RADIO
Just as the season was fast approaching in April, it is now fast approaching its end in August. The fantasy baseball playoffs are around the corner and it seems like the injury bug has bitten again, but fear not because the waiver wire is always full of pick-me-ups and replacements, it's just about sifting through the list of names to find the right ones. With the end of the season approaching, the trade deadline in most leagues has also probably passed, so it's just you, me and the wire now, my friends.
This week we're back with our shallow and deep points leagues waiver targets, looking at anyone and everyone between 1% and 55%. So here are a few guys who can contribute in points leagues, one at each position to consider for the next week, and possibly beyond. These are your H2H points leagues waiver wire pickups for Week 20. Let's get to it.
Note: All ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.
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Week 20 Waiver Wire - Points Leagues
C - Alex Avila, Chicago Cubs - 53% owned
Raise your hands if you've loved having Willson Contreras on your team this year. Yeah, me too. The loss of one of fantasy baseball's best catchers especially at this time of the year hurts a lot. But just as the Chicago Cubs did for their team, owners must have a backup, and one of the best backups is Alex Avila. Avila, who was acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline, is pretty much guaranteed to see every day playing time with Contreras hitting the DL. With the Cubs surging, and if they continue to surge and clinch a spot for the playoffs, we could see them holding Contreras off for a bit more to make sure he's fully ready to come back. While Avila is no replacement for Contreras, at this point of the year, he's all we got. The underlying stats on Avila are actually promising. Although his average has dropped significantly since June, he's actually leading the league in hard hit percentage, although he doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify. Technically, this makes this stat a little unreliable because of the small sample size, but it's hard to deny that he was smoking the ball earlier this year with more playing time. Hopefully the increase in Chicago means something for Avila again.
1B - Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies - 21% owned
The 24-year-old may not be playing first base, but the fact that he has the eligibility for the position when some of the usual producers haven't exactly been producing is great. With Tommy Joseph over at first, Hoskins is taking on the outfield, and after collecting his first major league hit and RBI on Sunday, we're just waiting for the power to kick in. After belting 29 home runs and 91 RBI in Triple A Lehigh Valley, and 38 homers with 116 RBI last year in Double A, it seems that Hoskins bat is ready to crush some balls when he runs into them. He did strike out four times in his first three games, but he's also got three walks across four games, which is something that rookie power hitters don't always provide. He's still a nice lottery ticket, and great for keeper leagues where he should be able to hit home runs for a while in Philly.
2B - Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals - 14% owned
While Wong looks like a better pick for a category league, we'll take what he can offer in points leagues too. The average continues to climb, and it's over .300 now, plus the ability to swipe some bags is nice. He won't wow us with power, but the way he's been hitting over the past month makes up for it. Wong has reached base in 14 straight games, with his hit streak still rolling at eight straight. He's knocked five doubles and a triple since the start of the month and even though he's hitting in the middle to lower third of the order, he's still picking up RBI and scoring runs. It's only a matter of time before the Cards' move him back up in the lineup to get on base and score even more runs. He's battled some inconsistency, putting together a strong month of June before a lackluster July, but it looks like he's righting the ship again in August. Hold him until he starts to slow again.
3B - Cory Spangenberg, San Diego Padres - 13% owned
I recommended Spangenberg earlier this season and he still didn't get a ton of love. I get it, he plays for a team that is very underwhelming in one of the toughest parks to hit in. But, he still continues to put up points for owners. The speed is a nice touch for those who are looking for extra points through stolen bases. He also has the potential to pick up a few triples this year too; he had one late last week. Not to mention, he's got 10 home runs in 90 games, with almost an even split of them at home vs. away. Spangenberg is just a nice add if you need the consistency of points being scored every day. It's nice to have power hitters who score 20 points, but they usually come with their fair share of negatives and strikeouts. Spangenberg's spot at the top of the lineup (for the most part) gives him the ability to get on base, run for some bags and score some runs too. Grab him if you need an extra utility.
SS - Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox - 26% owned
Speaking of speed, Tim Anderson was once supposed to be the king of speed, and although we haven't seen as much as hoped this year, he's contributed in so many other ways that there's no way we can be upset with the production. While the plate discipline isn't great, he's hit 13 homers, which is only a few less than the amount that he hit in the minor leagues combined (1,469 plate appearances across three years). He had an abysmal July where he couldn't even break the Mendoza Line, but he's already cranked four home runs in his last eight August games. Plus, the average is starting to climb back up to where it should be. As I said earlier, the plate discipline has taken a hit, and while home runs are starting to appear, it's only a matter of time before the swinging strikes catch up to him. Hold him while he's hot, especially in the wasteland that has been shortstop this year.
OF - David Peralta, Arizona Diamondbacks - 51% owned
Peralta won't blow you away with anything, but he's pretty much the perfect player in points leagues. Case in point: in my points league, he's ranked 95th overall. In my categories league, he's ranked 350th. The average is great for categories, but he doesn't provide tons of power, or drive in a ton of runs, so he doesn't have as much to offer. However, in points leagues, he's great because he doesn't strike out a lot, resulting in very few negative points games. His walks are up in August, totalling six across 11 games, where he only had five in the whole month of July. He's a leadoff hitter, meaning he can get on base for you, he's swiped seven bags, one more than former king of speed above Tim Anderson, and he's scoring tons of runs with the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Jake Lamb and J.D. Martinez hitting behind him. Sometimes these gems are still around in points leagues, because they don't seem like huge contributors, but Peralta has always been worth the add.
SP - Jerad Eickhoff, Philadelphia Phillies - 47% owned
Eickhoff is a great two-start candidate this week, with two opponents that are very manageable. He takes on San Diego at Petco, and San Francisco at AT&T, so out of any two-starters this week, he's probably the best option who is not already owned. Eickhoff has bounced back and forth between good starts and bad starts over the past month or so, and the big difference between the good and bad is one thing: walks. If Eickhoff can limit his walks, he can turn in a good start, so really his own worst enemy is himself. It's a good thing that both the Padres and Giants rank in the bottom 10 in walks per game, and the Padres are among the bottom in strikeouts per game. If Eickhoff can stay out of his own way, we could have two excellent starts this week.
RP - Cam Bedrosian, Los Angeles Angels - 41% owned
The revolving door of closers in Anaheim has been turning all season, but I think that the right person is finally in charge, and his name is Cam Bedrosian. Bud Norris had the reigns for a while, but whether it was misuse, or the pressure, he's fallen by the wayside, and given up some runs in his last few appearances. But we've also got names like Keynan Middleton, Blake Parker and Yusmeiro Petit in the mix. With the Angels in a wildcard spot, the team should go with the most experienced closer, who is Cam Bedrosian. Bedrosian has recorded two saves in the past four games, but this really smells like a closer by committee situation. Is Los Angeles the best team to own a closer from? Probably not, but I still believe Bedrosian has the longer leash because of his track record.
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