Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Report for Week 9

We’re coming up on week nine 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 ninth 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 nine, May 22 through May 28. Often, guys who make hot starts typically extend them until at least June, so even if it is the ninth 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. We still haven’t gotten a team with eight games, but there are also no teams with five games on their schedule. Close to half of the teams are playing seven games, so there are plenty of players who'll get extra at-bats this week.

In this week’s weather report: clear skies for most of the country. There's only a small storm in D.C. on Saturday, but the Nationals will luckily be in Kansas City.

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

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 pitchers.

• Mike Clevinger (@ CLE, @ DET)
• Michael Lorenzen (@ KC, vs. CWS)
• Chris Bassitt (@ TB, @ MIN)
• Drew Rucinski (@ SEA, vs. HOU)
• Zack Wheeler (vs. ARI, @ ATL)
• Charlie Morton (vs. LAD, vs. PHI)
• Luis Castillo (vs. OAK, vs. PIT)
• Alex Cobb (@ MIN, @ MIL)
• Josh Fleming (vs. TOR, vs. LAD)
• Brandon Williamson (vs. STL, @ CHC)
• Drew Smyly (vs. NYM, vs. CIN)
• Chase Anderson (vs. MIA, vs. NYM)
• Edward Cabrera (@ COL, @ LAA)
• Taj Bradley (vs. TOR, vs. LAD)
• Gerrit Cole (vs. BAL, vs. SD)
• Dane Dunning (@ PIT, @ BAL)
• Kyle Bradish (@ NYY, vs. TEX)
• Dylan Cease (@ CLE, @ DET)
• Eduardo Rodriguez (@ KC, vs. CWS)
• Jordan Montgomery (@ CIN, @ CLE)
• Jose Berrios (@ TB, @ MIN)
• Bailey Ober (vs. SF, vs. TOR)
• Corbin Burnes (vs. HOU, vs SF)
• MacKenzie Gore (vs. SD, @ KC)
• Brady Singer (vs. DET, vs. WAS)
• Graham Ashcraft (vs. STL, @ CHC)
• Marcus Stroman (vs. NYM, vs. CIN)
• Kodai Senga (@ CHC, @ COL)
• Austin Gomber (vs. MIA, vs. NYM)
• Cristian Javier (@ MIL, @ OAK)
• Luis Medina (@ SEA, vs. HOU)
• Eury Perez (@ COL, @ LAA)
• Tanner Houck (@ LAA, @ ARI)
• Tommy Henry (@ PHI, vs. BOS)
• Luis L. Ortiz (vs. TEX, @ SEA)
• Marco Gonzales (vs. OAK, vs. PIT)
• Taijuan Walker (vs. ARI, @ ATL)
• Spencer Strider (vs. LAD, vs. PHI)
• Gavin Stone (vs. ATL, vs. TB)

Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Brandon Belt (1B), Toronto Blue Jays - 3% Rostered

Brandon Belt started the first month of the season slashing .169/.246/.288 with a 41.5% strikeout rate. What ensued was a downpour of hatred, but not from me. Brandon Belt had won me too many fantasy baseball championships for me to haphazardly write him off.

The 35-year-old has rewarded that loyalty with a stellar May. Through 14 games, he is slashing .385/.500/.590 with a 16.7% walk rate and 17.4% barrel rate. That run has the 13-season veteran hitting clean-up for this powerhouse Blue Jays offense. If you ever doubted Belt, first repent, and then go pick him up off your waiver wires.

Andy Ibanez (1B/3B), Detroit Tigers - 1% Rostered

In a team that's got a decent bit of young talent, it's puzzling that 30-year-old Andy Ibanez is pacing the team in at-bats over the past few weeks. He's slashing just. 228/.254/.368 with a 19% strikeout rate, it's easy to call this another illogical misstep made by Tigers leadership.

It isn't a misstep. Ibanez is about ready to explode on offense. Through 19 games, he has a .305 xBA, .550 xSLG, and a .374 xwOBA. He sports a 57.8% hard-hit rate, a 44.4% sweet-spot rate, and a 13.3% barrel rate. Those are the advanced numbers of all-stars, not somebody with a 75 OPS+.

