Fantasy Baseball 2017: Early Waiver Wire Pickups Ahead of Week 2

Concerned about your offense already? Already stressing about strikeouts? Relax, the waiver wire has you covered.

It’s never a good idea to seriously overreact to Opening Week. It is a good idea, to know what your options are on the waiver wire if you find yourself in trouble further down the track.

This first week of the season has been something different, hasn’t it? I’ve seen a lot of stress, particularly from people concerned about their offense as Jose Altuve continues to strike out and Freddie Freeman struggles to put together a hit. Panic is definitely in the air, but rest assured, there’s plenty of freely available options out there if you know which players you should be looking for.

Note, I haven’t made this list to feature a bunch of guys that could replace Altuve or Freeman, that would be ridiculous. This list is about players who are hardly owned in a percentage of standard leagues, but have tremendous upside and are worth a look on your waiver wire.

So, without further ado.

Hector Neris, RP, Philadelphia Phillies – Owned in 40% of ESPN Leagues

Neris earned his first hold of the season early last week against the Reds, but he’s probably going to earn something more significant soon – the closer role in the Phillies’ rotation. So far this season he’s shown great command, allowing only one hit in two innings of work. His K/9 of 11.41 last season makes him an ideal 9th inning man, and he’s easily the best player in the Phillies’ bullpen.

Neris’ four-seam fastball was lethal last season, generating a whiff of 18.52% at one point during July. He’s still throwing it at around 95 MPH, and if nothing else, Neris will give you a ton of strikeouts. His HR/FB rate of 14.1% needs some attention, but after Jeanmar Gomez looked average last week in the closer role (and has for quite a while), Neris has save opportunities written all over him.

Yangervis Solarte, 3B, San Diego Padres – Owned in 52.4%

It might sound weird for a 29-year-old to only just now be entering his prime, but Solarte’s injury-riddled 2016 season really only showed a glimpse into his true potential.

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I’m not sure if Solarte has been unfairly judged on his home run numbers, but he’s really become the definition of a trustworthy hitter in the middle of the Padres’ lineup.

From a fantasy perspective, Solarte’s start to the season says it all. He crushed a home run earlier in the week off Kenta Maeda and has 7 RBIs in four games.

As the cleanup man, Solarte finished with a .302 AVG and 55 RBIs with men on base last season, and his 14.2% strikeout rate shows how disciplined he is at the plate. Solarte creates runs and produces them at an outstanding rate, and his wRC (Weighted Runs Created) of 62 last season was well above the league average.

Solarte is a sleeper and always has been, but people are starting to catch on. Act fast if you’re in need at third base.

Chris Devenski, RP/SP, Houston Astros – Owned in 5.8%

The hype around Devenski as a prospect was zilch. He’s come out of nowhere to surprise everyone, and it’s all thanks to a crazy looking changeup that resulted in seven strikeouts against the Mariners on Wednesday.

In that same game, Devenski threw the changeup 28 times and it resulted in a 60.71 swing percentage. He relied on that pitch heavily, only throwing 10 fastballs, but his K% of 25.5 last season looks like it will stay in tact.

I honestly think Devenski would be owned in more leagues if he was a starting pitcher, but that may actually happen sooner rather than later. The Astros got lucky with this guy and you could to as an owner because once that changeup departs his hand at 85 MPH, it’s leaving hitters clueless.

Steve Pearce, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays – Owned in 7.7%

There’s a lot that needs to happen for Pearce to be worth your time, mainly because he’s really only been dominant against left-handed pitching. Last season Pearce batted for a .317 AVG and 7 HRs against lefties, but since he’s started 2017 in the leadoff role, he’s gathered some intrigue.

The Blue Jays have allowed Pearce to bat against righties so far this season, and while he has struck out four times, he’s still likely to hit 20 HRs if given the playing time. He’s a low K% guy, striking out only 17.9% of the time last year, well below the league average.

I like Pearce because he gives you some depth if your starting first baseman has an off day, and you’re still likely to get some numbers in return. Pearce hit for a .374 OBP last season and walked 11.3% of the time, and if he’s given 350-400 at-bats, those numbers might look even better.

Frankie Montas, RP, Oakland A’s – Owned in 0.5%

Okay, so this one is a deep add, but it’s one that could be wise if the A’s bullpen situation blows up in a number of weeks.

The reason to be high on Montas is simple: he has great swing-and-miss stuff. I know, the sample size is small, but his slider generated a 66.67 Whiff Per Swing percentage last season in the minors, and it wasn’t even his strongest pitch.

Montas is now relying on his fastball heavily. He threw it 84.6% of the time during his first game of the season against the Angels. Montas gave up two hits in that one, but he’s could transform into the A’s closer as the season progresses.

Right now the only A’s bullpen arm that is worth owning is Sean Doolittle. If you can stash Montas, though, go for it.

Next: Which A's Reliever is Next in Line for Saves?

Week one of the season is hardly the time to panic. Hitters are still warming up, and there’s always a ton of flukey players doing incredible things that just won’t last. The waiver wire is your best friend and it’s as full of talent as ever, so try to stay calm.

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