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Welcome, RotoBallers, to our AL-only and NL-only deeper fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 19 -- July 29 through August 4. 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, 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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Austin Wells - C, New York Yankees
7% owned
The New York Yankees have been in a long slump. Since June 12, they have gone 11-23 and sit two games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the American League East. During that time, they have struggled to find some substance of stability on offense outside of their big guns, and while it's been a tough stretch, they may have started to see one young bat break out.
Austin Wells over his last 53 games:
.357 OBP | .463 SLG% | 135 wRC+ | 2.2 fWAR pic.twitter.com/Ji7IKP3tY4
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) July 26, 2024
Those numbers were posted before he hit his eighth home run on Friday in Boston. With an xBA more than 20 points higher than his batting average, Wells has been quite unlucky this season but is slowly coming around to show his true potential. This past week, he hit close to .500 while crushing multiple home runs and playing with consistency. The Yankees play at Philadelphia before heading home to take on the Blue Jays, who may not have much of a rotation after the deadline. Wells should have himself a great week.
Seth Brown - 1B/OF, Oakland Athletics
1% owned
It's unclear exactly how it happened, but the offense for the Oakland Athletics has become a lethal weapon this month. Up and down the lineup, this team is hitting above .300 in July, which is good enough for the best in baseball. Additionally, the A's continue to mash, hitting home runs like they're going out of style. One such home-run hitter has been Seth Brown, who is making a case for himself to be a mainstay in the A's lineup daily. After being sent down earlier this year, he used that time to reset himself and focus on how to become a better player overall. It seems to have worked.
During his time in Triple-A Las Vegas, he finished with a .403/.416/.736/1.152 slash line with seven home runs hit over 16 games played. Since being called back up to Oakland, he has done the same thing, posting a .389/.450/.778/1.228 slash line over 12 contests while hitting four home runs as of games played through Friday.
It's been an unbelievable transformation for someone who has struggled mightily since his breakout season in 2022. Now healthy and with a great mindset, he and the A's are having fun and the results have been incredible. It's hard to imagine him hitting like this forever, but he should be a source of power. This week, the A's play at San Francisco before heading home to take on the Dodgers.
Victor Robles - OF, Seattle Mariners
10% owned
The very definition of a post-hype prospect, Victor Robles is someone who came into the league with a lot of hype but disappointed the masses. Now, he finds himself on the Mariners looking for an opportunity to prove himself and he is doing just that so far.
Did the Mariners fix Victor Robles???
Former top prospect…. 29 games with the Mariners:
.370 AVG
1.017 OPS
8 stolen bases— Seattle Mariners ON Tap (@MarinersONTap) July 27, 2024
Looking at his batted ball profile, not a whole lot has changed from last year to now. He is walking more overall, but he's also striking more as well. What is noticeable is his barrel rate, which has skyrocketed to well above his career average of 4.1% over eight seasons as a major league player. In reality, he's seeing the ball better, and this could be a simple case of him needing a change of scenery, which is common in sports. Additionally, he's now healthy, which is something that he hasn't been in years.
What's interesting to note is that this is his first real chance to play in the league with the new stolen-base rules in effect. He missed most of last season with injuries, but this year he seems to be thriving with them. Already with Seattle, he is 8-for-8 in steals over his first 29 games as a Mariner. He is someone to monitor because he should have consistent playing time in that depleted outfield.
Alex Cobb - SP, San Francisco Giants
4% owned
The final recommendation here comes with a bit of risk. First, Cobb hasn't been officially reinstated by the Giants, but all indications are that he will return next week. He last pitched Friday evening for Single-A San Jose, with the plan of that being his final rehab outing. In total, he has accumulated a 3.93 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP with 24 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings pitched.
Despite a down season in 2023, he still finished with an ERA under 4.00 for the third consecutive season. Over the past three seasons, he's posted a 3.79 ERA with 8.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and just under one home run allowed per game. Essentially, he's shown consistency, which makes him intriguing for the last two months of the season. If he can post those numbers over the rest of the season, he's someone who needs to be rostered. The Giants play most of their remaining games at home, which can only help Cobb ease his way back into the rotation and hopefully stabilize their pitching for the rest of the season.
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