Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball: Waiver Wire Report for Week 13

We’re coming up on Week 13 of the fantasy baseball season. The season seems to enter a slight lull in June, but you can't afford to rest now. Fantasy baseball necessitates hyper-vigilance, especially in deeper leagues where the waiver wires are quickly stripped of talent. This weekly article will outline the upcoming schedule, two-start pitchers, and a few waiver targets rostered in less than 5% of leagues.

It’s good practice to maximize at-bats and starts. A quick look at upcoming schedules for the 13th week of the MLB season could end up giving you the edge in this week’s play. There are plenty of two-start pitchers this week who should end up providing great value.

This article will discuss some deeper-league fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 13, June 19 through June 25. While the season may have settled in, the waiver wires are still hot. Rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. Key point -- this list will focus on rostered players in less than 5% of Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook

This week has some great schedules to target for fantasy. There are five teams with five games on their schedule. Six teams have a full slate of games this week, so there are a couple of players who will provide extra at-bats this week.

In this week’s weather report: Forecasts say the Southeast will deal with some rain showers this week, but mostly clear skies across the country.

• Seven Games - BOS, KC, MIN, MIA, PIT, SD, SF
• Six Games - MIN, WAS, NYY, CWS, PHI, CLE, COL, HOU, TOR, CIN, SEA, DET, OAK, TB, TEX, ARZ, ATL, COL, NYY, MIL, NYM
• Five Games - BAL, LAA, CHC, LAD, STL

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers

With the season settling in, there are starting pitchers of varying quality in this week’s two-start list. For more insight, check out my article on this week’s two-start pitcher streamers.

• Merrill Kelly (@ MIL, @ SF)
• Spencer Strider (@ PHI, @ CIN)
• Brandon Williamson (vs. COL, vs. ATL)
• Austin Gomber (@ CIN, vs. LAA)
• Edward Cabrera (vs. TOR, vs. PIT)
• Eury Perez (vs. TOR, vs. PIT)
• Corbin Burnes (vs. ARZ, @ CLE)
• Max Scherzer (@ HOU, @ PHI)
• Ranger Suarez (vs. ATL, vs. NYM)
• Osvaldo Bido (vs. CHC, @ MIA)
• Johan Oviedo (vs. CHC, @ MIA)
• Michael Wacha (@ SF, vs. WAS)
• Alex Cobb (vs. SD, vs. ARZ)
• Anthony DeSclafani (vs. SD, vs. ARZ)
• Josiah Gray (vs. STL, @ SD)
• MacKenzie Gore (vs. STL, @ SD)
• Kutter Crawford (@ MIN, @ CWS)
• Garrett Whitlock (@ MIN, @ CWS)
• Aaron Civale (vs. OAK, vs. MIL)
• Reese Olson (vs. KC, vs. MIN)
• Hunter Brown (vs. NYM, @ LAD)
• Jordan Lyles (@ DET, @ TB)
• Daniel Lynch (@ DET, @ TB)
• Pablo Lopez (vs. BOS, @ DET)
• Bailey Ober (vs. BOS, @ DET)
• Gerrit Cole (vs. SEA, vs. TEX)
• Luis Medina (@ CLE, @ TOR)
• George Kirby (@ NYY, @ BAL)
• Tyler Glasnow (vs. BAL, vs. KC)
• Andrew Heaney (@ CWS, @ NYY)
• Jose Berrios (@ MIA, vs. OAK)

Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Henry Davis (C), Pittsburgh Pirates - 2% Rostered

With Bo Naylor finally graduating from the sub-5% rostered list, deep league players looking to stash a rookie catcher will have to look elsewhere. Luckily, top Pittsburgh prospect Henry Davis is punishing baseballs in the minor leagues.

He started the season with Double-A Altoona and slashed .284/.433/.547 with 10 home runs, 27 RBI, 25 runs, and seven stolen bases through 41 games. The 2021 first-overall pick was recently promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis and has continued his tear, slashing .281/.425/.500 with a home run, three RBI, four runs, and two stolen bases through nine games.

The Pirates are in dire need of help at the catcher position. Starter Austin Hedges is slashing an atrocious .179/.236/.248 with a 19.5% strikeout rate. Plus, the fleet-footed Davis can play great right-field defense; coincidentally, the Pirates are lacking there with Josh Palacios and Connor Joe struggling as of late.

With Endy Rodriguez slashing a poor .241/.326/.372 with just four home runs through 47 games with Indianapolis this season, Davis should be the preferred stash and call-up this season.

Maikel Garcia (3B/SS), Kansas City Royals - 1% Rostered

Maikel Garcia is slashing .256/.319/.360 with a home run, 13 RBI, 12 runs, and five stolen bases. That is a largely unremarkable stat line. But it is an unremarkable stat line for a rookie with impressive speed who is guaranteed everyday at-bats.

Many in shallower leagues would scoff at the idea of adding someone like Maikel Garcia, but he's gourmet chow for fantasy players in deep leagues. An everyday player with adequate production like Garcia is a boon for fantasy teams with a need for speed.

Cogs win championships, and Maikel Garcia is a fabulous cog in deeper leagues.

Samad Taylor (2B/OF), Kansas City Royals - 1% Rostered

With Nate Eaton optioned to Triple-A Omaha, Royals prospect Samad Taylor makes his debut. The 24-year-old has played spectacularly this season, slashing .304/.409/.463 with a 14.1% walk rate, six home runs, 37 RBI, 50 runs, and an eye-popping 34 steals in 62 games with Triple-A Omaha.

In his first game with the Royals, he picked up two walks, scored two runs, and hit a long walk-off single. He will likely mirror this performance for the rest of the season. He'll keep getting on base and picking up steals and runs as a result. Samad Taylor's rostered rate will skyrocket soon, don't miss out.

Ramon Urias (2B/3B), Baltimore Orioles - 3% Rostered

Since June 7, Ramon Urias is slashing .414/.433/.621 with seven runs, three RBI, a stolen base, and a home run. While he may be sentenced to part-time work when Baltimore gets Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Jordan Westburg, and Colton Cowser on the major-league squad, he is currently a great bench option for those in deeper leagues looking for a hot bat to plug in this week.

Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

Matt Vierling (OF/3B), Detroit Tigers - 3% Rostered

Though he missed some time after being forced to the IL for lower back soreness, Matt Vierling has returned with a bang. In the five games since his return, Vierling is slashing .529/.579/1.118 with three home runs, four RBI, and five runs. With a quiet .750 OPS on the season, Matt Vierling should put up great offensive numbers for the rest of the season. Confidently add Vierling and expect him to stay on your roster for the long haul.

Kerry Carpenter (OF), Detroit Tigers - 3% Rostered

Kerry Carpenter is another Detroit Tiger outfielder who has been impressive since returning from the injured list. Since his return from a shoulder strain on June 9, Carpenter is slashing .393/.400/.464.

While he has only hit four home runs on the season, his 90.7 mph average exit velocity, 12.9% barrel rate, and 13.1-degree launch angle are optimal metrics for home run production. Carpenter will become a fantasy star when some of his many hard hits start going over the fence. Until then, his .756 OPS should be more than enough to tide you over.

Dylan Carlson (OF), St. Louis Cardinals - 3% Rostered

After being out of the lineup for almost a month, Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson has gotten into a groove. He is slashing .300/.500/.500 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI since his return. Carlson is in line for everyday at-bats with Tyler O'Neill and Lars Nootbaar sidelined. He should offer solid offensive production for the rest of the month. The former top Cardinals prospect is still only 24 years old, and he should grow into an even better hitter as the season passes.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers