RADIO
Matthew Stamper recommends some waiver wire adds at each position for fantasy baseball owners in points leagues. These players could be sleepers for 2017.
Week 11 is here and I've had to revisit some players that I've put on this list in the past. Didi Gregorius and Yuli Gurriel have both been on this list before, and as usual, my goal is to get them to that ownership number where I won't have to put them back on the list. However, this week, I'll try to vouch for them again, because I think they're really coming up big for their respective clubs. But there are also some new faces, and one I even had to slightly break the rules for. Here are your week 11 waiver wire pickups. We're the opposite of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway', because the points are all that matter.
Here are a few guys who can contribute in points leagues, one at each position to consider for the next week. All of these guys have ownership numbers between 30% and 50% so if you're not picking them up, target them in a trade! These are your points leagues waiver wire pickups for Week 11. Let's get to it.
Note: All ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.
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Points League Waiver Wire Adds - Week 11
C - Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics - 21% owned
So as I mentioned above, there was one player I had to break the rules for and his name is Steven Vogt. The 32-year-old catcher has been a value pick in the past few seasons, even collecting All-Star nods, but he's had a much tougher time this season. Maybe it's his age or maybe it's just taken him some time to warm up. Vogt had a rough April, and an even worse May, but 12 days into June, he's improved in a lot of areas. He's knocked in runs in four of his last seven games; six of them to be exact and his hard contact is way up at 40%, since April anyway where it was 17%. He's hitting in a decent enough lineup, although not in the best part of the order, hopefully Vogt can start to heat up and earn himself a few spots. He's still a top-30 option, and a few points away from a top-20 catcher. Give him a shot in 2-catcher leagues or if you have the bench spot.
1B - Danny Valencia, Seattle Mariners - 27% owned
Okay, so I lied. There were two players under 30%, but I've liked Danny Valencia for so long, that I needed to put him on the list at some point. Right away, Valencia has a plus: three positions of eligibility. You can put him at first, third or in the outfield on your team, which is always nice to have. Valencia had a rough start to the year and that's why he may still be out on the wire for some leagues, but he's already surpassed first basemen like Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera in points, even with the slow start. After an April where he hit under the Mendoza line, he scorched Earth with a .306 in May and to this date, he's hitting .333. Valencia has already hit 10 doubles, a couple of triples and should be good for about 15 home runs by the end of the year. If he can bump the average and maintain some consistency, I like the 32-year-old vet.
2B - Brandon Drury, Arizona Diamondbacks - 38% owned
After talking about two players who are on the rise, we'll talk about one who has fallen just a little bit. There's nothing to worry about though with Brandon Drury, and that's actually why I've included him on this list. He may have been dropped in your league, or he may have an impatient owner who will sell him for pennies on the dollar. He had a scorching hot April, an average May, and so far, he's putting up a dud in June, but have no fear, he'll be back. He's actually walking more, and striking out less this month, but he's actually been crushing the ball. It's just that he's been a little unlucky. His BABIP is at a mere .143, despite his slugging, on-base and ISO slashes all way up. I think it's only a matter of time before Drury is up with the best of them again.
3B - Yuli Gurriel, Houston Astros, 33% owned
Although his 11-game hitting streak just ended on Monday night, (this happened last week with Whit Merrifield), Yuli Gurriel is here to stay, and should be owned in more leagues. There was a lot of hesitance to draft the 33-year-old in fantasy leagues. There were doubts about his age, about how much playing time he'd get, and the fact that he had never proved himself in North America. While he hasn't put up the gaudy numbers he did in the Cuban and Japanese leagues, Gurriel has still proved his worth with the Astros this year. He's been crushing the ball lately, with three of his seven homers coming in his last seven games. He's also been able to hit for extra bases, already hitting 12 doubles. Gurriel is older and maybe not worth stashing in keeper leagues, but in redrafts, he should give teams the power that they need, especially with his hot June.
SS - Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees - 46% owned
You can't ask for more from Didi Gregorius. He's the ultimate, consistent fantasy contributor. Out of all the games the Yankees have played in the month of June, he's only scored less than 1 point once, and less than 3 points four times. Mix in a few double-digit appearances with some almost-double-digit appearances and you have a solid shortstop option when it has been a position of weakness most of the year. He's the number 25 ranked shortstop even though he missed most of April. He's hitting the ball well this month, hitting half of his six home runs in June. Even though he's in the bottom third of the lineup, the Yankees are hitting well enough to make Gregorius a pickup.
OF - Hunter Renfroe, San Diego Padres - 32% owned
I drafted Hunter Renfroe this year, and just was not patient enough to be rewarded for all of the points he's given us lately. The average won't be pretty and there will probably be enough nights where he puts up goose eggs, or worse than goose eggs, but the power makes up for it all. Renfroe doesn't exactly hit in a hitter's park, in the safe confines of Petco Park, but he's already got 13 jacks to go along with 30 runs batted in. The cleanup spot is his, and the 25-year-old makes it count, when he makes contact. His K% is up at 30.3 percent, up almost 3% from May and almost 4% from April, but he's hitting the ball hard. His hard contact is up, as is his .ISO. It's only a matter of time until we see the ball leaving the yard even more.
SP - Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies - 41% owned
The danger of a Coors Field pitcher... I know. Freeland only has one of his two starts this week in the tough terrain of Coors Field, but I still believe that he'll put up good numbers this week. He's come a long way since his debut in April; limiting the amount of walks and staying consistent with strikeouts. Neither Pittsburgh or San Fransisco, his two opponents this week, have shown anything too special at the plate, with both ranking in or around the bottom third of the league in average. As for Freeland, he's been able to keep the ball in the park at home; a big part of pitching in Colorado. In fact, he's given up more on the road than he has at home. I think Freeland is a safe play for 10+ points in each start this week, which goes a long way in most leagues.
RP - Matt Albers, Washington Nationals - 34% owned
The revolving door of relievers is back once again, and this familiar name will be everywhere in the next week or so. With Glover hitting the 10-day DL, Albers is next in line to earn save opportunities. He hasn't been scored on in his last six appearances and earned holds in three of them. He's also got an excellent 29/4 strikeout to walk ratio across his 25 innings of work to this point. These stats point to success for Albers, who has been the Nats' most efficient and effective reliever all year. Put him in a gig like this, closing for a first place team, and I'd take a chance on him any time.
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