Fantasy Baseball Week 2: Top 5 Waiver Wire Hitters

With the first week of the season behind us, here are the top-five hitters to add to your team off the waiver wire for Week 2.

Baseball is officially underway. The first week of the fantasy season is over. Hopefully you won your matchup, if you play head-to-head, or have the lead in your ROTO league. If not, don’t panic. It’s only the first week. However, if you have been the victim of the dreaded injury bug with the loss of Kyle Schwarber or A.J. Pollock, then it’s time to make some moves. So, here are five hitters ready to be added from the waiver wire.

My criteria for this list is simple. These hitters need to be available in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues. I apologize if you don’t use that website. That is the only one I have accurate numbers to. The hitters also need to be productive, obviously. These five hitters have either been crushing the ball, getting on base or stealing a lot of bases so far this season.

I will also not be writing about the players I or any one of my colleagues have written about as a waiver wire pick up. If there is a player I didn’t mention, take a look at our website earlier in the week, and that player might be there.

But, before I get started, here are two players that are much deeper waiver wire pick ups.

Jeremy Hazelbaker: The St. Louis Cardinals have three great outfielders this season, Matt Holliday, Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty. However, The Cardinals are working in Hazelbaker. He made his first major-league start last Wednesday as Grichuk had a day off. He started in both games Saturday and Sunday and will be making his third consecutive start on Monday.

So far this season, he is hitting .400 with four runs, two home runs, four RBI and two steals. He’s been batting No. 2 in the Cardinals lineup, so there will be plenty of opportunities to hit and score runs. If you play in a deeper league or need to platoon your fifth outfielder, Hazelbaker is a guy to target. He’s owned in just 8.6 percent of leagues.

Angel Pagan: The San Francisco Giants have one of the best lineups in all of baseball. As a result, Pagan is slotted ninth in the lineup. He did hit leadoff when Denard Span was out with an illness. But as the ninth hitter, the Giants are using the “second leadoff hitter” strategy, and it seems to be working.

He is hitting .320 with eight runs scored, one home run, three RBI and a steal. As the ninth hitter, there won’t be a lot of opportunities to drive in runs, and he doesn’t have much power anyway. But, if he gets on base, the top-of-the-order guys can drive him home. They’ve been doing just that which is evident by his eight runs. Pagan is owned in 17.6 percent.

Next: No. 5: Colby Rasmus

The Houston Astros have a very dangerous lineup, especially with the young stars they called up in recent years. However, they have some veteran presence to round out the lineup. Colby Rasmus is one of those veterans. As your No. 4 or 5 outfielder, you could do much worse.

He had a power resurgence last season, hitting 25 home runs in 137 games. That seems to be staying because he crushing two home runs in Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers as the cleanup hitter. He is hitting .294 with four runs and four RBI along with the two homers.

Rasmus has been picked up in 13.6 percent of leagues over the last seven days. He may get the occasional day off, but nothing that should affect you too much. If you need an outfielder with some pop and run-scoring ability, Rasmus is a good choice. In this lineup, there will be a lot of opportunities to score.

He should be owned in deeper leagues, no doubt. In standard leagues, he’s worth owning, but don’t be afraid to drop him if he begins to struggle.

Next: No. 4: Joey Rickard

My colleague, Brad Kelly wrote about Joey Rickard being someone you should watch throughout the first week of the season. Now that we’re in week 2, he should be someone you pick up. If you are an Adam Jones owner, like I am, then Rickard should be added as an insurance policy.

Rickard is hitting .444 with two runs, one home run and three RBI. As a member of the undefeated Baltimore Orioles, he will be getting his chance to hit and drive in runs. In Jones’ absence, Rickard has been playing center field and hitting leadoff. And, if you remember my article last month, batting order matters.

Be careful though, because once Jones returns, Rickard will likely move back to the No. 9 spot. That will remove some of the upside in his RBI. Until then, Rickard will continue to be fantasy relevant.

