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Matt Wallach outlines his favorite week 13 waiver wire pickups and adds for deep leagues, and AL-only or NL-only fantasy baseball leagues for the 2021 MLB season.
Welcome back to the NL-only and AL-only pickups column. Each week, I'll look at five players who are under 15% rostered in Yahoo! leagues and who can be considered as options to add in deep-league formats, such as 15-teamers or AL or NL-only leagues.
I'll also include a recommendation for what to do with each player on your roster. And lastly, I'll take a look at some of my picks from the previous week to see how they're performing.
Without further ado, let's get into it.
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Abraham Toro - 3B, Astros
8% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks
With the recent injury to Alex Bregman (hamstring), it has been Toro getting the majority of playing time at third base for the Astros. Toro has done well in a limited sample of just 10 games, with a .348/.400/.478 slash line, and while it's unlikely to stick, Toro still does have a nice profile at the plate that could translate well to the fantasy game for a few weeks in Bregman's absence.
Toro was once one of the team's top prospects, and he's earned that with a strong minor league track record to go along with a solid scouting report. He was tearing it up in Triple-A this year and earned his call-up with such strong play. He features a good hit tool, with a low strikeout rate, to go along with about average power and plus speed. He has stolen a base already for the Astros and could generate a few more with the extra playing time. He should have little issue making contact--in fact, he's sporting just a 4% strikeout rate in the majors and had just an 11.8% strikeout rate at Triple-A. His early Statcast metrics show a slightly above-average 36.4% hard-hit rate, and while the expected stats show he likely hasn't been as good as his slash line suggests, his .319 xBA and .441 xSLG still offer promise.
Toro looks to be more of a player who will be solid and not exceptional in any category, but probably won't hurt in any category. He's playing well and often right now, and should be given consideration in deep fantasy leagues. He'll have time to play and show what he can do while Bregman is out, which should be for a few weeks at a minimum. Pick him up and see how he fares.
Wilmer Flores - 1B/2B/3B, Giants
6% rostered
Recommended move: Add for this week
After a slow start to the season, Flores has played much better in June, with a 159 wRC+ for the month, and since June 12, he's hitting .444/.467/.815, so he's definitely been hot lately.
The Giants do love to platoon though, and while he did start a few games against righty starters last week, he didn't start all of them, so he's not likely to be an everyday player going forward. However, with so many righties on the schedule last week, the Giants will face some lefties this week facing one during their series with the Angels and two during their weekend set with the Athletics. Flores should be in there for those matchups and should be expected to do well, as he has hit better against lefties for his career (117 wRC+ vs. 97 against righties). Combined with the fact that he's been swinging a hot stick as of late, and triple eligibility, Flores is a good streaming for this week.
He is more of an all-around type of player who doesn't hurt much in any category (except for steals), so a lot of power or a high batting average should probably not be expected, but rather just solid production across the board. It's a boring profile maybe, but it is still useful. Pick him up for the lefties this week, and keep him in mind should the Giants face another string of lefties going forward.
Kevin Pillar - OF, Mets
4% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks
Since coming of the injured list in late May after being hit in the face by a pitch, Pillar has played well, with a 112 wRC+ and four home runs in 59 plate appearances. The downside is that it has been pretty one-dimensional production, as he has been his usual high-power, low-batting average, and on-base percentage self, which makes him less of an attractive target for fantasy purposes.
He is still doing the power thing well, which does have fantasy use, as he should also post decent counting stats along with that. For the season, it's a .243/.285/.434 line, and just as it's been for the last few years with Pillar, there likely won't be much else coming in the other categories. It's pretty much a one-dimensional profile here, and he's not an easy player to roster, but if you're in need of some cheap power, Pillar could be a good option.
Keep in mind though that his playing time may start to be scaled back in the coming weeks as the Mets start to get healthier. Jeff McNeil (hamstring) came off the injured list recently and Michael Conforto (also a hamstring) is soon to follow. Pillar is probably still the team's best centerfielder until Brandon Nimmo (finger) also returns, and he is on a rehab assignment too. Basically, Pillar is probably only an everyday player for a little bit longer, so this is just a short-term recommendation for now.
Chas McCormick - OF, Astros
3% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks
The second Astro to be recommended this week, McCormick has seen himself be shifted up the pecking order for the team lately, again due to the latest batch of Astros injuries. The rookie outfielder has found himself batting second on occasion for the team recently, and it's not unjustified, as he's been playing well this year with a 114 wRC+ on the year, while also hitting extremely well since June 12 with a .300/.323/.633 slash line.