Don't be surprised if Andy Ibanez gets hot, and don't let yourself regret not picking him up when he was dirt cheap.

Michael Massey (2B), Kansas City Royals - 3% Rostered

A good spring training made Michael Massey a popular late-round option in many leagues, but he's lost his luster after starting the season with a .167/.173/.179 line in March/April. The 25-year-old likely would've lost his spot on the 26-man roster if he wasn't on a bottomfeeder. Luckily, the Kansas City Royals are very much bottomfeeders.

Since May 3, Massey is slashing .333/.426/.538 with two home runs, seven runs, and six RBI. The everyday second baseman is poised to provide great value in fantasy for the rest of the season.

Owen Miller (1B/2B/3B), Milwaukee Brewers - 4% Rostered

The owner of the league's most underreported hit streak is Milwaukee's Owen Miller. The 26-year-old comes into this week with a 12-game hit streak. Miller has developed into one of Milwaukee's better contact hitters, slashing .345/.371/.476 with 11 runs and four stolen bases in 29 games. After starting the season in a bench role, he has played himself into a starting role with this hit streak. The former Cleveland Guardian is now fantasy relevant.

Owen Miller, the Brewers' hottest hitter, snaps the club's scoreless streak at 23 innings with a solo homer in the third. pic.twitter.com/rqWHqszSBB

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) May 20, 2023

Jose Caballero (2B/SS), Seattle Mariners - 1% Rostered

Kolten Wong has been downright horrendous at second base, leaving the spot open for Jose Caballero. Caballero has been solid, with a .713 OPS and three stolen bases. There are no threats to playing time for Caballero outside of Wong and the injured Dylan Moore.

If you haven't been keeping up with Dylan Moore, you'll be disappointed to know he is still on a rehab assignment. No, not that same rehab assignment, a new rehab assignment. The fan-favorite experienced a setback in his oblique injury and will be out until at least June. It'll be a while before the utility man comes back to take starts at second. In the meantime, get solid offensive production and steals from Jose Caballero.

Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

Andy Pages (OF), Los Angeles Dodgers - 0% Rostered

Trayce Thompson has just one hit in his last 50 plate appearances. The Oklahoma Dodgers front office will likely be making a quick call to the 32-year-old to get locker room arrangements sorted out.

A championship contender can't have David Peralta as their everyday left-fielder, so the Los Angeles Dodgers will need to bring up a right-handed Triple-A outfielder to replace Thompson. Using that criterion, they can pull either Luke Williams, no. 4 prospect Andy Pages, or the mashing Jonny DeLuca.

Williams was called up this season but was given 10 plate appearances before being demoted. While the 26-year-old is slashing .292/.397/.540 with five home runs, 21 runs, and 22 RBI in Triple-A, he's played this demotion game before. The Phillies, Marlins, and Giants have all given Williams a chance in the majors, and he didn't perform well. Gavin Williams has developed a reputation as an AAAA player – someone who mashes in the minors but can't do the same against major-league pitching.

DeLuca is in the same spot as Pages developmentally but with a .234 batting average against right-handed pitchers and a .500 batting average against lefties, he is redundant.

Pages is a top-five prospect in the Dodgers' system, with a .904 OPS on the season and a .807 OPS against right-handed pitching. While they may give Trayce Thompson a few more games, the Los Angeles youth movement has produced great results at the major-league level. Pages is worth the stash for his ability to provide offense no matter the opposing pitcher.

Mickey Moniak (OF), Los Angeles Angels - 5% Rostered

2016 first-overall pick Mickey Moniak may have finally broken through. Through six games with the Angels, he is slashing .474/.500/.947 with two home runs, two stolen bases, and three RBI. The 25-year-old has the opportunity to finally solidify a spot on the major-league roster with a good week, and the Angels will give the hot bat his fair share of plate appearances this week with Taylor Ward struggling. Give Moniak a spot for the week.

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