Rickard is currently owned in 17.4 percent after a jump of 14.5 percent over the last seven days.

Next: No. 3: Nick Hundley

If you are one of the owners that lost Schwarber last week, then you are panicking to find a catcher. Well, I’m here to help calm those nerves. Nick Hundley is an option for you at catcher. He is owned in just 35.3 percent of leagues. Because of the injury, his ownership percentage went up 19.6 percent over the last week. But why?

Yes, playing at Coors Field could result in some bias when looking at the stats. But that should be a big reason to pick him up. He also has the Colorado Rockies power hitters batting in front of him. This gives him a lot of opportunities to drive in runs.

He was off Sunday, but is hitting .333 with two runs, one home run and three RBI in the first five games of the season. He had a really good spring, hitting  .317/.341/.488 with a home run and seven RBI. He may not have the power potential like Schwarber or other catchers, he does have enough power to drive in a lot of runs.

Next: No. 2: Eugenio Suarez

If it wasn’t for Trevor Story, Eugenio Suarez would be the most talked about shortstop in the league this season. He is hitting .435 with nine runs, four home runs, nine RBI and a stolen base. Those are insane numbers after just one week of play.

I wrote about Suarez as a deep sleeper last season after Zack Cozart injured his right knee running to first base. He hit 13 home runs, 48 RBI and .280 in 97 games last year.

Suarez has shortstop eligibility, but is currently playing third base with Cozart back in the lineup. In four more games, he will gain third base eligibility as well (10 games for in-season eligibility). That will make him even more valuable in all leagues.

Hitting second in this Cincinnati Reds lineup is helping his value as well. Having Joey Votto and Jay Bruce behind him, pitchers have no choice but to pitch to Suarez.

Because of the huge performance, Suarez has been added in 44.7 percent of leagues. He is now owned in 56.3 percent of ESPN leagues. I would add him as soon as possible because we could be witnessing his breakout season.

Next: No. 1: Tyler White

Tyler White was practically hitting every ball thrown at him last week. He went 10-for-18 with two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI in the first six games of the season. As a result, he was named American League Player of the Week. More importantly, he’s been added in 46.1 percent of leagues.

Before going 0-for-3 on Sunday, he hit a home run in three straight games. He began the season with third base eligbility. He’s played the last five games at first base. In five more games, he will qualify as a first baseman.

With last year’s designated hitter Evan Gattis on the disabled list and slugger Chris Carter in Milwaukee, White has a role carved out for him. However, prospect A.J. Reed is expected to be called up sometime this season. So, I would jump on the White bandwagon (phrasing?) while the iron is hot.

While the third base, and even first base, player pool is deep enough that White could be left on the waiver wire, I think he should be owned in all leagues. He is driving in runs and getting on base in the process. Until that stops, his ownership potential will continue to rise.

Next: Wrap Up

I know it’s only week one, but there are owners ready to make changes to their team. If you are one of those owners, then I hope this list of players helped. There are plenty of other players that could still be added, but I wanted to widen the range to those players available. I wasn’t going to have those owned in 75 percent of leagues on the list. That would only help a minority of owners.

Some of the players on the list could be out of a job in a week or two. If that becomes the case, I apologize. However, this list is for this upcoming week. And because of that, I believe all of these players are safe to play.

The one player that could see his value tank is Rickard. He is getting a boost by hitting atop the Orioles lineup. Once Jones returns, he is likely to go back to the bottom third. Hezelbaker is in a platoon with Grichuk, but that’s a positive for Hezelbaker, not Grichuk. He is getting more playing time than expected, which helps his value in deeper leagues.

Next: Add Nomar Mazara and Mallex Smith

These five hitters may not be available later in the week. So, if you need a replacement or looking to make changes, I would make a move as soon as possible. These players are hitting well so far this season. That could change tomorrow, but it also could stay the same. The draft is how you win the division. The waiver wire is how you win a championship.