Fantasy Baseball 2017: Top second-half waiver wire adds
By Bill Pivetz
With the second half of the season about to begin, fantasy owners are looking for players to improve their team. Here are the top waiver wire pickups.
The Home Run Derby and All-Star game are done. With the second half picking up on Friday, fantasy owners need to shake off the rust like the real players and get back to competing. The waiver wire is full of talent and deep sleepers that can help you down the stretch.
At this point in the season, though, the waiver is a little thin. The absurd number of injuries have forced owners to pick up those replacements sooner rather than later. Now that those players are performing, the talent floor is just a bit lower than usual.
Yet, there is still value to be had on the waiver. There’s no point to continue to hold onto the not performing players just because they have a ‘name.’ If they can’t hit a home run in three weeks, or do much else, they belong on the waiver wire. If a pitcher has an 8.00 ERA in his last four starts, drop him for a hot arm.
I named five hitters, three starting pitchers and three relievers worth adding to your roster for one reason or another. While there are more injured pitchers, there are more starting spots for hitters based on standard roster settings.
Some of these players will be owned in your league, I think four are owned in mine. If so, just move on to the next player with similar stats and potential. The ownership percentages I reference are based on ESPN leagues. I kept the ownership percentages for the players 50 percent or under.
These five hitters can help you with all of the hitting stats. Some have the power to catch up to the Aaron Judge owner while others run around the bases on their way to home. There’s a bit of everything out there to improve your team.
Paul DeJong (25.7 percent owned) – My colleague Brad Kelly already wrote about DeJong here, but his performance to end the first half is worth mentioning again. He hit a home run in his final three games and ended six-game hit streak with 12 hits. His multi-position eligibility, second base, shortstop and third base, gives him added value in most leagues.
Whit Merrifield (42.0 percent) – Opposite of DeJong, Merrifield hasn’t hit a home run since July 4. He does have 33 RBI, 32 runs and a .281 average for the year. He has four multi-hit games in his last eight games. Merrifield can also run, six steals in his last eight and 14 for the year.
Tommy Pham (27.9 percent) – Another St. Louis Cardinal, Pham is racking up numbers across the board. He has 11 home runs, 34 RBI, 42 runs, 11 steals and a .299 average. Pham went 3-for-3 Sunday before leaving with right hip tightness. He is day-to-day so let’s hope the extra rest will get to 100 percent soon.
Marcus Semien (9.9 percent) – Semien missed a significant amount of time with a wrist injury. For some reason, the Oakland A’s didn’t keep him out until the second half. He made his return on July 6. In his last four games, he is 3-for-17 with a home run, three RBI, three runs and a stolen base. As the A’s starting shortstop, he should quickly gain more ownership percentage as he continues to hit successfully.
Jesus Aguilar (2.5 percent) – Eric Thames is locked in as the Milwaukee Brewers’ first baseman. However, when there is a southpaw on the mound, Thames finds himself on the bench. Enter Aguilar. He is worth the add in NL-only or deeper leagues of if play DFS. He is hitting .294 with nine home runs, 34 RBI and 26 runs. If Aguilar continues to hit like this in the second half, he will have more opportunities.
The three starting pitchers have lowered their ERAs over the last month. Seeing them make improvements to their ratios is a good sign for things to come. Some may not strikeout a lot of batters, but keeping runners off base is key to fewer runs scored. Shocking, right?
Jose Urena (32.0 percent) – Urena ended the first half on a down note, 10 IP/8 H/3 BB/10 K/5 ER, but before that, he was pitching well. He had four straight quality starts with a 2-1 record. He struck out seven on July 4, the most in his last eight starts. However, with the Miami Marlins offense looking good and the rest of the division (except for Washington) not, he’ll have another couple of good starts coming up.
R.A. Dickey (13.5 percent) – Staying in the National League East, Dickey is on a bit of a resurgence in Atlanta. Dickey finished with four straight quality starts. He’s given up three earned runs over his last 27 innings. After getting crushed by the Nationals on June 13, he came back and limited them to just one run on July 7. Dickey allows many hits but his walk rate is pretty low.
Jhoulys Chacin (18.1 percent) – It’s hard to trust a San Diego Padres pitcher, but Chacin has been a consistent option since June. He has six quality starts in his last seven games. He is 4-3 in that span, so if you need wins, look somewhere else. Chacin is averaging 5.6 strikeouts and 2.1 walks per start in his last seven. I think he can continue this streak and lower his ERA to under 4.00 soon.
This one was tricky because there are a lot of starting pitchers that qualify as a reliever, and vice versa. I narrowed it down to pitchers with at least five holds this season. That may eliminate some quality relievers, but if they’re not getting saves, let alone holds, are they worth it?
Brandon Maurer (39.1 percent) – Another San Diego pitcher not getting love. He is clearly the Padres closer but is available in about 60 percent of leagues. With the rumors of Brad Hand on the market, Maurer will have little competition for the job. He is 5-for-5 in his last five games and hasn’t allowed a run with six strikeouts and zero walks. While he may not get many saves, only 19 this season, he’ll help your ratio stats.
Joe Kelly (6.6 percent) – Kelly has recently moved into the Boston bullpen and has done a good job. He is the setup man for Craig Kimbrel and has 10 holds this season. Before his blowup on July 9, Kelly hasn’t allowed an earned run since April 30. He has a 26:16 K:BB ratio this season, so that is a concern, but the chance for holds is high.
Justin Wilson (49.5 percent) – Wilson just made the cut and his ownership percentage could continue to rise. He is another closer who has the job locked up on his respective team but still remains widely available. I don’t get it. Wilson is 10-for-11 in save opportunities. He has five saves, zero earned runs and 10:1 K:BB ratio in his last seven innings. If the pitchers and offense can hand him a lead, he can convert the save.
As you can see, the waiver wire is a little thin at this point. If you are still competing for a playoff spot, two things. One, good for you. Two, don’t give up. Make improvements any way you can in order to win an extra matchup or gain a Roto point or two.
These are the players to do that for you.