Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 12

June 14, 2021

Nicklaus Gaut's H2H points league waiver wire pickups for Week 12 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season, identifying free agents to add and pitchers to stream.

We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax.

Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the best and worst fits. We know points league players get neglected and we're here to help.

These waiver-wire adds are for the week of June 14 - June 20, looking at players below 50% rostered for ESPN and Yahoo! Stats and rankings are calculated using games through Friday, June 11.

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Know Your System

If you've read me even a little, you likely know what I'm going to say...You must account for, as precisely as possible, how a player performs under your particular scoring system. Don't be fooled into believing you can just make rough adjustments in your head, bumping up guys with high on-base percentages and low strikeout rates. Every point, in every category, counts.

For example, ESPN and Fantrax are virtually identical in their scoring for hitters and roster size. The only difference is that stolen bases are worth one more point on Fantrax and ESPN subtracts one point per strikeout. That's the difference between Ronald Acuna Jr. being a top-five hitter versus top-20.

If your league uses standard settings, then great! Turn to page 94 and you can skip ahead to the leaderboards. If you play with custom settings, it'll still be fine. Go back to page 43 and look below at the scoring systems of the four major platforms. I bet there's a chance that you'll find that your league's scoring is very similar to one of the four (well, not Yahoo!'s), even if it's not the platform you actually play on.

For example, my home league started on a now-defunct platform before moving first to ESPN and is now at Fantrax. But our scoring is basically ESPN standard only with two points for stolen bases and a handful of other minor adjustments.

If you look above, you'll likely find a suitable mirror to your own system. While every point counts, as long as they aren't seismic changes you can get away with some "close enough" calls. IE. If everything is the same except for HBP (or something similar), you're probably fine.

Waiver Wire Leaderboards

In addition to our overall waiver wire leaderboards, we're deep enough into the season that we'll also start doing a 14-day leaderboard (21 days for pitchers), as well, giving us a window into recent production. The charts are updated prior to Saturday's games, on stats and ownerships. All leaderboards, overall and 14-day, are sorted according to the player's APR*, and clicking on a chart will open a new page with a magnified version.

*APR = Average Platform Ranking - the average platform ranking between ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, and Fantrax (standard point settings)

First Base

Must Adds

• Joey Votto, CIN - Our long, national nightmare is finally over, for underrated points king, Joey Votto has returned to the land of the healthy. Even after missing over a month, Votto is still a top-200 hitter by APR and has two home runs and six RBI in his four games since returning. Widely available.

Can/Desperate Adds

At this point, first base is just a wasteland on most waiver wires. Most of the following can be useful but all have big warts, particularly in regards to playing everyday playing time - or being on the Pirates. 

Me 

Here, Last Week

• Christian Walker, ARI
• Andrew Vaughn, CHW
• Colin Moran, PIT
• Seth Brown, OAK
• Matt Beaty, LAD
• Ryan Zimmerman, WSH
• Albert Pujols, LAD
• Bobby Bradley, CLE

Notable IL

• Garrett Cooper, MIA
• Ji-Man Choi, TB
• Evan White, SEA

Second Base

Must Adds

• Brendan Rodgers, COL - Healthy and getting a fair amount of playing time, Rodgers has played up to his prospect pedigree in June. In 33 PA, he's hit three home runs while slashing .357/.424/.714, with a .470 wOBA. Unfortunately, the better he plays, the more likely that the Rockies send him back to the minors.
• Jonathan India, CIN - India has been batting leadoff for the past six games and since the start of June is slashing .323/.447/.581, with a .441 wOBA a 179 wRC+. As long as he's productive enough to bat leadoff, India is worth a spot.
• Cesar Hernandez, CLE

Can Adds

• Jed Lowrie, OAK
• Ty France, SEA
• Tony Kemp, OAK
• Christian Arroyo, BOS
• Chad Pinder, OAK
• Dylan Moore, SEA
• Josh Harrison, WSH

Desperate Adds

• Jurickson Profar, SD
• Kike Hernandez, BOS
• Starlin Castro, WSH
• Donovan Solano, SF

Notable IL

• Kolten Wong, MIL
• Luis Arraez, MIN
• David Bote, CHC
• Aledmys Diaz, HOU
• Tommy La Stella, SF
• Chris Owings, COL

Third Base

Must Adds

• Nope. Wasteland.

Can Adds

• Yandy Diaz, TB
• Maikel Franco, BAL
• Josh Fuentes, COL - Picking up eligibility at third base, Fuentes will be playing at home all week, ie. basically the only place you can use him. Fuentes has slashed .316/.371/.561, with a .392 wOBA at home and just .220/248/.331, with a  .252 wOBA on the road.
• Hunter Dozier, KC

Desperate Adds

• Brad Miller, PHI
• Kelvin Gutierrez, KC

Notable IL 

• Evan Longoria, SF
• Jeimer Candelario, DET
• Travis Shaw, MIL
• Brian Anderson, MIA
• J.D. Davis, NYM

Shortstop

Must Adds

• J.P. Crawford, SEA - Batting leadoff since the start of June, Crawford has rewarded the Mariners by slashing .385/.447/.615, with a .442 wOBA over 47 PA, with one home run, six runs, and six RBI. It can't be overstated how valuable productive leadoff hitters will be in most point formats, even with ho-hum numbers. Long live the compilers.
• Paul DeJong, STL - Back from injury, DeJong likely won't stay widely available for long.

