It’s crunch time! For head-to-head owners, there are just a few weeks left to jockey for playoff positioning. In roto leagues, owners are scratching and clawing for every point possible.
As always, RotoBaller is here to help. In addition to the players we’ll cover in this space, our waiver wire wizard is updated daily and offers plenty of options to aid your push for glory. Let’s get to it.
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Week 22 Corner Infield Waiver Wire Targets
Chris Carter, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers (50 percent owned)
Last week, Carter notched his second 30 homer season. He’s maintained a 33 HR per 600 plate appearances rate for his career. Basically, when he plays every day, you know you’re going to get elite-level power. Of course, there’s a reason he hasn’t often played every day, and that’s his putrid .219 career average. There are few hitters more “three true outcomes” than Carter, but for owners in need of a quick infusion of pop, he’s a fine option. He’s even stolen a couple of bases in the last two weeks.
Logan Forsythe, 1B/2B, Tampa Bay Rays (48 percent)
Despite being banged up for a decent portion of the year, Forsythe is on pace to eclipse the career bests he set in homers, runs, and stolen bases last season. He’s been excellent in August, hitting .280/.365/.549 with six homers and 29 R+RBI. Forsythe doesn’t profile as the typical fantasy first baseman, but A) he’s also eligible at second base and B) at this point in the season, production is production.
Cesar Hernandez, 2B/3B/SS, Philadelphia Phillies (28 percent)
On June 3, Hernandez went hitless to drop his season batting line to .244/.295/.307. Not only that, he’d attempted just eight stolen bases and been caught five times. Since then, though, he’s hitting .324/.389/.465 with 11 stolen bases. More surprisingly, he’s hit five home runs during that time after hitting just two in his first 700 MLB plate appearances. That unexpected pop isn’t something owners should count on moving forward, but Hernandez can certainly provide a boost in batting average, speed, and runs down the stretch.
Ryan Schimpf, 2B/3B, San Diego Padres (14 percent)
Quiz time: Which player has the highest second-half OPS in baseball? Unsurprisingly, it’s Joey Votto. But Schimpf’s second with a 1.079 mark. Better than Miguel Cabrera. Better than Mookie Betts. Better than Jose Altuve and Kris Bryant and Corey Seager and literally every other player in baseball. Not too shabby for a guy nobody had ever heard of before a couple of months ago. It remains to be seen if Schimpf is really this good, but for now he’s tearing the cover off the ball and free to add in almost all leagues.
Wilmer Flores, 1B/2B/3B/SS, New York Mets (7 percent)
Flores doesn’t play every day, but he’s produced when on the field. On the season, he’s hit .263/.316/.459 with 14 homers and 79 R+RBI in 91 games. He’s also eligible at every infield position, save for catcher. Flores has improved every year he’s been in the majors and just turned 25 this month. He’s worth an add in deep mixers and NL-only leagues right now.
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