Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 24

September 5, 2021

Nicklaus Gaut's H2H points league waiver wire pickups for Week 24 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season, identifying free agents hitters to add.

We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax.

Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the best and worst fits. We know points league players get neglected and we're here to help.

These waiver-wire adds are for the week of September 6 - September 12, looking at players below 50% rostered for ESPN and Yahoo! Stats and rankings are calculated using games through Friday, September 3.

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Know Your System

If you've read me even a little, you likely know what I'm going to say...You must account for, as precisely as possible, how a player performs under your particular scoring system. Don't be fooled into believing you can just make rough adjustments in your head, bumping up guys with high on-base percentages and low strikeout rates. Every point, in every category, counts.

For example, ESPN and Fantrax are virtually identical in their scoring for hitters and roster size. The only difference is that stolen bases are worth one more point on Fantrax and ESPN subtracts one point per strikeout. That's the difference between Ronald Acuna Jr. being a top-five hitter versus top-20.

If your league uses standard settings, then great! Turn to page 94 and you can skip ahead to the leaderboards. If you play with custom settings, it'll still be fine. Go back to page 43 and look below at the scoring systems of the four major platforms. I bet there's a chance that you'll find that your league's scoring is very similar to one of the four (well, not Yahoo!'s), even if it's not the platform you actually play on.

For example, my home league started on a now-defunct platform before moving first to ESPN and is now at Fantrax. But our scoring is basically ESPN standard only with two points for stolen bases and a handful of other minor adjustments.

If you look above, you'll likely find a suitable mirror to your own system. While every point counts, as long as they aren't seismic changes you can get away with some "close enough" calls. IE. If everything is the same except for HBP (or something similar), you're probably fine.

Waiver Wire Leaderboards

In addition to our overall waiver wire leaderboards, we're deep enough into the season that we'll also start doing a 14-day leaderboard, as well, giving us a window into recent production. The charts are updated prior to Saturday's games, on stats and ownerships. All leaderboards, overall and 14-day, are sorted according to the player's roster%, and clicking on a chart will open a new page with a magnified version.

*APR = Average Platform Ranking - the average platform ranking between ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, and Fantrax (standard point settings)

The Hansels

Let the recency bias wash over you because these players are just so hot, right now. So, just for fun, let's start making a chart of the players in the top-100 of APR over the last two weeks before diving into the position-by-position analysis.

First Base

Must Add

• Frank Schwindel, CHC - If Schwindel was a must-add last week, he certainly remains one this week. Over the last week, Schwindel has posted a .411 wOBA, hitting home runs in four of his past five games. He could turn back into Frank Schwindel at any moment but it's worth a shot to see if the ride keeps going for a little while.
• Bobby Dalbec, BOS - Dalbec hasn't been quite as prolific as Schwindel, hitting four home runs in the past two weeks but Dalbec's chances for sustainability seem higher. In his 10 games over the last two weeks, Dalbec is slashing .367/.441/.833, with a .521 wOBA and .465 xwOBA.
• Brandon Belt, SF - Belt is the safest first baseman likely available on the wire, running a 48 APR over the last two weeks, with a .411 wOBA and .387 xwOBA.

Can Add

• Miguel Sano, MIN - After a brief respite from extreme whiffery, Sano's production has started to dip as he's gotten more on that K-train. He has a 32.5% K% over the last two weeks, with a .296 wOBA and .293 xwOBA.
• Miguel Cabrera, DET - We're going back-to-back Miguels, as the newest member of the 500 HR club has an 80 APR over the last two weeks, with a .373 wOBA and .428 xwOBA.

Desperate Adds

• Christian Walker, ARI - He's not flashy but Walker has rounded back into his low-ceiling, compiler ways, posting a 108 APR, with a .361 wOBA and .349 xwOBA over the last two weeks.
• Nate Lowe, TEX - It's probably best not to get too excited by Lowe's 31 APR over the last two weeks, as his .435 wOBA over that time is only backed by a .322 xwOBA - which feels more trustworthy given a .332 wOBA and .321 xwOBA for the season. Lowe is a better-ish than replacement-level player in most formats and you can probably do better.

