Deep League Waiver Wire Pickups: Hitters & Pitchers For Week 20

August 15, 2014

Aaron Schooler analyzes the top MLB waiver wire pickups for week 20 of fantasy baseball. These MLB hitters & pitchers can have an immediate impact and should be owned.

I am excited about this week's deep league waiver wire sleeper pickups article. There is real value in this group of players. While I am very high on David Peralta and Mike Zunino, don’t sleep on the savvy veterans either. Let's get to it!

J.P. Arencibia - C, Texas Rangers

Owned in 21% of Yahoo Leagues, 10% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Amazing that a player hitting less than .200 could be placed in the middle of a big league lineup, but that is where J.P finds himself. Through injuries, which have hit the Rangers hard, some struggling teams are looking for any body that can even make hard contact.

Arencibia has power, if you can look past the pathetic average, and there are 28 RBIs in 42 games along with 14 extra base hits.

Recommendation: JP has never hit for a high average, but I would not be surprised to see continued run production. Wait and see with this one.

David Peralta - OF, Arizona Dbacks

Owned in 9% of Yahoo Leagues, 7% of Fleaflicker Leagues

With the flurry of trades occurring prior to the July 31st deadline, some players have emerged with new roles and new opportunities. Peralta has taken full advantage of his consistent playing time receiving at bats that would have went to the injured A. J. Pollock or recently dealt Gerardo Parra.

Lately, he has been a multi-hit machine collecting 5 in the last 10 games including a 5 RBI performance. This may be no fluke with impressive minor league numbers including a .346 average in high A.

Recommendation: I watched a week ago and he hit everything hard in that game. Pick him up.

Adam Lind - 1B/DH, Toronto Jays

Owned in 25% of Yahoo Leagues, 15% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Lind is off the DL and is ready to rake. With a solid track record as middle of the order threat, Lind was off to a fast start hitting .320 and slugging nearly .500. He will join a solid lineup making a playoff push and could very well be their difference maker.

As of Tuesday evening, Lind was hitting in the clean up spot protecting Jose Bautista. Once Lind gets comfortable, he will start paying dividends for fantasy owners. The one caveat with Lind is you can only play him vs. right handed pitchers.

Recommendation: If you wait for him to get hot, it may be too late.

Jeremy Hellickson - SP, Tampa Rays

Owned in 13% of Yahoo Leagues, 11% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Coming off of a solid start against the MLB best Oakland A’s, Hellickson continued his mastery of the AL West blanking the Rangers for 6 innings. With an impressive WHIP and a few solid seasons under his young belt it’s a safe bet to assume a strong finish to the season.

There is also room for improvement as right-handers have hit him with far greater success than in other seasons. Once he gets that straightened out, he will add depth to your pitching staff.

Recommendation: Never doubt the Rays. They are gamers and Hellickson will find a way to contribute.

Mike Zunino - C, Seattle Mariners

Owned in 19% of Yahoo Leagues, 15% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Zunino was another high draft pick by Seattle with the weight of a struggling franchise on his shoulders. Thus far, it has been a pretty nice success story. The Mariners are getting a great leader and game manager, but the bonus is a surprising power outburst of late.

With 18 homers Zunino ranks second in home runs by catchers. His fantasy point output ranks him in the top ten of all catchers among names like Miguel Montero and Brian McCann. The batting average like a lot of catchers is low. He may not hit more than .250 in a season, but he can be a game changer with one swing of the bat.

Recommendation: Zunino is going to play a lot down the stretch, so he is worth owning in 12+ team leagues.