).
Angel Martinez, CLE, SS/OF (Yahoo: 9%, ESPN: 5%) - Martinez hasn't been spectacular overall since being recalled for good on July 4 but what he has done is being super points-friendly, running a 15% K% and 12% BB% over 86 PA, along with two HR and two SB. The Guardians have some very manageable pitching matchups in Week 18 (@DET, vs BAL), getting to miss Corbin Burnes.
Randal Grichuk, ARI, OF (Yahoo: 1%, ESPN: 0%) - Sure, Grichuk may only have three home runs this season but if you're looking to catch lava in a bottle, there might not be a better lotto ticket than our guy Randal, as the Diamondbacks are set for four games against left-handed starters (including Patrick Corbin!).
On the IL:
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- Evan Carter, TEX, OF (lower back tightness - no timetable)
- Kerry Carpenter, DET, OF (back stress fracture - no timetable)
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa, TOR, 2B/3B/SS/OF (sprained knee - no timetable)
- Esteury Ruiz, OAK, OF (strained wrist - no timetable)
- Parker Meadows, DET, OF (strained hamstring - no timetable)
- Tommy Edman, STL, 2B/SS/OF (wrist/ankle - rehab assignment)
- Alex Kirilloff, MIN, 1B/OF (back discomfort - no timetable)
- Chris Taylor, LAD, 2B/3B/SS/OF (strained groin - no timetable)
- Joey Gallo, WSH, 1B/OF (strained hamstring - no timetable)
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Fantasy Baseball Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups
Best Choices
Austin Wells, NYY, C (Yahoo: 10%, ESPN: 4%) - With a 23 APR in Week 18 (and four top-100 periods in the last five), Wells has not just taken over the starting job since Jose Trevino hit the IL on July 13, starting nine of the 10 games, but he's also been hitting enough to recently move his way into one of the best lineup spots in baseball, batting cleanup behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in his last six games. The Yankees have a very tough slate of pitching matchups in Week 19 (@PHI, vs TOR) but this still feels like an easy pickup for the future with Trevino likely to be out deep into August.
The unheralded Wells is currently running a very points-friendly profile (.330 wOBA, .360 xwOBA, 19% K%, 14%) and is playing everyday behind two of baseball's best hitters while playing in one of its most hitter-friendly parks for left-handed hitters. If you have room, why not make a low-risk move to snag and see how long he keeps it up?
Shea Langeliers, OAK, C (Yahoo: 39%, ESPN: 16%) - Blah, blah -- just another top-75 week for Langeliers, his third such in the last four, without the fourth still clocking in at an excellent (for his position) 106 APR. The problem is only five games in Week 19, with three scheduled against LHP, against whom Langeliers has, overall, been much worse. While a .236 OBP vs LHP is pretty bad, a 46% HH and 13.6% Brl% are pretty close to what he does to RHP.
Patrick Bailey, SF, C (Yahoo: 22%, ESPN: 9%) - We talk about the high-floor ways of Bailey every week and he often rewards us with a top-100ish APR in return, like the 106 APR he has so far in Week 18. He'll only have five games this week but they'll come against three LHP, against whom Bailey has 59% HH%.
Next Choices
Tyler Stephenson, CIN, C (Yahoo: 28%, ESPN: 14%) - Stephenson went back to breaking my heart after back-to-back strong weeks, currently with a 250 APR headed into Sunday. The Reds will face LHP in three of six games in Week 19, against whom he carries just a 14% K%, with a 48% HH% and 11.3 Brl%.
Keibert Ruiz, WSH, C (Yahoo: 27%, ESPN: 43%) - Ruiz has a 149 APR so far in Week 18 (perfectly passable for the position) but had three straight top-100 periods before it. He's a high-floor play with solid matchups in Week 19 (@ARI, vs MIL), with only one scheduled to come against the left-handers that he really struggles against.
Desperate Choices
Gary Sanchez, MIL, C (Yahoo: 1%, ESPN: 1%) - You're playing the lotto here -- Sanchez just returned from the IL but the Brewers face three LHP in Week 19 and Sanchez usually starts against them, currently carrying a 62% HH%. Counterpoint: he's still Gary Sanchez and one of those LHP is Chris Sale.
On the IL
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- Jose Trevino, NYY, C (strained quad - no timetable)
- Tom Murphy, SF, C (sprained knee - no timetable)
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