Notable IL

• Ji-Man Choi, TB
• Mitch Moreland, SD

Second Base

Must Adds

• Nick Solak, TEX - The Solak experience is back, as Nick has been crushing lasers since getting called back up to the big leagues, slashing .395/.447/.605 over his 47 PA since August 21. But most impressively, given his previous struggles, is how well he's hit righties. After posting a .259 wOBA and 62 wRC+ vs RHP prior to being demoted earlier in the summer, Solak has a .454 wOBA and 194 wRC+ since returning. It's only 31 PA but it's a good sign that he'll hold off any platoons, for the time being.

Can Adds

• Jorge Mateo, BAL - Mateo has kept raking since being traded to Baltimore, slashing .321/.368/.506 over his first 87 PA as an Oriole. He only has a 126 APR over the last two weeks but that comes with a .398 wOBA and .369 xwOBA.
• Josh Harrison, OAK - Playing every day since being traded to Oakland, Harrison continues to show off his very points-friendly profile, compiling tons of PAs, with few strikeouts and above-average production. Harrison has a 57 APR over the last two weeks, with a .355 wOBA and .349 xwOBA.
• Abraham Toro, SEA - Toro has a 102 APR over the last two weeks but his .310 wOBA is backed by a shinier .358 xwOBA.
• Mike Moustakas, CIN - Between injuries and poor production, 2021 has been total bust for Moustakas, who is slashing just .169/.246/.373 since returning on August 6. But he has heated up some lately, hitting two home runs and three doubles in his past eight games.

Desperate Adds

• Cesar Hernandez, CHW - Hernandez continues to struggle since being traded to the White Sox, slashing just .209/.298/.287, with a .260 wOBA and 64 wRC+.

Notable IL

• Kolten Wong, MIL (Paternity leave)
• Cavan Biggio, TOR
• Wilmer Flores, SF
• Jon Berti, MIA
• Donovan Solano, SF
• Andy Ibanez, TEX

Third Base

Must Adds

• Jeimer Candelario, DET - "Hi there, I'm Jeimer. I enjoy racking up PAs and crushing lasers, running a 42 APR over the last two weeks, with a .380 wOBA and .382 xwOBA. Why aren't we a match?".

Can Adds

• Evan Longoria, SF - Longoria was only back from his shoulder injury for five games before going on the IL with a hand injury. But he was right back to being impressive for that brief spell, going 5-for-13 with one home run and four runs scored. When healthy, Longoria has been an under-the-radar, elite points option in 2021.
• Carter Kieboom, WSH - Kieboom only has a 113 APR over the last two weeks but an unimpressive .308 wOBA over that period is backed by a much better .389 wOBA. Hitting two home runs in his past four games, Kieboom is starting to realize some of the potential that came with his prospect pedigree from just a few years ago.

Desperate Adds

• Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, PIT - Tsutsugo started his Pirates career off with a bang, hitting five home runs in his first 31 PA. But he doesn't have an everyday role, starting two of his past four games since hitting his last home run, going just 1-for-10.

Notable IL 

• Brian Anderson, MIA

Shortstop

Must Adds

• Nicky Lopez, KC - Now locked into the number-two spot for the Royals, Lopez is turning into a tasty, little compiler, with 61 PA and a .389 wOBA over the last two weeks. He's been cold for his last four games, going 2-for-18 but had collected three hits in each of his three games prior, so it's probably not time to sound any alarms.
• Edmundo Sosa, STL - The Cardinals finally put Paul DeJong out of his misery, with Sosa starting the past 11 games, 10 of which came at shortstop. The 25-year-old rookie has responded with thunder, slashing .406/.512/.781 over that stretch, with two home runs, 10 runs scored, and 10 RBI, with a .523 wOBA. He's going to be awesome for the Rays next year.

