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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 19-- July 29 through August 4 -- and will point out free agents to target and how much FAAB you should allocate for them.
We are officially in the stretch run of the fantasy season. For the next six weeks, we must place bids and target players who will fill the remaining holes in our team. Pay close attention to this in category leagues and spend big on a player if you need a specific category filled urgently as you are running out of time. Do not be afraid to spend a little more on a player that you need to fill an empty lineup spot or boost a category.
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. This week, we have a potential new ninth-inning option in Los Angeles and a few hot hitters who could provide elite production in the second half. 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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Max Meyer, SP, Miami Marlins
35% rostered
FAAB Bid: <12%
A top pitching prospect in Miami was given an awfully short leash in his recent start at Triple-A, as he recorded just ten outs. In addition, the Marlins could now gain an extra year of control if they chose to promote Meyer to the big leagues, as it is past the May 21 deadline.
5 more scoreless innings for Max Meyer today. Only 1 run allowed in his last 3 Triple-A starts. pic.twitter.com/XQRwlFLg5a
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) July 14, 2024
Over his past four starts at the top level of the minor leagues, the right-hander has dominated with 0.95 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Meyer is a high-upside prospect who should have a strong chance of staying in the big leagues for the remainder of the second half.
River Ryan, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
10% rostered
FAAB Bid: <6%
The 25-year-old made his major league debut on Monday, July 22, and tossed five ⅓ innings of one-run ball without surrendering an earned run). He allowed just four hits and three walks while striking out two. At Triple-A, he held a solid 2.76 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.
River Ryan cutter — executed wonderfully. See the way it moves in the replay. He went right back to it in the ensuing pitch to strike out Mike Yastrzemski. pic.twitter.com/T1NXUB0366
— Positive Residual (@presidual) July 23, 2024
Even though the Dodgers welcomed back Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow earlier this week, Ryan has a great chance to claim the final spot in the rotation as veteran James Paxton was recently DFA’d.
Ryne Nelson, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: <15%
The Arizona right-hander dominated in his first start since the All-Star Break. He struck out nine over five ⅔ innings of one-run ball and allowed just three hits and two walks.
Over his past 24 ⅔ innings, the 26-year-old has held an excellent 2.22 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, which is a great sign considering his hefty 5.20 ERA through June.
Ryne Nelson, 97mph Paint. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/KpFcA90c2w
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 13, 2024
Nelson will not produce high strikeout totals, but it is worth a look if your ratios need improvement.
Daniel Hudson, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers
45% rostered
FAAB Bid: <18% if needing saves, <10% for others
In his last four appearances, the 37-year-old has gone 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has clearly taken a firm grip on ninth-inning duties in the City of Angels.
Through 41 innings this season, the right-hander has a strong 1.52 ERA and 0.80 WHIP to go with 45 punchouts, which suggests he could be an excellent addition to your from a ratio standpoint as well.
Alex Vesia is also a potential ninth-inning option in Los Angeles and a good fallback option if you miss out on Hudson.
Juan Yepez, 1B/OF, Washington Nationals
30% rostered
FAAB Bid: <15%
Yepez is more than just the hottest hitter in baseball. Since July 5, the 26-year-old has been riding an incredible 15-game hitting streak, during which he held a dominant .368/.429/.614 line.
Juan Yepez:
Has hit safely in each of his 15 games with the @Nationals
Is batting .389 (21-for-54)
Has 10 extra-base hits among his 21 hits pic.twitter.com/sVh20hY2PG— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2024
In addition, Yepez has now begun to serve as the cleanup hitter in the nation’s capital, which will provide him with even more scoring opportunities, given how hot his bat is.
Tyler Locklear, 1B/3B, Seattle Mariners
2% rostered
FAAB Bid: <5%
The Mariners promoted one of their top infield prospects after cutting ties with Ty France earlier this week. As a result, Locklear could run away with first-base duties for the remainder of the summer.
Tyler Locklear doubles in the first inning. pic.twitter.com/34FuIm25Gr
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) July 21, 2024
At Triple-A this season, Locklear posted a solid .264/.374/.455 line with four home runs, 18 RBI, and a 17:33 BB:K ratio. Locklear got a small taste of the majors earlier this summer and launched two home runs in a small eight-game stint.
The VCU product is an upside play that could pay dividends in the stretch run.
Gavin Lux, 2B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: <8%
After holding a modest .250 AVG for most of the summer, the Los Angeles second baseman has begun to heat up at the plate and is enjoying a nice power surge.
In his past nine games, Lux has gone deep three times and held a strong .393/.414/.821 slash line with eight RBI and one stolen base. In addition, during the span, Lux has posted five multi-hit games.
With Mookie Betts (hand) sidelined, the Dodgers have had trouble consistently filling in their infield on most nights.
If Lux can continue to swing a hot bat, he should be seen as the primary option at the keystone in the second half.
Jose Iglesias, 2B/SS/3B, New York Mets
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: <10% if you need improvement in AVG, <6% for others
Iglesias was included in my column last week, but he is still severely undervalued and is shaping up to be a legitimate contributor in all leagues.
Since June 29, the 34-year-old has dominated with a .386/.426/.684 line, three home runs, 11 RBI, one stolen base, and has struck out just four times.
In addition, his ability to play both second and third base gives him a strong opportunity to be penciled in the starting nine almost every night.
Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: <10% if needing an outfielder/speed, <5% for others
Adell was seen as a "Must-add" back in April when he posted an incredible .327 AVG and .615 SLG that month. However, since then, many, if not all, fantasy managers have cut ties with the former first-round pick.
Although, across his past eight games he has posted a strong .375/.500/.542 line with eight RBI, three stolen bases, and one home run.
His horrific 28.9% K rate makes him hard to trust in points leagues, but in deeper category leagues, it could be hard to pass up a potential five-category contributor. While the ups and downs will still happen with Adell, when he is hot, he can produce at an elite level.
Miguel Andujar, OF, Oakland Athletics
14% rostered
FAAB Bid: <15% if needing an outfielder, <7% for others
Rounding out this list is the 29-year-old outfielder who has quietly put together a solid season in Oakland.
Through 49 games, he has held a .300/.322/.415 line with four home runs, 25 RBI, and two stolen bases.
Miguel Andujar with the 106-mph laser right over the left-field fence: pic.twitter.com/U6bvN9QW18
— Karl Buscheck (@KarlBuscheck) July 21, 2024
Since the start of the month, Andujar has been riding a similar .309/.319/.471 slash line with 11 RBI and 11 runs. Batting in the top half of the Oakland lineup has given Andujar prime scoring opportunities, especially with Lawrence Butler in the leadoff spot and Brent Rooker slotted behind him.
If you are looking for a sneaky addition for counting stats and a solid AVG, add Andujar.
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