Digging Deeper - Waiver Wire Options for Fantasy Baseball Week 1

April 14, 2022

Ryan Grundle's deeper fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and free agent adds, including AL-Only and NL-Only pickups, for Week 1 of the 2022 MLB season.

Welcome back to the NL-only and AL-only pickups column. Each week, we'll look at five players who are under 15% rostered in Yahoo! leagues that can be considered as options to add in deep-league formats, such as 15-teamers or AL or NL-only leagues.

We'll also include a recommendation for what to do with each player on your roster and review previous picks to determine if they are worth holding onto.

Without further ado, let's get into it.

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Nick Senzel - 2B/OF, Reds

13% rostered
Recommended move: Add for the long haul 

Nick Senzel had a solid Spring Training and started the regular season with a hit in the first two games. It appears that the Reds are committed to playing him regularly this season as he started in center field and batted sixth in the first four games of the season. He is a former second overall pick in 2016, so it makes sense that the Reds would want to give Senzel every chance to succeed.

Injuries have held Senzel back in his career. He broke into the league in 2019 and started his career relatively well, playing in 104 games he hit 12 home runs, 20 doubles, and 14 stolen bases. He subsequently would appear in just 59 games over the next two seasons. For his career, he has 15 HR and 18 SB over 167 games, so he has demonstrated the ability to hit for power and provide stolen bases. His elite sprint speed suggests that there is a lot of potential here, he ranked in the 96th percentile in 2019, 97th in 2020, and 94th in 2021.

Senzel profiles as a 20/20 player, which is not easy to find on the waiver wire. Adding the fact that he has dual eligibility (2B/OF), he gives your roster some flexibility. If you are looking to take a flier on a player that has prospect pedigree and potential, he makes for a great pickup. The big question with Senzel is whether or not he can stay healthy, if he does he could be a big difference-maker in NL-only and deep leagues.

Jorge Mateo - 2B/SS/OF, Orioles

8% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks

Mateo is one of the fastest players in MLB, as evidenced by his 99th percentile ranking in sprint speed. He looks to be the starting shortstop for the Orioles this season after he had a great Spring Training, reaching base 10 times in nine games, hitting .381, with two home runs and four doubles, he also had one stolen base in two tries. He is off to a good start to the season as he has reached base seven times in his first four games and has already recorded two stolen bases. While he has hit in the bottom third of the order in the early going, he might find himself hitting at the top of the order if he continues to get on base consistently.

Mateo might not provide much in the power department, but he makes for a good pickup if you need a cheap source of steals. He could provide a decent batting average, as he has shown signs of being a decent hitter in the past. He is also a player that will provide some roster flexibility, as he is eligible at 2B, SS, and OF. If he hits at the top of the order for the O's, with Cedric Mullins hitting behind him, he is likely to score a lot of runs and will make for a very valuable addition. With that said, and given his potential to provide steals, he is worth a speculative add in AL-only and deep leagues.

Eric Lauer - SP, Brewers

14% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks 

If you are looking for a starting pitcher, consider Eric Lauer of the Milwaukee Brewers. Lauer had a good season in 2021, he posted a 7-5 win/loss record, and a career-best 3.19 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He also stuck out nearly a batter-per-inning, with 117 strikeouts in 118.2 innings pitched, for a career-best 23.9% strikeout rate. However, it was his second half of the season that should have fantasy managers excited, he posted an outstanding 2.60 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 63 strikeouts in 62.1 IP.

Lauer's first start of this season was in Baltimore against the Orioles, and he pitched fairly well, pitching 4.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out five and walking two. As Lauer suffered a hamstring injury in spring training, it is likely the Brewers did not want to push him too far in his first start. He is currently in line for a tough match-up against the Cardinals in his next start.

If he manages to string together a few good starts, he could become a must-add SP in NL-only and deep leagues. Another factor that helps his cause is that he is on a good team, one that already has three of the best SPs in the game, so he is not likely to line up against other teams' aces, thus he theoretically should have a good chance at accumulating wins this season. Pick him up now and see how he performs in his next few starts, if he does well, you might just have a permanent fixture in your starting pitcher rotation for the rest of the season.

Reid Detmers - SP, Angels

14% rostered
Recommended move: Add for the long haul 

Another option to consider at SP is Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels. Detmers was drafted 10th overall in the 2020 draft, and won't turn 23 years old until July. He has all the potential to become a front-line fantasy starter, although that might be too much to ask for this season. However, he could easily become a solid number 2 or 3 SP on your team by season's end. While he struggled in his first go-around in MLB last season, he dominated in the minors, with 108 strikeouts in just 62 innings pitched, and a 43% strikeout rate. He also posted a 3.19 ERA and recorded just 19 walks.

Detmers had an impressive Spring Training and was handed the final spot in the team's 6-man rotation at the start of the season. He was fairly impressive in his first start of the season, as he was able to hold his own against the dangerous Houston Astros lineup. He pitched four innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out three and walking two. He is currently lined up to start on the road against the Rangers in his next start, which might be a good matchup for him. If he can stick in the rotation for the entire season, he has a good chance of becoming a very useful addition to your starting rotation for the long term.

Art Warren - RP, Reds

13% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a couple of weeks

For those that may have missed out in the mad dash to secure closers in the first few days of the season, don't fret, as there are others out there that will emerge as the season unfolds. Such is the way when it comes to closers and RP in general, it is an extremely volatile position with the potential for major role changes from one week to the next.

One player to consider adding if you are in search of saves is Art Warren of the Cincinnati Reds. When looking at the Reds' bullpen, Warren might be the best fit to become the closer. He was dominant last season, pitching in 26 games, he recorded 34 strikeouts while surrendering just 11 hits in 21 innings pitched. He had a 41.5% strikeout rate, and a minuscule 1.29 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. Granted it is a small sample size, but the numbers are hard to ignore.

He certainly seems to fit the profile of a closer and looks to have the stuff to be a good one. With his 6'3", 230lb frame, he also looks the part. He managed to convert his first save opportunity of the season, picking up the save against the Braves in the fourth game of the season. If Warren is not officially the closer for the Reds, he could be soon. There is a chance that he gets the majority of save opportunities for the Reds this season and is worth a speculative add.

Reviewing Last Week's Picks

At the end of each week's post, I'll review what happened with last week's picks and offer a suggestion for them in the future.

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