Can Adds

• Freddy Galvis, BAL - Galvis just keeps trucking along, collecting multiple hits in three of his eight games in June. He has an 88 APR over the last two weeks and a 90 APR for the year.
• Amed Rosario, CLE - I'm not sure I'm ready for a world in which Rosario is a good hitter. This could be a trap.
• Luis Urias, MIL
• Willy Adames, MIL
• Willi Castro, DET
• Taylor Walls, TB

Desperate Adds

• Jose Iglesias, LAA
• Jonathan Villar, NYM
• Niko Goodrum, DET

Notable IL

• Miguel Rojas, MIA
• Nico Hoerner, CHC

Outfielder

Must Adds

• Justin Upton, LAA- Upton just won't stop hitting since being moved to leadoff, collecting at least one hit in 14 of his past 16 games and slashing .322/.423/.712 over those last 71 PA, with 6 HR, 17 R, and 12 RBI. It looks like the spot at the top is suiting him just fine. He has a 72 APR on the season and has been a top-10 hitter over the last two weeks. Somehow, still available in 40% of leagues.
• Hunter Renfroe, BOS
• Joc Pederson, CHC

Can Adds

• Odubel Herrera, PHI
• Manuel Margot, TB
• Adam Eaton, CHW
• Corey Dickerson, MIA
• Adam Duvall, MIA
• Jorge Soler, KC
• Willie Calhoun, TEX
• Miguel Andujar, NYY
• Josh Naylor, CLE
• Alex Kirilloff, MIN

Desperate Adds

• Billy McKinney, TOR
• Akil Baddoo, DET
• Gregory Polanco, PIT
• Michael A. Taylor, KC

Notable IL

• Kole Calhoun, ARI
• Nick Senzel, CIN
• Aaron Hicks, NYY
• Brandon Nimmo, NYM
• Darin Ruf, SF
• David Dahl, TEX
• Harrison Bader, STL
• Jordan Luplow, CLE
• Victor Reyes, DET
• Lorenzo Cain, MIL

Catcher

Must Adds

• Omar Narvaez, MIL - Narvaez has a 148 APR on the year, with a 48 APR over the last two weeks. Beggars can't be choosers when it comes to catchers, so Narvaez might as well be hot as lava.

Can Adds

• Max Stassi, LAA
• Mike Zunino, TB
• Jacob Stallings, PIT
• Eric Haase, DET
• Tyler Stephenson/Tucker Barnhart)

Desperate Adds

• All catcher adds are desperate adds.

Notable IL

• Mitch Garver, MIN
• Wilson Ramos, DET
• Travis d'Arnaud, ATL
• Jason Castro, HOU
• Austin Nola, SD
• Alejandro Kirk, TOR
• Roberto Perez, CLE
• Danny Jansen, TOR

Starting Pitchers

Two Start Weeks

Must Add

• Mike Minor, KC - Minor is coming off of an impressive win over Oakland, in which he locked up a top-10 offense vs LHP for seven innings, allowing just one run while striking out eight. This week he gets one of baseball’s worst teams vs LHP, with the Tigers posting just a .286 wOBA and 29.6 % K%.
• Adam Wainwright, STL - It's a solid two-start week for Wainwright, who has a 21 APR over the last three weeks. The Marlins (.300 wOBA, 25.6% K%) and Atlanta (.320 wOBA, 25.5% K%) are both mediocre offenses vs RHP, with above-average strikeout-rates.
• Tarik Skubal, DET - He's not really still available in 60-70% of leagues on ESPN and Yahoo, is he? Skubal has a 22 APR over the last three weeks and faces the Royals, who while stingy with strikeouts (21.0% K% vs LHP) has just a .305 wOBA against left-handers.

