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Matt Wallach outlines his favorite week 9 waiver wire pickups and adds for deep leagues, and AL-only or NL-only fantasy baseball leagues for the 2020 MLB season.
It feels like the baseball season has just started, but we are reaching the conclusion. Alas, that is life in a 60-game season. For fantasy purposes that means it's either playoff time or the final couple of weeks to try and make up ground in Roto leagues. Either way, the waiver wire may not be full of the best options and staking a playoff victory or categories on free agents at this point in the season maybe is not the most ideal option, but there are still some gems that are being under-rostered that can be quite handy for this final stretch run.
This article will be a look at players that are under 15% rostered in Yahoo leagues that are options to be considered in deeper leagues, or in the case of the Year of Coronaball, injury replacements with upside that have the possibility of sticking on rosters even beyond a few games or couple of weeks.
Without further ado, let's get into it.
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Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF, BOS)
12% Rostered, Recommended Move: Ride the hot streak.
One common theme throughout these recommendations has been solid, boring, veteran production. Whether it was Evan Longoria, Asdrubal Cabrera, Todd Frazier or Corey Dickerson, these types of players are likely undervalued in fantasy leagues because they are not all that exciting and they just quietly put up their numbers.
In the case of JBJ, he's been exactly average this season, with a 101 wRC+, and very little power with a .419 slugging percentage. However, Bradley has been performing exceptionally well in the past couple of weeks, with a .304/.396/.565 triple slash in his 13 games. This has gone largely unnoticed in fantasy leagues as he remains just 12% rostered. If he can continue to play like this for the remainder of the season, he could be a very useful option in deep leagues to close out the season.
Miguel Rojas (SS, MIA)
8% Rostered, Recommended Move: Ride the hot streak.
Rojas was one of the hottest players in baseball at the beginning of the season although few expected it to last. He was one of the many Marlins players who were forced to miss time due to COVID-19 and when he returned, he was less effective, with just a .688 OPS in the month of August.
He's been back to his hot ways in September, though. He's enjoyed a nice run this month with a .395/.477/.605 triple slash and it is a little surprising to see him still so readily available in many fantasy leagues. His Statcast metrics are far from ideal, but he just continues to produce as he continues to play every day. While his current .593 slugging percentage should not be expected to stick, he should still be a positive contributor in the batting average department due to superb contact ability. While this likely will not last into the 2021 season, Rojas, for now, is a good plug-and-play option for managers who need consistent production for the stretch run.
Ke'Bryan Hayes (3B, PIT)
8% Rostered, Recommended Move: Add for the long haul.
This is now the third week in a row where Hayes is being recommended, and this is the third week in a row where I am surprised about how low his roster rate is. He continues to do nothing but produce for the Pirates, while now hitting in the top third of their lineup every day.
It was a .848 OPS for Hayes in the last week and it is a .316/.381/.605 triple slash overall. What more do you need? He continues to hit for a solid batting average and get on base, which makes him a good option in both average and OBP leagues. While his power potential is not the calling card of his game, this is a player that is definitely worthy of being on a fantasy roster and even potentially as an everyday starter in leagues that allow daily lineup changes.
Raimel Tapia (OF, COL)
7% Rostered, Recommended Move: Add for this week.
This recommendation is all about the Rockies having the remainder of their games this week in Colorado. Tapia has done a good job providing a good batting average this season, as he currently sports a .302 mark. With the rest of his games this week in hitter-friendly Colorado, there is a good chance that he will remain a solid option in that department for the remainder of the week.
He has also added five stolen bases in his 37 games played this year and he does have good speed, as he is in the 82nd percentile of the league in terms of sprint speed. The hope is that he gets on base a lot this week and can steal a couple of bags, which would be very helpful to many managers who could use some help in those two categories. It's a gamble for sure, but it will be extremely useful if it pays off.
Rio Ruiz (1B/3B, BAL)
7% Rostered, Recommended Move: Add and stash for a couple of weeks.
Ruiz has been featured here before as he had a hot start to the season but he faded soon after. He's been better recently though, with a .273/.333/.455 triple slash, which is solid but also unspectacular. He has also driven in ten runs in his last 13 games and continues to play every day for the Orioles.
The Orioles lineup has been much better than expected this season and Ruiz continues to benefit. He is not the most glamorous option, but he has a good chance to continue to compile solid counting stats, especially as the Orioles face off against a weakened Red Sox pitching staff next week.
Willi Castro (3B/SS, DET)
7% Rostered, Recommended Move: Ride the hot streak.
Castro has made quite the impression in his limited sample this season. In just 93 plate appearances, Castro has a .337/.370/.512 triple slash and has been performing even better in the last two weeks with a .353/.400/.510 line in that span.
That strong batting average is more than enough reason to consider him, especially for those managers that need an immediate boost, but he has also contributed some surprising power in this hot stretch. He has hit three home runs in those 93 plate appearances, with a surprisingly solid 9.5% barrel rate and a .491 expected slugging per Statcast. He is certainly getting positive results when he puts the ball in play. He is an interesting player, and the Tigers have little reason to keep him out of the lineup. He even has been hitting fifth or second for the Tigers lately, and should remain in those spots for the remainder of the season. There should be more interest in Castro for fantasy baseball than just a 7% roster rate.
Looking Back on Last Week's Picks
At the end of each week's post, we'll end with a brief look back on last week's picks along with a brief recommendation on what to do with the said player for the future.
Corey Dickerson (OF, MIA)
Last week: 12% rostered. This Week: 13% rostered.
Dickerson continues to play every day and hit in the leadoff spot. The power has not been there for him this season, but he does continue to post mostly solid production with a .321/.387/.393 triple slash in the last week. He continues to do his job, and if you roster Dickerson, you're likely keeping him around for the stretch run. Current Recommendation: Hold.
Tyler Naquin (OF, CLE)
Last week: 5% rostered. This Week: 3% rostered.
Naquin did not have a good week with a .485 OPS in his last six games. He looked like he was maybe getting things together at the plate, but much like the rest of the Cleveland outfield, it doesn't look like it. There's too much to lose right now and Naquin isn't helping much. This is a drop. Current Recommendation: Drop.
Ty France (2B/3B, SEA)
Last week: 5% rostered. This week: 20% rostered.
France continues to play with every day playing time as the Mariners try to fight for a playoff spot. He's ineligible for consideration now thanks to a 1.072 OPS in the last week that had many managers scooping him up. Hopefully, you were one of them, as he's not being let go any time soon. Current Recommendation: Hold.
Garrett Cooper (1B/OF, MIA)
Last week: 3% rostered. This week: 6% rostered.
Cooper continues to do just fine in his everyday role with the Marlins. This week, the power wasn't there with a .419 slugging percentage in that span, but he did still chip in with a .290 batting average. It's just solid, quiet production that doesn't jump off the page, but is very useful. Hold him if you roster him. Current Recommendation: Hold.
Leody Taveras (OF, TEX)
Last week: 1% rostered. This week: 2% rostered.
Taveras was definitely more of a speculative pick last week. He did not hit all that well, with just a .718 OPS in his last seven games, but if you could stomach the poor .231/.333/.385 triple slash, you were rewarded with two stolen bases. Every little bit counts right now, and those steals very much appreciated by those managers that roster him. Keep him in the picture if steals need to be a priority, but he doesn't need to be rostered if that category isn't a worry. Current Recommendation: Hold if stolen bases are needed.
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