RADIO
Welcome to another week of Middle Infield waiver wire options, and Happy Memorial Day weekend to all. The unofficial start of summer is a great time to take stock of the baseball season, both on the real and virtual diamond.
If your fantasy team isn't doing so hot, no worries, there's still plenty of season left to make a move up the standings. If you're doing well, no time to stop and smell the freshly-bloomed flowers, we need to keep the pedal to the metal and look to improve any weaknesses in the lineup. If that weakness is at 2B or SS, you've come to the right place!
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting prospects in the single digits who may get the call and deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 10 -- May 29 through June 4.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Casey Schmitt, SS/3B, San Francisco Giants (39% rostered)
Casey Schmitt is somehow less rostered today than when this column came out last week despite posting three more multi-hit games. The 24-year-old prospect continues to mash for the Giants as he's batting .343 and slugging .507 through his first 17 games. Oddly, Schmitt is yet to draw a walk, but that doesn't mean he has poor plate discipline as his K-rate remains excellent at 17.9%.
Schmitt is hitting for average and power, has a strong minor league track record, and is hitting the ball extremely hard as evidenced by a sturdy .399 xwOBA on contact. He should be the top priority to add if you need a shortstop (or third baseman) and he is available.
Miguel Vargas, 2B/1B, Los Angeles Dodgers (44% rostered)
Both the Dodgers and Miguel Vargas have been a tad underwhelming relative to preseason expectations, but there should be optimism that things will get better as the season progresses. In the case of Vargas, his Statcast numbers are largely better than his actual production:
What really stands out for Vargas is the elite plate discipline, as he's striking out under 20% of the time and walking at an excellent rate. This is a good sign for a rookie as it implies he's not pressing despite not producing as he had in the minors. If he keeps making the pitcher throw strikes and keeps hitting the ball hard, things will get better for Vargas.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies (24% rostered)
A week ago, we recommended Ezequiel Tovar as an add in advance of a seven-game week at Coors Field, and the rookie delivered with a six-game hit streak. Unfortunately, the counting stats remained low as he's buried at ninth in the Colorado batting order. If he keeps getting on base, he should move up as the Rockies aren't exactly trotting out a cast of All-Stars.
The Rockies head on the road this week, but it's still worth grabbing Tovar in deeper leagues as he's only 21 years old and his minor league track record implies he's better than what he's shown thus far in the majors.
Luis Garcia, 2B/SS, Washington Nationals (11% rostered)
The Nationals lineup has been better than expected this season and a big reason why has been two-hole hitter Luis Garcia. A 6-for-6 game on Friday night has his batting average up to .288 on the season as Garcia has been locked in at the plate long before that historic game.
Since May 14, Garcia is batting .395 with a .442 slugging percentage and scored nine runs in 10 games, setting the table for the aforementioned scrappy Nationals lineup. Garcia is as good of a hot-hand play as there is right now at a weak second base position in fantasy.
Other Options to Consider:
- Owen Miller, 1B/2B/3B, Milwaukee Brewers (43% rostered)
- Edouard Julien, 2B, Minnesota Twins (4% rostered)
Prospect Watch
Ronny Mauricio, SS, New York Mets (7% rostered)
There's a saying in football that the most popular player on a losing team is the backup quarterback. Well, that same principle applies to underachieving baseball teams, particularly when the team in question is running out of the largest payroll in MLB history.
As a result of the Mets' lineup struggling to score, the fans are clamoring to call up prospect Ronny Mauricio, who is tearing up Triple-A. The 22-year-old is slashing .348/.384/.586 with seven homers and nine steals in 48 games. Mauricio leads all of minor-league baseball with 22 doubles and his electric blend of power and speed could be exactly what the Mets need to inject some life into its season.
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