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Tony Peters analyzes some American League players to target as fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups & adds in Week 4. These AL-only targets can be sleepers.
As the fantasy baseball world enters Week Four, rosters are beginning to take shape in both fantasy and the majors. Players are over-performing and struggling, healing up and succumbing to injury, leading to an increasing flurry of moves from fantasy owners. Here are some players to consider when filling any roster holes AL-only owners may have. All are owned in 25% or less of Flea Flicker leagues.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.
American League Targets - Hitters
Eduardo Nunez (SS/3B, MIN) - 6% Owned
Utility infielder Eduardo Nunez has gained access to full-time at-bats with Trevor Plouffe on the DL with an intercostal strain for at least a few more weeks. Since April 15th, he is hitting .366 in nine starts--including a 4-for-7 performance in Sunday's 16-inning loss--bringing his season average up to .404. But much like a magic trick involving playing cards, there's always an obvious tell if one knows where to look. Nunez's tell is his lack of exposure to left-handers so far. Including going 0-for-4 against them to begin 2016, he is hitting .218 versus left-handers since 2014. If the Twins don't continue to limit his exposure to lefties, fantasy owners will need to in order to maximize their returns as Nunez's main fantasy asset is his batting average.
Brett Lawrie (2B/3B, CWS) - 20% Owned
Brett Lawrie has been enjoying his first season as a member of the White Sox as he is off to a fabulous start. After 20 games, he's hitting .278 with one home run, seven RBI and one stolen base. Lawrie is trying to put together two consecutive healthy seasons in a row for the first time in his career. By doing so, the 26-year-old may finally be taking the next step in his development to become more like the career .295/.362/.489 slasher he was in the minors. That said, the White Sox are in the middle of a road trip through two of Lawrie's worst career hitting situation, against Toronto (.174 against his former team) and in Baltimore (.202 at Camden Yards). If he has a bad week, keep in mind it was just the opponents, not an indication of the wheels falling off.
Marlon Byrd (OF, CLE) - 14% Owned
Outfielder Marlon Byrd may have taken his time picking a new team to play for in 2016 (or maybe teams took their time), but when it comes to opportunity, he did quite well landing in Cleveland. With Lonnie Chisenhall starting the season on the DL, Byrd has enjoyed a steady stream of at-bats, allowing him to get out to a solid start, hitting .302 with two home runs and eight RBI in 43 at-bats. With Chisenhall back last week and Michael Brantley having just returned, Byrd's playing time is about to take an initial hit as one of the Indians' five outfielders. But with Chisenhall entering his second month of 2016, an utter mess at the plate, and Cleveland still playing to win, Byrd will be the starter in right field sooner rather than later, getting back to work on hitting 20 home runs for the fourth season in a row.
Jed Lowrie (SS/2B/3B, OAK) - 9% Owned
Infield utility man Jed Lowrie continues to build upon his reputation as an April wonder by hitting .304 with 10 RBI to start 2016. He now has a career .306 average in the month of April, but with his second-best mark being August's .257 mark, the wheels will eventually fall of this wagon. They always do. But until then, Lowrie is a great middle infield choice, especially as he has yet to hit a homer and is prone to them coming in bursts. If he can hold onto his value come June, shop this hot potato around so he burns another owner's proverbial hands.
Byung-Ho Park (1B, MIN) - 20% Owned
Minnesota's rookie first baseman Byung-Ho Park has experienced some growing pains during his first month of Major League games. So far this year, he is hitting .224 with four home runs and five RBI, which isn't exactly useful to fantasy owners banking on Park producing right away. While an exact turnaround date is hard to pinpoint, there are signs that he is making positive adjustments. After racking up three multi-strikeout games in his first five, he has yet to have one in 10 games since. After hitting over fifty home runs each of the past two seasons while also hitting over .300, the Twins and fantasy owners should continue giving Park the benefit of the doubt. Just don't start him in the meantime if at all possible.
American League Targets - Pitchers
J.A. Happ (SP, TOR) - 23% Owned
Starting pitcher J.A. Happ has been enjoying his second stint in Toronto, starting the season 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 26 innings. Four starts is a small sample size, but in the case of the gains he made with his strikeout rate in Pittsburgh last season, it appears they stayed there, diminishing his season outlook slightly. But with a strong team behind him and a great game plan partner in catcher Russell Martin, Happ should easily reach double digits in the wins column. He'll look to add two more wins to his 2016 ledger in his next starts against two teams he had success against last season, the Rays (2.08 ERA in 13 innings) and the Rangers (1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings).
Steve Cishek (RP, SEA) - 14% Owned
Mariners' closer Steve Cishek was a popular pick by fantasy experts all around the web this off-season to be one of the first closers to lose their job. After a shaky 2015 that saw him lose his closer gig (and roster spot) with the Marlins and the presence of superior reliever Joaquin Benoit. But as April nears it's end, Cishek is 1-1 with a 0.90 ERA, five saves and nine strikeouts in 10 innings; Benoit is on the 15-day DL. After struggling with his control all of last season, racking up 30 walks and 55 hits in 55.1 innings, he has only given up two and six, respectively, so far in 2016. Cishek's career numbers say he won't be able to suppress baserunners like this forever, but if he can hold onto even a fraction of these gains, he should be able to hold down the closer job all season.
Ricky Nolasco (SP, MIN) - 8% Owned
Something tells me Ricky Nolasco isn't likely to end up on this list again this season, but that means nothing in the here and now. After putting up horrid numbers in his first two injury-shortened seasons, Nolasco is holding his own in 2016 now that he is healthy. After three starts, Nolasco's 1-0 with a 2.66 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 20.1 innings. His success can be attributed to him limiting the amount of hits he's allowing. The longer he can kept that hit rate at or below one per innings, as he has in his best years, the longer he can be a useful back-end rotation option.
Josh Tomlin (SP, CLE) - 12% Owned
After two 2016 starts, it looks like the gains starting pitcher Josh Tomlin made last season are here to stay. After two starts (he'd have more if it were not for weather issues), he is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. He continues to limit free passes at a remarkable clip, having allowed only nine (including one this season) in the past two seasons and 77.1 innings. The biggest surprise though has been Tomlin's new-found ability to keep the ball in the park, only allowing one home run so far after averaging over one a start last year and near one over his career. There's still plenty of time for Tomlin to regress, but with each successful start, 2015 is looking less and less like a fluke.
Alex Colome (RP, TB) - 8% Owned
Filling in for injured closer Brad Boxberger, Alex Colome has been excellent so far in his first taste of the closer job. He's gone 1-1 with a 1.17 ERA, four saves and eight strikeouts in 7.2 innings. Yet, those stats have not earned Colome any trust in the eyes of fantasy baseball owners as he continues to sits under double-digit ownership. He may not have a track record, but he makes up for it with opportunity and a career 3.23 ERA as a reliever in the Majors so far. With Boxberger expected to miss another three-to-four weeks, Colome should be owned in all AL-only leagues.
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