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AL-Only League Waiver Wire Pickups For Week Five: Snell, Berrios, Manaea and More

With news breaking over the weekend that director of the upcoming superhero movie The Flash, Seth Grahame-Smith, had left the project due to creative differences, I immediately pondered if he'll still feel justified leaving after the project is finished by someone else. Will passing on this opportunity give way to new, better opportunities or will he look back in lamentation of the one he let get away?

As we enter Week Five, fantasy owners may find themselves in a similar situation with some of their roster. Often times when making room for new players, another player has to go. As helpless as some players look at this point, a bad month or two doesn't sink a full season. Cut loose dead weight, but be wary of letting any slow starters find new homes at this point. Patience can be a virtue.

All players are owned in 25% or less of Flea Flicker leagues.

Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.

 

American League Targets - Hitters

Seth Smith (OF, SEA) - 8% Owned

Outfielder Seth Smith is off to a fantastic start in his second season in Seattle, hitting in a way he hasn't displayed since his final season in Colorado way back in 2011. 60 at-bats into this season, he's hitting .292 with four home runs and 10 RBI. He'll visit two fantasy-friendly opponents this week in Oakland, whom he slashed .333/.464/.600 against last year, and Houston, against whom he has a career .299/.378/.860 slash. As part of a platoon, Smith's upside is capped, decreasing his exposure in larger leagues. But in AL-only leagues, he's a fantastic pick for an injury fill-in or strong bench piece.

Hyun-Soo Kim (OF, BAL) - 2% Owned

Don't look now, but maybe rookie outfielder Hyun-Soo Kim was right about betting on himself and essentially forcing his way onto the Orioles' roster as Spring Training came to an end. He has only collected a mere 15 at-bats in 2016, but he's made the most of them, hitting .600 with two walks and two strikeouts. With all of Kim's routes to more at-bats currently blocked, when he'll find enough at-bats to help a fantasy team is unknown. But if the man who finished his 2015 in the KBO hitting .326 with 28 home runs, 121 RBI and 11 stolen bases can continue to make progress towards that in 2016, Kim will keep forcing his way into the Orioles' plans. A real dark horse AL Rookie of the Year candidate.

Dioner Navarro (C, CHW) - 5% Owned

Catcher Dioner Navarro has found himself in possession of a starting gig entering May with Alex Avila on the DL. Despite his season average of .185, he has been improving, hitting .281 with two home runs and nine RBI the past two weeks. He was not happy in Toronto last year as a backup, and his flat performance there led him to sign a one-year contract with the White Sox. Money has proven to be a powerful motivator for players to put up the stats fantasy owners crave, and if Navarro takes full advantage here and returns to his 2014 form, there could be significant returns for player and fantasy owners alike.

Tyler Naquin (OF, CLE) - 2% Owned

The third outfielder to make the list this week, rookie Tyler Naquin is also not in a position where fantasy owners can expect him to play every day. But unlike the other two, he has the clearest path to approach starter at-bats. Entering Week Five, he has shown that his hot spring wasn't a mirage, slashing .333/.347/.458 in 48 at-bats so far. Though he possesses elite skills in neither speed nor power, he won't stay without a home run or stolen base all year if he keeps hitting how he has. The potential of five home runs and 15 stolen bases going forward may not excite in mixed leagues, but in AL-only leagues, that's a good time every time.

C.J. Cron (1B/DH, LAA) - 6% Owned

After a slow start to the season, first baseman C.J. Cron has started to pick up the pace the past two weeks. He's hitting .357 with a home run and five RBI, which looks a lot better than his season line of a .240 average, one home run and seven RBI. Though he has yet to see his minor league power potential fully manifest in the Majors, there's still a chance that in his third season, he can finally reach the 20-homer plateau. Think of him as a poor person's Mark Trumbo.

American League Targets - Pitchers

Blake Snell (SP, TB) - 10% Owned

Starting pitcher Blake Snell, the first of many young arms to make this week's list, is not currently in the Majors nor has he been assured an immediate return. But after further cementing his reputation as a top-notch starter with a dominant first career start against the Yankees a little over a week ago, it's hard not to treat him as if he were. Word on the street is that following fifth starter Erasmo Ramirez's removal from the rotation, Snell will return to take the fifth starter's job on its next turn. Snell should be owned in all AL-only leagues even if he isn't called back up right away. Few players not in the Majors right now possess Snell's fantasy potential for the rest of the year.

Sean Manaea (SP, OAK) - 8% Owned

Starting pitching prospect Sean Manaea made his Major League debut Friday, and while it could have been a lot more successful, fantasy owners shouldn't be scared off just yet. Before his call up, he was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 18 innings in Triple-A, continuing to prove he is deserving of being considered one of Oakland's top prospects as well as a top-100 prospect. With Kendall Graveman struggling to keep the ball in the yard, there is potential here for Manaea to earn a full-time slot in the Athletics' rotation. A definite pickup for the fantasy owner looking for pitching lottery tickets.

Trevor May, Michael Tonkin (RP, MIN) - 4% Owned and 0% Owned

The Twins have quietly formed one of the game's better young bullpens, thanks in part to the contributions of relievers Trevor May and Michael Tonkin. Once a failed starter, Trevor May continues to develop as an above-average reliever, compiling a 2.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 15 innings. Michael Tonkin, a man with a minor leaguer track record as a closer, has stepped up his game from last year, starting 2016 with a 1.50 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 12 innings. May is the better bet over the long haul of 2016, but either can help round out a fantasy pitching staff.

Jose Berrios, Alex Meyer (SP, MIN) - 21% Owned and 1% Owned

Four Twins in one week was not a product by design, but there is no denying that Minnesota has had an exciting fantasy year so far in terms of emerging and new players. The third top pitching prospect to recently make his MLB debut to show up on this list, starting pitcher Jose Berrios was knocked around in his start against the Indians. But with a career minor league ERA of 2.91 and K/9 rate of 9.5 in the minors, it's not hard to see why his arrival has fantasy owners salivating. Alex Meyer's prospect star has dimmed a quite bit after a down 2015 at Triple-A that saw his ERA balloon up to 4.79. But with a career minor league ERA of 3.40 and a 10.5 K/9 rate, AL-only owners looking for a lottery ticket with potential should take a flyer that he can find success as a starter in the Majors.

Darren O'Day (RP, BAL) - 19% Owned

Already one of fantasy's most-reliable relievers, Darren O'Day has been put on closer notice after the Orioles' closer Zach Britton suffered an ankle injury Saturday. Though Britton isn't expecting to land on the DL, whenever the smell of saves enters the air, any fantasy owners lacking in saves and/or closers should be on the prowl. Even if Britton avoids the DL, O'Day's career 2.32 ERA and 8.9 K/9 can always help out a fantasy owner in need of top-shelf relief.

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Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




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