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Baseball season is officially in full swing. If you have an interest or a need in tweaking with your team, then you have come to the right place. This FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups series will be looking at Week 12-- June 10 through June 16 -- and will point out free agents to target and how much FAAB you should allocate for them.
Baseball is a long season, and your FAAB budget has to last you an awfully long time. For the next 13 weeks, we must carefully place bids and target players who will fill holes on our team. Pay close attention to this in category leagues and spend big on a player if you need a specific category filled urgently.
Below are a few players with ownership percentages under 50% in Yahoo leagues that could benefit your roster and provide you with an added boost in several categories. I will also include what percentage of your FAAB budget you should look to spend on each player. Let’s get started!
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Mark Vientos, 3B, New York Mets
25% rostered
FAAB Bid: <10% if needing a corner infield, <5% for others
Mark Vientos was recently named the new starting third baseman for the Mets and has begun to run away with the job. From May 24 to June 4, the 24-year-old has posted a .324/.385/.588 line with three home runs.
He has played so well that the Mets demoted Brett Baty, leaving Vientos in the driver’s seat as the everyday option at the hot corner.
Mark Vientos since being named starter:
Single
Ground Out
Single
Single
Fly Out
Strikeout
Home Run
Ground Out
Single
Strikeout
Walk
Strikeout
Pop Out
Walk
Home Run
Walk
Ground Out
SingleBeast pic.twitter.com/A1oDrRhYVG
— Mets'd Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) June 4, 2024
If you are looking for an everyday option at third base who can provide some power to your lineup, Vientos is the player to target.
Henry Davis, C/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
10% rostered
FAAB Bid: <7% if needing a second catcher, <3% for others
After being demoted to Triple-A on May 1, the former number-one overall pick found his footing with Triple-A Indianapolis and recently rejoined the major league roster on Tuesday.
In his final 16 games with Triple-A in May, the Louisville product held a .350/.458/.817 line with seven long balls, 15 RBI, and one stolen base.
While Davis holds a poor .203/.282/.225 line with just seven long balls in 86 career games at the major league level; he has a high prospect pedigree and will figure it out at the major league level. Last season, Davis logged just 13 games at Triple-A before reaching the majors, which could have hurt his development as he clearly was not ready to face big-league pitching.
Over the past few weeks, Danny Jansen and Patrick Bailey have emerged as starting-caliber catchers on the waiver wire. Will Davis do the same?
It is worth adding Davis in two-catcher leagues and especially in daily lineup leagues, as he has unique positional flexibility as a catcher and outfielder.
Noelvi Marte, 3B, Cincinnati Reds
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: <5%
A repeated name in this column is still heavily under-rostered.
Marte was a popular breakout pick entering the draft season but was handed an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension. He is due to return sometime in early July.
Marte is included here because he possesses five-category potential. He hit three home runs and swiped six bags with a .316 AVG across 35 games in the major leagues last summer.
As we approach his return date, his FAAB price will continue to rise. If you have room to stash, get him at a discount now.
He is a potential five-category contributor who can be a league winner, and his price will only continue to rise as we approach the end of his suspension.
Alec Burleson, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
35% rostered
FAAB Bid: <10% if needing an outfield, <5% for others
With Lars Nootbaar (oblique) on the injured list, Alec Burleson has earned an everyday role and looks like he is becoming a lock in the daily lineup.
From June 2 to June 4, he had a three-game home run streak and four total hits during this stretch.
Three consecutive days with a home run for Alec Burleson. pic.twitter.com/ePcy9WpgBh
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2024
Prior to this power surge, the outfielder held a strong .391/.400/.594 line through May with three home runs and seven RBI.
Currently, he has an above-average 90.6 mph average exit velocity and a 45.0% hard-hit rate, which suggests that he could continue to see success in his everyday role. The Cardinals are continuing to provide him with prime RBI opportunities and have recently moved him up to the two-hole against right-handers and the six-hole against lefties.
He is a must-roster in five outfielder leagues.
Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
10% rostered
FAAB Bid: <8% if needing batting average, <2% for others
Another St. Louis Cardinal makes this week’s column as another must-add.
There may not be another safer batting average contributor on your waiver wire all summer. From May 9 to June 4, the 22-year-old has tallied 28 hits with a .364 AVG. He only went hitless twice in this stretch and posted seven multi-hit games.