Can Adds

• Miguel Rojas, MIA - Over his last 10 games, Rojas is slashing .294/.368/.471, with two home runs, six runs scored, and 6 RBI.
• Jonathan Villar, NYM - Likely a wily octopus, Villar is at his most dangerous when being threatened. Back to manning third since the return of Francisco Lindor, Villar just keeps hitting, posting a .527 wOBA and .444 xwOBA over the last two weeks, though only coming over 40 PA.
• Brendan Rodgers, COL - Rodgers only has a .305 woBA and .320 xwOBA over the last two weeks but gets three games at home this week and four in hitter-friendly Philadelphia.

Desperate Adds

• Ramon Urias, BAL - Urias has been running hot, posting 45 APR over the last two weeks. But he's really cooled off over the last week, slashing .150/.261/.200, with a .222 wOBA and 37 wRC+.

Notable IL

• Nico Hoerner, CHC

Outfielders

Must Adds

• Anthony Santander, BAL - Santander has struggled since hitting his last home run on August 25, slashing .143/.226/.143 over 31 PA. But that's too tiny of a sample to judge Santander, who has four home runs in the past two weeks, with a .418 woBA and has far too high of a ceiling to be sitting on the wire.
• Odubel Herrera, PHI - Ok, we probably need to stop ignoring Herrera's terrific second half. Since returning from injury on July 22, Herrera is slashing .313/.380/.539, with a .390 wOBA and 145 wRC+ over 130 PA.
• Connor Joe, COL - Keep an eye on the news as he suffered a mild hamstring strain on Friday night but Joe has kept up his summer of hitting, now slashing .304/.392/.552 since returning the majors on July 20, with a .398 wOBA and 137 wRC+. He'll get three games at home this week and four at the bandbox in Philadelphia.
• Brandon Nimmo, NYM - How dare you scoff at me for making Brandon Nimmo a must-add! He might seem more like a can-add but guess what I know...

Few own a month like Brandon Nimmo owns September. And it's only a matter of time until it's Nimmo-time again.

Can Adds

• LaMonte Wade Jr., SF - Wade continues putting up steady numbers, with a 106 APR over the last two weeks, even over just 40 PA. But while his .356 wOBA was above-average, a .447 xwOBA spoke much higher of him.
• Jesus Sanchez, MIA - The rookie has posted a 61 PA over the last two weeks, with a .411 wOA and .405 xwOBA.
• Lorenzo Cain, MIL - Cain is hitting but continues to be rested down the stretch, only collecting 36 PA over the last two weeks.
• Austin Hays, BAL - Hays has a .404 wOBa over the last two weeks (78 APR) but that is backed by a .307 xwOBA that looks suspiciously like his .309 wOBA and .307 xwOBA for the season.

Desperate Adds

• Leody Taveras, TEX - Is it already that time of year for everyone to get sucked in by Taveras? My, my, oh how time has flown. May thee fare well but he's not for me.
• D. J. Peters, TEX
• Harrison Bader, STL

Notable IL

• Dominic Smith, NYM (Bereavement)
• Kyle Lewis, SEA
• Clint Frazier, NYY
• Aaron Hicks, NYY
• Jarren Duran, BOS
• Kole Calhoun, ARI
• Garrett Cooper, MIA
• Jake Fraley, SEA
• Yonathan Daza, COL
• Miguel Andujar, NYY
• Willie Calhoun, TEX
• Adam Engel, CHW

Catchers

Must Adds

• Dalton Varsho, ARI - Besides solid production, Varsho's biggest value-add comes from his ability to play the outfield keeping him in the lineup most days. Sometimes a bunch of PAs is all you need at catcher.

Can Adds

• Alejandro Kirk, TOR - With Danny Jansen coming off of the IL, Kirk's playing time might take a hit but while he's only posted a 177 APR over the last two weeks but his .301 wOBA over that period is backed by an impressive .423 xwOBA. Kirk now has a .367 xwOBA for the season and has a points-friendly profile when he's running right.
• Mike Zunino, TB

Desperate Adds

• All catcher adds are desperate adds.

Notable IL

• James McCann, NYM
• Mitch Garver, MIN

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