Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Report for Week 3

We’re rounding around week three of the fantasy baseball season. I know it takes some time to settle in, but there is no time to waste. 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 that are 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 second 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 three, April 10 through April 16. Often, guys who make hot starts typically extend them until at least June, so even if it is just the first week of the season, the waiver wires are the hottest they’ll ever be. 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.

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Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook

This week has some great schedules to target for Fantasy. While there are still no teams with eight games scheduled this week, no teams are on schedule for just five games either. You can never really predict postponements, but the most rain we’ll get this week is about an inch-and-a-half in Florida (which isn’t usually enough to postpone), so don't worry about that.

There are a couple of teams with a full slate of games this week. Extra production from the behemoth offenses in the AL East could be the difference-maker in plenty of fantasy matchups this week.

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

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers

The list of two-start pitchers grows in variance as the season settles in. It's around this time when we get mixed-up matchups like Hall of Famer Max Scherzer vs. JP Sears. For more insight, check out Justin Raffone’s article on this week’s two-start pitchers.

• Zac Gallen (vs. MIL, @ MIA)
• Bryce Elder (vs. CIN, @ KC)
• Drew Smyly (vs. SEA, @ LAD)
• Connor Overton (@ ATL, vs. PHI)
• Luis Cessa (@ ATL, vs. PHI)
• German Marquez (vs. STL, @ SEA)
• Julio Urias (@ SF, vs. CHC)
• Sandy Alcantara (@ PHI, vs. ARI)
• Wade Miley (@ ARI, @ SD)
• Corbin Burnes (@ ARI, @ SD)
• Max Scherzer (vs. SD, @ OAK)
• Matt Strahm (vs. MIA, @ CIN)
• Aaron Nola (vs. MIA, @ CIN)
• Roansy Contreras (vs. HOU, @ STL)
• Mitch Keller (vs. HOU, @ STL)
• Yu Darvish (@ NYM, vs. MIL)
• Ryan Weathers (@ NYM, vs. MIL)
• Logan Webb (vs. LAD, @ DET)
• Steven Matz (@ COL, vs. PIT)
• Miles Mikolas (@ COL, vs. PIT)
• Patrick Corbin (@ LAA, CLE)
• Kyle Gibson (vs. OAK, @ CWS)
• Grayson Rodriguez (vs. OAK, @ CWS)
• Nick Pivetta (@ TB, vs. LAA)
• Corey Kluber (@ TB, vs. LAA)
• Shane Bieber (vs. NYY, @ WAS)
• Dylan Cease (@ MIN, vs. BAL)
• Matt Manning (@ TOR, vs. SF)
• Framber Valdez (@ PIT, vs. TEX)
• Zack Greinke (@ TEX, vs. ATL)
• Jose Suarez (vs. WAS, @ BOS)
• Kenta Maeda (vs. CWS, @ NYY)
• Pablo Lopez (vs. CWS, @ NYY)
• Domingo German (@ CLE, vs. MIN)
• Gerrit Cole (@ CLE, vs. MIN)
• JP Sears (@ BAL, vs. NYM)
• Luis Castillo (@ CHC, vs. COL)
• Josh Fleming (vs. BOS, @ TOR)
• Shane McClanahan (vs. BOS, @ TOR)
• Andrew Heaney (vs. KC, @ HOU)
• Alek Manoah (vs. DET, vs. TB)

Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Matt Mervis (1B), Chicago Cubs

5% Rostered

The Ricketts are not the most well-liked family in Chicago (for many valid reasons), but the already-thin ice they’re walking on is melting quickly. With a couple more weeks of Eric Hosmer as the starting first baseman, Cubbies fans will inevitably rally with pitchforks and guillotines outside Wrigley Field.

Luckily for the Ricketts family, Matt Mervis’ power-hitting self is hurtling towards his major league debut. And with weak competition in Hosmer at first base, Mervis will likely have a great chance at securing the starting first base job in his first weeks.

The 24-year-old is the best hitter in the Cubs system. He proved that last season with a .984 OPS, 36 home runs, and 119 RBI in 137 games across the High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels. Mervis adjusted well to higher-level pitching, holding an OPS of .976 with 15 home runs in 57 games of Triple-A ball.

Eric Hosmer and his 0% walk rate, 0% barrel rate, and .186 xWOBA don’t stand a chance against Mashin’ Mervis. The Duke University product is one of the best infield prospect stashes available.

Matt Vierling (3B/OF), Detroit Tigers

4% Rostered

Matt Vierling is one of the only bright spots on this Detroit Tigers team. Through six games, Vierling is 8-for-24 with one home run and two doubles.