While his power and RBI output may not be as stable as those of other players on this list, his stellar 16.8% K rate does earn him a bonus in points leagues.
If you need someone in the middle-infield to stabilize your batting average, target Winn this weekend.
Connor Norby, 2B, Baltimore Orioles
5% rostered
FAAB Bid: <1%
Connor Norby is yet another Baltimore prospect who made his major league debut this season. However, unlike Heston Kjerstad or Jackson Holliday, Norby is being given a full-time role in the Baltimore lineup, which many did not expect.
Before joining the major league roster, the number six-ranked prospect in the Baltimore system held a strong .286/.374/.510 line with nine long balls in 51 games at Triple-A Norfolk this season. Throughout his 198 career games with Norfolk, he has performed exceptionally well with a .293/.365/.501 line with 34 home runs.
He had one hit (which went for a home run), no walks, and two strikeouts throughout his first two games. He started two straight at the keystone on June 3 and June 4 but was out of the lineup on June 5.
First Major League hit ✅
First Major League home run ✅
Nice little 10-spot for the team ✅Welcome to The Show, Connor Norby!
(MLB x @BudweiserUSA) pic.twitter.com/1zJ0Le9pJI
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2024
He should be expected to see the majority of starts at second base and is worth an add in deeper leagues.
Jose Miranda, 1B/3B, Minnesota Twins
10% rostered
FAAB Bid: 5%
While Miranda performed well as the starting third baseman over the past few weeks while Royce Lewis remained sidelined for the past two months with a (quad) injury, it looked like Miranda's days were numbered as Lewis was activated from the IL on Tuesday.
However, surprisingly, Miranda served as the Twins' starting first baseman for the second time this season while Lewis played the hot corner. This is a great sign, as the return of Lewis was projected to greatly diminish Miranda’s opportunities.
Jose Miranda plants one in the bullpen! pic.twitter.com/cwdx9kK1ZM
— Twins Central (@TwinsCentral1) May 27, 2024
Since May 24, the 25-year-old has a .282 AVG with two long balls with only five strikeouts. Miranda is an excellent option for points leagues, and his shifting to first base suggests he may not see a drastic drop in playing opportunities than what was initially expected.
Frankie Montas, SP, Cincinnati Reds
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: <5%
Frankie Montas turned in an absolute gem on June 4 in Coors Field. He brought a no-hitter into the seventh frame and finished with seven innings of one-hit ball, two free passes, and nine shutouts.
Since allowing five earned runs on April 15, the 31-year-old has begun to turn things around with a 3.82 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
Overall, he sits with a 4.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 42 punchouts across 54 innings.
Montas is a solid stash in deeper leagues that can be deployed in favorable matchups.
Matt Waldron, SP, San Diego Padres
30% rostered
FAAB Bid: 10% if needing a starter, <5% for others
Since May 11, the 27-year-old has a solid 1.84 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 35 shutouts across 29 ⅓ innings.
Waldron’s knuckleball has been the catalyst for his performance and is a pitch worth paying attention to.
Matt Waldron's Knuckleball doesn't look real. pic.twitter.com/u0Uer3T1LZ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 4, 2024
His knuckleball is generating a 29.6% whiff rate, .197 xBA, and .299 xSLG compared to last summer when it only generated a 24.7% whiff rate with a .210 xBA and .347 xSLG.
Overall, he has a 32.1% hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 87.4 mph, which are both significantly above average and make him a solid add in all leagues.
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
35% rostered
FAAB Bid: 10%
Rounding out this list is a must-stash prospect in Jasson Dominguez (elbow). The “Martian” is nearing the end of his rehab assignment, which has kept him sidelined since last fall, when he underwent Tommy John Surgery.
In his first 15 rehab games (across Single, Double, and Triple-A), the 21-year-old posted a .315/.383/.556 line with four long balls and one stolen base.
JASSON DOMINGUEZ pic.twitter.com/T8LxnlxJtz
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 1, 2024
Through his eight games in the major leagues last season, he held a .258 AVG with four home runs, seven RBI, and one stolen base, which suggests he can be a legit five-category contributor across a full season.
While the Yankee outfield is crowded at the moment, and Dominguez is likely to remain in Triple-A once he is activated off the injured list, he is just one injury away from being a full-time major leaguer.
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