He does strike out a lot (29.5%), which probably will limit his batting average potential going forward, but he does have a lot of pop in his bat. He has strong hard-hit (44.6%) and barrel (10.8%) rates--both of which rank well above the league average, and he keeps the ball off the ground, with a minuscule 33.8% ground ball rate (league average is 45.2%). Those factors usually are a good recipe for power, and that has been the case for McCormick so far, with an outstanding 23.5% HR/FB rate, and .264 isolated power. It is once again, a rather one-dimensional profile as it looks right now, but he does have a good foundation to provide some strong power numbers.
As long as McCormick continues to hit the ball well, he should remain a part of the Astros lineup. The team seems to like him, by playing every day and occasionally hitting him second in the order, but again, things may dry up a little when Kyle Tucker returns. Based on how they've used McCormick lately, I have a feeling he'll be getting more playing time over someone such as Myles Straw, for instance. He's worthy of a pickup for a few weeks.
Brian Goodwin - OF, White Sox
1% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks.
Speaking of injuries, the White Sox have dealt with their fair share of injuries this season, specifically in the outfield, which has led to extended playing time for Goodwin. It has been just 10 games for Goodwin, but he has done well so far for the team with a .259/.355/.519 slash line. While it's not likely to stay at such a high level, Goodwin can still be a useful fantasy option.
He has started a few times against lefty pitchers, but he should be used only in a platoon role, so he has more fantasy value in leagues that allow for daily lineup changes. Even then, Goodwin should provide something close to league-average production, which he has done in the recent past, with a 103 wRC+ in the last two seasons. It's not a perfect profile, as due to an elevated strikeout rate (29.4% the last two years, 28.1% in the limited time this year), he won't provide much on the batting average side, but rather, he could be a decent power option, with his .206 ISO in 2019 and 2020 combined being pretty solid. There's also maybe some stolen base potential here too, and he has twelve stolen bases in those same two years combined, so it's not unreasonable to expect him to add a few here and there with the newfound playing time. In what looks like a recurring theme with this week's recommendations, Goodwin is probably another hitter here who will contribute a little bit everywhere, but nothing spectacular in any one particular category.
Keep in mind though that as a first-place team, the White Sox will likely be active at the deadline, with them certainly looking to upgrade in the outfield, so Goodwin may only be the starter here for a couple of more weeks, so this likely isn't a long-term situation. Still, he should be productive in the meantime.
Reviewing Last Week's Picks
At the end of each week's post, I'll review what happened with last week's picks and offer a suggestion for them in the future.
Luis Urias (2B/3B/SS, MIL)
Last week: 9% rostered. This week: 18% rostered.
Urias continued his hot hitting last week, hitting for a 201 wRC+ while contributing a home run and a stolen base as his roster rate has shot up. While he's not hitting leadoff anymore, he's still one of the team's most important hitters right now. Keep him around on your fantasy teams.
Current recommendation: Hold.
Taylor Trammell (OF, SEA)
Last week: 5% rostered. This week: 3% rostered.
Trammell failed to record a single hit last week in 15 plate appearances, and it's hard for him to maintain that power-speed reputation when he's not hitting the ball or getting on base. He's still an interesting young player with upside, but there's really not much of a reason to keep him around right now for fantasy purposes while hoping he starts to put it together.
Current recommendation: Drop.
Nick Gordon (2B/SS, MIN)
Last week: 3% rostered. This week: 2% rostered.
Gordon just isn't getting the playing time right now to make him worthy of a fantasy spot. He started just four games last week and had a 48 wRC+. It's similar to Trammell, where it's hard for him to live up to his prospect reputation when he's not getting on-base, and definitely so when he's not playing much. This is a clear drop.
Current recommendation: Drop.
LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B/OF, SF)
Last week: 2% rostered. This week: 2% rostered.
Wade was recommended last week due to the Giants facing a heavy dose of right-handed starters, which meant a lot of playing time for Wade. That game plan did work out, as Wade performed well, hitting .259/.310/.519 (126 wRC+) with one home run and even a stolen base. He could've been a drop this week though due to the team facing a few lefties this week, but the Giants made the decision easier with them sending him down to Triple-A on Monday. It's maybe a curious move considering he's been playing well, but the important thing for fantasy purposes is that it's a clear drop, as it's tough to roster a minor league player with precious roster spots. Thanks for the strong performance last week, though.
Current recommendation: Drop.
Rowdy Tellez (1B, TOR)
Last week: 2% rostered. This week: 2% rostered.
Tellez was recommended last week to maybe try and take advantage of some favorable matchups and get some cheap counting stats. He responded by going hitless in nine plate appearances. Teoscar Hernandez returned from his stint on the paternity list, and George Springer (quad) is due back any day now, so Tellez's playing time is likely going to dry up, which makes this a clear drop.
Current recommendation: Drop.
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