Can Add

• Austin Gomber, COL - How much do you believe in Austin Gomber? Enough to start him at home in Colorado for a Week 12 double-tap? In four starts at home this year, Gomber has a 1.33 ERA (3.45 FIP) over 20.1 IP, allowing just a .233 wOBA, with a 25.05 K%. He’ll get San Diego first, who has just a .290 wOBA versus RHP, with a 23.3% K%. And it’ll be Milwaukee for the second start, who has a .314 wOBA and 28.3% K% vs RHP, which is the highest strikeout rate vs RHP in baseball. So, do you believe?
• Patrick Sandoval, LAA - He's a decent left-hander facing Detroit. Good enough for me!
• Jordan Montgomery, NYY
• J.T. Brubaker, PIT
• Matthew Boyd, DET
• Garrett Richards, BOS
• Brady Singer, KC -  Singer has a 54 APR over the last three weeks but his value varies quite a bit across platforms, ranging from a 40 APR on Fantrax to a 73 APR on ESPN. But while the Tigers are better against righties than lefties, let's not get carried away; Detroit has just a .298 wOBA and 27.2% K% vs RHP.
• Tyler Anderson, PIT - Anderson has a two-start week but I'm passing if I can't sit him in his first start against Washington (.331 wOBA, 24.4% K%). However, in daily-move leagues, Anderson is absolutely a go against Cleveland in his second matchup (.292 wOBA, 23.1% K%).
• Brad Keller, KC - Keller is in the same boat as Anderson, in that I'm in a love/hate relationship with his two-start week. We've already covered how appealing a matchup with Detroit is but his second start against Boston is most certainly not.
• Shane McClanahan, TB - One more. I don't want anything to do with McClanahan vs the White Sox (.351 wOBA) but everything to do with his second start versus Seattle, who has a .281 wOBA and 27.6% K% vs LHP. And while Seattle handles four-seamers from lefties rather well (H-T foreshadowing), McClanahan only throws his four-seamer 40% and with extreme heat prejudice (97.3 mph average velocity).
• Alex Cobb, LAA - Yes, Cobb does get to face Detroit but he had just as good of a matchup against the Diamondbacks in his last time out and still managed to allow five earned runs in three innings while striking out three.
• Jameson Taillon, NYY
• Jake Arrieta, CHC
• Johnny Cueto, SF 
• David Peterson, NYM
• Jean Carlos Mejia, CLE
• Jake Odorizzi, HOU

Desperate Adds

• Ryan Yarbrough, TB - Yarbrough has been much better, as of late, posting a 2.56 ERA in his five starts since the start of May. But he continues to have a big home run problem, with a 2.09 HR/9 over those five starts, with a 1.38 HR/9 for the year. This might be an issue, considering his upcoming schedule, with a matchup with the lefty-crushing White Sox on the horizon. Chicago has a league-leading .351 wOBA and 126 wRC+ vs LHP.
• Cole Irvin, OAK - Irvin and his paltry 17.1% K%might struggle to return positive value versus an Angels team that has a 22.1% K% and .329 wOBA vs LHP, both top-10 rates.
• Martin Perez, BOS
• Justin Dunn, SEA
• Adrian Houser, MIL - The good news is that the Rockies only have a .287 wOBA vs RHP. The bad news is Coors.
• Vince Velasquez, PHI - The good news is that the Giants have a 26.8% K% vs RHP and the game will be played in a pitcher-friendly park. The bad news is it's Vince Velasquez.
• J.A. Happ, MIN - This may seem like a solid matchup for Happ, considering Seattle's poor numbers vs LHP. But given how often Happ throws his fastball (55%) and what the Mariners do against four-seamers from lefties (.422 wOBA, .399 xwOBA, and 1.4 RV/100 - all in the top-five), I maintain that this has all the makings of a classic Happ-trap.
• Kyle Freeland, COL - Don't ever be this desperate.

Notable IL

• Spencer Turnbull, DET
• Huascar Ynoa, ATL
• Logan Webb, SF
• Jon Gray, COL
• Madison Bumgarner, ARI
• Trevor Williams, CHC
• Luke Weaver, ARI
• Erick Fedde, WSH
• Jeff Hoffman, CIN
• Kwang-Hyun Kim, STL
• Taylor Widener, ARI
• Aaron Sanchez, SF
• Cody Poteet, MIA
• Jose Quintana, LAA
• Kohei Arihara, TEX
• Elieser Hernandez, MIA

Relief Pitchers

Keep in mind that with relievers, points scored can be deceiving. Most scoring systems make it pretty difficult for even the best non-closers to score elite points, making them very reliant on unpredictable wins. You simply need the save points to really do damage. AKA, when you see totally random names hit the leaderboard (particularly the 14-Day one), it's probably because they happened to get a few wins and/or a lot of usage. If a reliever doesn't have an established role, tread carefully.

One note about ownership; because ESPN uses nine open pitching slots, as opposed to dedicated slots for RP/SP, relievers tend to be lighter owned than on other sites.

Must Adds

• Lucas Sims, CIN - With Tejay Antone (forearm) on the IL, Sims seemingly has the Cincinnati closer job to himself for the first time this season. While he does, he needs to be added.

Can Adds

• Daniel Bard, COL - Since allowing four earned runs while recording just two outs on May 2, Bard has been excellent. In his 16 innings since that blowup, Bard has allowed just one earned run, picking up six saves. Unfortunately, the Rockies are at home this week. Tread carefully.

Notable IL

• Michael Fulmer, DET
• Ian Kennedy, KC
• Tejay Antone, CIN
• Drew Pomeranz, SD
• Jordan Hicks, STL

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