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Welcome to the 2024 MLB season and welcome back to the 1B and 3B fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups! I am back this year to help you make the best waiver wire moves that take your fantasy team to the next level. Like real baseball, the standings in fantasy baseball fluctuate so much this time of year, and there is plenty of room for error. So, don't sweat it... yet.
That said, it's always nice to get a head start in your league. Aside from the Dodgers' big-money moves and the Yankees' trade for Juan Soto, baseball's offseason was mostly uneventful. However, this year's campaign is highly anticipated. Even through the season's first few games, we've already seen a lot of offense. That spells good news for fantasy lineups.
So, without further ado, here is the first installment of first base and third base fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 2 – April 1 through April 7.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and weekly lineup resources:- Nick Mariano's fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups (Premium)
- Start/Sit recommendations - All Pitcher Matchups for Week Ahead
- Fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings (top 80 players)
- FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- Outfield fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- 1B/3B fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- 2B/SS fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- Catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- Hitter streamers - fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- Two-start pitcher streamers - fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
- Cut List - Players To Consider Dropping
Waiver Wire Pickups For Shallow Leagues (30-50% rostered)
Jake Cronenworth, 1B/2B, San Diego Padres (46% rostered)
Jake Cronenworth's 2024 season may not have gotten off to a great start, with a routine ground ball somehow finding its way through his glove, but he's made up for it with his bat. He's slashed .400/.435/.600 with two doubles, a triple, and six RBI across five games. The Padres are 2-3 to begin the year, but with Cronenworth, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado heating up, they shouldn't be under .500 for much longer.
It’s been three games I get it but Jake Cronenworth for Comeback Player of the Year sounds great to me
(Video via MLB) pic.twitter.com/4KdHUYdlZ6
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) March 29, 2024
San Diego opened the season in Seoul, South Korea, against the juggernaut Dodgers. They'll wrap up a four-game series with the Giants on Sunday before facing the Cardinals for three games, and Cronenworth is a player to watch during the week ahead.
Jordan Westburg, 2B/3B, Baltimore Orioles (46% rostered)
Unsurprisingly, the Orioles have come out swinging to begin the 2024 campaign, outscoring the Angels 24-7 in the season's opening two games. Second-year infielder Jordan Westburg contributed to Baltimore's offensive outburst, collecting three RBI across seven at-bats. He added an RBI single to center on Opening Day and a two-run single in the second game of the series. The O's offense looks lethal to start the year (now just imagine when Jackson Holliday gets called up) and along with solid pitching, they again look to be a threat to win the American League East.
Get used to the name JORDAN WESTBURG pic.twitter.com/MaTFYnA8wC
— Legacy Locks (@_LegacyLocks) March 28, 2024
Baltimore will finish their series with Los Angeles on Sunday and host Kansas City for three games this week. The Royals will send righties Michael Wacha and Alec Marsh to the mound on Monday and Tuesday, with lefty Cole Ragans to face off against Corbin Burnes on Wednesday. Westburg's numbers suggest he sees left-handers better, but there isn't much disparity between his LHP vs. RHP stats.
Waiver Wire For Deeper Leagues (10-30% rostered)
Oswaldo Cabrera, 2B/3B/SS/OF, New York Yankees (27% rostered)
In case you haven't heard, presumed Yankees utility man Oswaldo Cabrera is on an insane tear to begin the year. The 25-year-old has two home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored in the season's first three games. He's certainly making his case for a starting role with the club after this outstanding performance against the Astros, who feature a fairly impressive starting rotation.
Oswaldo Cabrera is just Barry Bonds now? pic.twitter.com/kcICtMKJTt
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 31, 2024
New York won its first three games against Houston. Next, the Yanks will face the reigning National League champion Diamondbacks for three games in Arizona before returning home to Yankee Stadium. Having Cabrera blossom into a viable hitter would be a welcome development to the Yankees' lineup, which already features sluggers Soto, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton, especially after last year's disappointing offensive product.
Cavan Biggio, 1B/2B/3B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays (10% rostered)
Cavan Biggio has looked like an excellent utility man for the Blue Jays' first three games of the season. He's already belted his first home run, collecting two RBI and three walks. The homer came in Toronto's first game of the year, an 8-2 win against the Rays. However, they've lost the last two contests and even had a benches-clearing brawl in Tampa Bay on Saturday. They'll open a three-game set with the Astros on Monday.
Cavan Biggio, what a sequence.
After making the play to end the 5th, he homers in the 6th to give the #BlueJays the lead, 2-1. pic.twitter.com/rZQx0SGpxa
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 28, 2024
At this point, the Blue Jays know what they have in Biggio. He hasn't been able to eclipse his career-highs in home runs (16) or RBI (48) that he set during his rookie year in 2019. It seems unlikely he'll suddenly figure it out now, so it's best to ride the hot hand while you can.
Deeper Waiver Wire Options to Consider (Under 10%)
David Fry, C/1B/OF, Cleveland Guardians (5% rostered)
Like the Orioles, the Guardians have exploded offensively in the season's opening games. Granted, Cleveland is facing the lowly Athletics, but it's an encouraging sign, especially for first-year manager Stephen Vogt. David Fry has been a key part of that, currently batting .667 after collecting four hits, including a double, two walks, three RBI, and a stolen base across the first three games.
Following their four-game set in Oakland, which concludes on Sunday, the Guardians will travel to Seattle to face the Mariners for three games. Needless to say, the competition will be much more challenging for Cleveland, as the M's boast one of the fiercest rotations in the league. But having scored 26 runs in three games, they are in good shape to do some damage at T-Mobile Park. Fry figures to aid in that challenge.
More Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- J.D. Davis, 1B/3B, Oakland Athletics (5% rostered)
- Carlos Santana, 1B, Minnesota Twins (7% rostered)
- Ryan Noda, 1B, Oakland Athletics (5% rostered)
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