Finding Waiver Wire Gems on Bad Teams

April 15, 2022

Early-season waiver adds and undervalued pickups from losing teams. Bubba uncovers waiver wire gems heading into Week 2 of the 2022 fantasy baseball season.

One of the beautiful things about fantasy baseball is the value found on bad teams. No matter the wins and losses for any given team, there will be value for those who get regular at-bats and produce. Unfortunately, some of these players may have been overlooked during the draft season as they are on subpar offenses or questions may surround playing time. 

We are now nearly a week into the season, and playing time is more evident. This makes certain players pop as fantasy value. Teams like the Cleveland Guardians, Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates, and others still bring fantasy goodness. Look at the Tigers last season, for instance. They were mostly overlooked, and players like Robbie Grossman, Jonathan Schoop, and Akil Baddoo brought great fantasy returns.

This article will look into a few values from bad teams that may be low-rostered for now. Players that may be worth adding to your fantasy teams or putting on your watch lists. One caveat to mention - things can change from time to time, so some of these players may be dropped in the coming weeks, but enjoy the fantasy goodness while you can.  Players discussed in this article are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.

Anthony Santander, OF, Baltimore Orioles

19% rostered

Santander has gotten off to a hot start to the season, hitting .400 with a home run and six walks. He has also only struck out three times with a 9.1% SwStr rate which is a marked improvement from previous seasons. Santander’s contact quality has been solid, with a 10% barrel rate and a 50% hard-hit rate. The barrel rate resembles his barrel rate in 2020 when he hit 11 home runs and hit .261 over 37 games. Santander is coming off a 2021 season where he hit 18 home runs, and in 2019 he hit 20 home runs. Santander brings some excellent power in the middle of the Orioles lineup if you are looking for some home run help early in the season. 

Brad Miller, 1B/2B/OF, Texas Rangers

12% rostered

Miller is likely only an add in deeper formats or daily leagues as he mainly starts versus RHP, but when he starts, the Rangers are hitting him leadoff, bringing plenty of fantasy value. So far this season, Miller has two home runs and a double in his three starts while hitting .250. He is barreling the ball 14.3% of the time with a 43% hard-hit rate. Last season, Miller hit .244 versus RHP with 16 home runs, a .244 ISO, and a .842 OPS. Miller hits RHP very well, should lead off most games against them, and brings excellent positional flexibility to your fantasy teams. 

Jorge Mateo, 2B/SS/OF, Baltimore Orioles

10% rostered

Mateo is only hitting .222 while striking out 39% of the time to start the season, but there are some things to like with his fantasy profile. Mateo is walking 18.2% of the time, and he has two stolen bases this season. He is coming off a strong spring training where he hit .381 with six extra-base hits, so the hit tool may still improve. Mateo is starting nearly every game at SS for the Orioles. The playing time combined with improvements at the plate and 20+ steal upside makes Mateo an intriguing fantasy option in deeper leagues. 

Seth Brown, OF, Oakland Athletics

4% rostered

This offseason, the A’s were in a total fire sale which meant playing time would become available for some players. One of the big winners when Matt Olson was traded was Brown. Brown had two seasons in the minors where he hit over 30 home runs, and in just 111 games last season, he hit 20 home runs. Brown only hit .214 while striking out nearly 30% of the time, but throughout the minors was more of a 25% strikeout bat with a batting average around .280-.290. This year, Brown is hitting .238 with two home runs. Brown’s contact quality has been excellent, with a 14.3% barrel rate and 57.1% hard-hit rate. He has started in six games, playing in the outfield and at first base, which will bring some excellent positional flexibility.

I have already added Brown in 15-team leagues, and he may become 12-team viable if he can hit closer to .250. Brown will be a significant power source for your fantasy teams regardless of batting average. 

Owen Miller, 1B/2B, Cleveland Guardians

3% rostered

Miller played in 60 games for the Guardians last season and only hit .204 with four home runs and two stolen bases. That was not great, but he has shown the ability to hit for double-digit power in the minors with an excellent batting average. This season, Miller has received some regular playing time of late at first base, thanks to Bobby Bradley’s poor performance. Miller has taken that playing time and ran with it. On Wednesday, he hit two home runs against the Reds and is hitting .524 with a nearly 60% hard-hit rate.

If Miller continues to hit, he should get the lion’s share of playing time at first base and some time at second base. Miller can hit 10-15 home runs while hitting for an excellent average. He is a very intriguing play in deeper leagues. 

Oscar Mercado, OF, Cleveland Guardians

2% rostered

A few years back in 2019, Mercado hit 15 home runs and stole 15 bases while hitting .269. Since then, he has struggled mightily and has spent more time in the minors than with the Guardians. Finally, he broke camp with the big club and has taken advantage of that opportunity. So far this season, he is hitting .400 with three home runs and nine RBI. Mercado is barreling the ball 13.3% of the time with a 40% hard-hit rate, which is well above his previous season's contact quality metrics.

This may be a hot streak for Mercado, or the 27-year-old may have figured things out. We know the upside Mercado can bring to a fantasy team, making him a tremendous speculative add now before the comeback is official, and he will no longer be available on your waive wires. 

Chad Pinder, 2B/OF, Oakland Athletics

1% rostered

On Wednesday, Pinder went 0-4, which lowered his batting average to .217. That’s not great but can change quickly this early in the season. The 11 strikeouts thus far are less than ideal, though. Even with the strikeouts, Pinder is doing positive things. He has two home runs with two doubles and a .348 ISO. His xStats, albeit early, show some massive underachieving in all categories.

Pinder should continue to play every day, not just against LHP like in previous seasons. There is 20 home run power in his bat to go with 50+ runs and RBI. Pinder brings a great bat to your lineup, and we could be in for a massive season as he will finally receive everyday playing time. 

Maikel Franco, 3B, Washington Nationals

1% rostered

This is not a typo; Franco is back in the bigs. When Carter Kieboom went down with an injury, Franco got the call and has come out the gates swinging. On Wednesday, he went 2-4, which improved his batting average to .346 to go with a home run and seven RBI. Franco is hitting sixth or seventh most days for the Nats, and let's not forget that from 2016 to 2018 Franco hit over 22 home runs each season. He has been able to hit .270 or better many times, and combine that with 20+ home runs, Franco becomes a great edition at the shallow third base position. 

Cooper Hummel, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

0% rostered

Hummel may be a watchlist target for now, but do not wait too long to add him in deeper leagues if regular playing time opens up. Hummel has started in three games while pinch-hitting in the other three games. He is only hitting .167 with two hits on the season but has also walked six times with a home run and a stolen base. In addition, Hummel has showcased some power, speed, and solid batting average skills throughout the minors. Hummel could have a tremendous impact as the season goes on for the woeful Diamondbacks, which means he will also benefit your fantasy team. 

There will be many more throughout the season and even in the coming weeks, but this list will get you started on some players to watch or even add for the coming weeks. 

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