BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 53% of Leagues
ANALYSIS: Brett Baty finally forced the Mets' hand after hitting .400 with five home runs through nine games at Triple-A Syracuse. The win-now Mets have found limited production from their everyday third baseman, Eduardo Escobar, in the early going of 2023. Escobar has struggled mightily, hitting just .125 to start the year.
Baty has been crushing the ball in Triple-A, sporting a 73% hard-hit rate on 26 batted balls, according to Mike Petriello of MLB.com. Since his promotion to Double-A in 2021, Baty has hit .308 with 29 home runs in 144 games.
The fantasy baseball community was shocked when the Mets decided not to give him an Opening Day spot after he flashed potential last year in limited plate appearances for the big league club. Baty had a 19% strikeout rate, 91.1 mph average exit velocity, and a max exit velocity of 113 mph in 42 plate appearances before a thumb injury ended his 2022 season.
The 23-year-old is worth a look in all formats, 10 teams or deeper, for fantasy managers that would like to take a shot at an upside play. Baty will need to remain patient at the plate, keeping his strikeout rate down if he wants to become an everyday player. His counterpart, Francisco Alvarez, has struggled to stay in the Mets lineup since being called up. Alvarez has started just four games since receiving his promotion.
Baty will likely start out as a platoon player. If he can remain productive against left-handed pitchers, we could see a power outburst from the young corner infielder.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Erick Fedde - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 9)
BALLER MOVE: Add in all formats ROSTERED IN: 45% of Leagues ANALYSIS: One of the few bright spots for the White Sox this season has been the performance of Erick Fedde. After spending 2023 pitching in the Korean league, Fedde returned to MLB this season with a revamped arsenal of pitches and better command of... Read More
Taj Bradley - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 9)
BALLER MOVE: Add in all formats ROSTERED IN: 43% of Leagues ANALYSIS: After suffering an injury during training camp that cost him the first month and a half of the season, Taj Bradley is back in the Tampa Bay rotation and looks great through his first two starts. Bradley was a popular sleeper pick late... Read More
Jalen Beeks - Closers and Saves Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 9)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 12% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Justin Lawrence was the Rockies closer to begin the season, but after a few rough outings and a stint on the paternity list, Jalen Beeks was given a chance to close out games and has seemingly run away with the job. Earlier... Read More
Christian Scott - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 9)
BALLER MOVE: Add in all formats ROSTERED IN: 45% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Mets rookie Christian Scott is off to a tremendous start in his big league career through two starts. The 24-year-old right-hander has an impressive 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 12 2/3 innings while striking out 14 hitters. After dominating at Triple-A for... Read More
Ricky Tiedemann - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 9)
BALLER MOVE: Stash in Deeper Leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: If you held on to Ricky Tiedemann hoping for a fairly quick return to the mound, that's not going to be the case. The update on May 7 was that he's still a couple of weeks away from throwing off a mound. After that, he'll likely... Read More
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!