RADIO
Baseball season is officially in the homestretch. If you have an interest or a need in tweaking with your team, then you have come to the right place. This FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups series will be looking at Week 26 -- September 16 through September 22 -- and will point out free agents to target and how much FAAB you should allocate for them.
We are officially in the stretch run of the fantasy season, and for some of you, this may be your fantasy championship week. For the next two weeks, we must place bids and target players who will fill the remaining holes in our team. Pay close attention to this in category leagues and spend big on a player if you need a specific category filled urgently as you are running out of time. Do not be afraid to spend a little more on a player you need to fill an empty lineup spot or boost a category.
Below are a few players with ownership percentages under 50% in Yahoo! leagues who could improve your roster and provide you with an added boost in several categories. This week, we will look at a few prospects who have finally begun to find their footing in the major leagues and are shaping up to be strong assets, potentially contributing to multiple categories during the final stretch.
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Joey Cantillo, SP, Cleveland Guardians
2% rostered
FAAB Bid: <5%
Starting the list off is Cleveland prospect Joey Cantillo, who recently earned his first major league victory. On Monday, Cantillo tossed seven innings of one-run ball against the Chicago White Sox. He struck out ten batters and allowed just two hits.
Joey Cantillo carries a perfect game into the seventh inning of his fifth big league start!
The @CleGuardians' No. 16 prospect strikes out a career-high 10 batters in seven frames. pic.twitter.com/RNtAKJL2WV
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 10, 2024
While Cantillo may only get one more start this season (as he has spent time in the bullpen), he is worth picking up, given the incredible strikeout upside he showed.
Kumar Rocker, SP, Texas Rangers
25% rostered
FAAB Bid: <15%
Rocker has had a difficult start to his professional career but has finally made his way to the big leagues. After being drafted by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Rocker was unable to reach an agreement with the team due to medical concerns.
The following year, Rocker was selected by the Texas Rangers. However, his 2023 campaign was limited to just 28 innings after he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery.
However, since returning to the bump this summer, Rocker has progressed through Double and Triple-A very quickly and made his big league debut on Thursday.
He may have a strict inning limit down the stretch, but he does possess height that most available starting pitchers do not have.
Tyler Kinley, RP, Colorado Rockies
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: <25% if needing saves
This week’s option for saves comes from an unlikely source in Colorado. Kinley has gone 4-for-4 on save opportunities since August 31 and held a near-perfect 0.50 WHIP during this stretch without allowing a run.
While pitching for one of the worst teams in the sport, saves can be challenging to find. However, depending on your waiver wire, this may be your final opportunity to add a few more saves to your season total.
In the worst-case scenario, he should boost ratios along the way.
Pavin Smith, 1B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
3% rostered
FAAB Bid: <15% if needing a corner infielder with power
The 28-year-old has settled into the strong side of a platoon in the desert and has begun to get hot at the plate.
Across his past six games, Smith has held a .353/.450/1.118 slash line. This was highlighted by an incredible three-homer night on September 8.
Pavin Smith (7)
Opponent: Houston Astros
Pitcher: Kaleb Ort
Date: 9/8/24 pic.twitter.com/tkHP1m4XEj— Diamondbacks Home Runs (@DbacksHomers) September 11, 2024
Under the hood, he sports a 14.1% barrel rate and 46.2% hard-hit rate. He has only played 45 games in the majors this summer, so the sample size is small. However, riding the hot hand is never a bad idea this late into the season.
Kyle Farmer, 2B/3B/SS, Minnesota Twins
5% rostered
FAAB Bid: <5%
Across his past seven games, Kyle Farmer has held a .467/.500/1.067 slash line with three long balls.
While Farmer's playing time has always been unstable this summer, his recent surge may earn him a spot on a daily basis.
If you are looking for a boost to your infield with some power, ride the hot hand and grab Farmer.
Taylor Walls, 2B/3B/SS, Tampa Bay Rays
11% rostered
FAAB Bid: <15% if needing a middle infielder
Walls has become the primary shortstop in Tampa Bay over the past week. During this stretch he has carried a solid .273 AVG while swiping three bags. However, on the season he sits wth a poor .179 AVG.
The 28-year-old will likely only help you in one category, but seeing that he has been penciled into the lineup every day over the past week, he could have the opportunity to steal multiple bases over the final weeks of the season.
Trey Sweeney, SS, Detroit Tigers
5% rostered
FAAB Bid: >15%
Over the past week, the Tiger’s No. 20 prospect has begun to find his footing in the major leagues.
In his last 12 games, Sweeny has posted a solid .294/.368/.588 line with one double, three long balls, nine RBI, two stolen bases, and a 3:6 BB:K ratio.
While he has played in only 20 major league games, his eye-catching .525 xSLG and .351 xwOBA suggest that his recent surge is far from a fluke.
The Eastern Illinois product should continue serving as Detroit's everyday shortstop down the stretch and is a solid middle infielder to pick up.
Parker Meadows, OF, Detroit Tigers
15% rostered
FAAB Bid: >15%
After a disappointing first half, Parker Meadows has looked like an entirely new player since rejoining the big leagues in the second half.
After the All-Star Break, Meadows has carried a stellar .308/.354/.542 line with eight doubles, four triples, four home runs, and five stolen bases. Across his past 11 games, he has hit two home of those four home runs and tallied 12 RBI.
Parker Meadows in September:
43 PA
.270/.333/.486
2 HR
7 R
12 RBI
129 wRC+Tigers are 3 GB of the final AL Wild Card spot.#RepDetroit | #MLB
pic.twitter.com/2GyzL1bIfm— DataBase Hit (@DatabaseHit) September 12, 2024
Meadows is a solid outfielder in five-outfielder leagues down the stretch, as he has shown the potential to contribute to five categories.
Luke Raley, 1B/OF, Seattle Mariners
13% rostered
FAAB Bid: <10%
Another outfielder to look at this week is Luke Raley of Seattle.
Over his past eight games, the 29-year-old has held a .310/.375/.759 line with three home runs and four doubles.
While he has not stolen a base since late July, he has nine on the campaign, so there is potential to show some speed across the final two weeks.
Raley has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball and a solid depth option on your roster in the season's final weeks.
Joey Bart, C, Pittsburgh Pirates
22% rostered
FAAB Bid: >30% if needing a catcher, >15% for others
Bart was surprisingly cut in many leagues while on the injured list with a hamstring strain. However, he was activated over the weekend and has tallied three hits in his past four games since returning.
Joey Bart - Pittsburgh Pirates (13)
pic.twitter.com/7XCNBxf2Os— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) September 8, 2024
Before the injury, Bart held an excellent .288/.342/.542 slash line with five long balls through most of August.
If you are looking for a catcher with upside, check your waiver wire for Bart. He has flashed high power potential and looks like the former top prospect he once was.
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