Vierling has the tools to be a five-category contributor. His Statcast metrics are off-the-chart, with an average exit velocity of 92.7 MPH, a 28.9 ft/sec sprint speed, and a 50% hard-hit rate. Vierling also had an xBA of .279 in 2022 — a number in the 93rd percentile and 33 points higher than his actual batting average in 2022. By the law of polarity, the 26-year-old should expect better luck on the offensive end in 2023. Make sure you reap the benefits.

Jesus Aguilar (1B), Oakland Athletics

3% Rostered

If there’s one place left for journeyman Jesus Aguilar, it’s Oakland. The 32-year-old is down to his last legs. However, a signing with Oakland means that Aguilar has the playing time to prove he’s still an MLB-caliber player.

So far, Aguilar is performing well with a .788 OPS, three home runs, and one RBI.

Jesús Aguilar ends a 12-pitch at-bat with a 3-run home run to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/wVGBIEhaWf

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 5, 2023

His 2023 performance is a marked improvement from the .660 OPS he sported in 2022. It may be a sign of a return to a version of Aguilar that we haven't seen since the first half of 2022.

He wasn't a world-beater, but the 10-year vet maintained a decent .700 OPS with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in the first half. After a bout with COVID in late June, Aguilar's production dipped, and he finished the second half with a .577 OPS and just five home runs. While the Venezuelan native hasn't hinted at COVID being the reason for that regression, the long-term effects of COVID are well-documented and have impacted MLB players like Eduardo Rodriguez.

Nevertheless, it looks like Aguilar is 100% now, and if he continues this early run, he becomes a startable first baseman in fantasy. The Athletics would like to get top prospect first baseman Tyler Soderstrom up to the majors sometime around midseason, so Aguilar is likely out by the trade deadline. With the 2023 trade market being thin at first base, a team like the Phillies would want a proven veteran like Aguilar. If a trade happens, Aguilar has the potential to become a very impactful fantasy bat.

Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

Kyle Stowers (OF), Baltimore Orioles

2% Rostered

After slashing .262/.311/.429 post-all-star break, many expected rookie Kyle Stowers to be one of many in the league set for a 2023 breakout. With absolutely no competition in the outfield – other than the light-hitting Ryan McKenna – many expected Kyle Stowers to settle into a starting outfield role.

Well, the Orioles do nothing but shatter expectations. But do not throw Stowers in the trash just yet. He can still return to regular playing time, and McKenna is doing most of the heavy lifting.

E7

The error of the season so far goes to Ryan McKenna 👑 pic.twitter.com/Ky7yt3IlUI

— MLB Errors (@mlberrors) April 2, 2023

The above error would've ended the game at a 9-8 Orioles victory. But after that egregious error, Yoshida made it on base and Adam Duvall would club a walk-off home run on the next at-bat. With McKenna's main value being his defensive ability, he'll quickly play himself out of the starting lineup with poor defense.

WHAT A CATCH BY KYLE STOWERS!! pic.twitter.com/gEvPHi0CXu

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 4, 2023

Stowers is just as good a defender as McKenna while having a higher offensive ceiling (19 home runs in 94 Triple-A games last season). The nonsensical elements of baseball usually sort themselves out by the end; keep Stowers on watch.

Chas McCormick (OF), Houston Astros

4% Rostered

2022 World Series hero Chas McCormick is not widely rostered. It is befuddling, to say the least. The 27-year-old is a great defender (7 OAA in 2022), has a decent bat (.323 wOBA in 2022) with pop to it (14 HRs in 2022), and has some speed (already has three stolen bases this season).

To boost an already decent profile, manager Dusty Baker said that McCormick is now batting leading off for the foreseeable future. A lead-off hitter on the Astros doesn't need to be average, much less good, to produce in fantasy baseball. The forever-underrated McCormick is set to be one of the more productive fantasy bats in the stacked Astros lineup.

Kerry Carpenter (OF), Detroit Tigers

2% Rostered

Kerry Carpenter was an entirely unranked double-A outfielder going into the 2022 season. After putting up a 164 wRC+ in Double-A and 176 wRC+ in Triple-A, he would get the call to join the Detroit Tigers major league squad. In 31 games, Carpenter slashed .252/.310/.485 with six home runs.

Carpenter has kept up that production this year as he is slashing .250/.357/.500 with a .250 ISO.

He’s only seen four starts this season, but it won't be tough for him to solidify a role on this team. A 2023 Detroit Tigers lineup card is a sight of horror beyond comparison. Get Carpenter at a bargain. He won’t stay at 2% rostered for long.

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