Deep League Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13

June 26, 2014

Aaron Schooler breaks down sleeper waiver wire pickups for deeper fantasy baseball leagues in Week 13. These MLB hitting and pitching sleepers can have an impact.

This week's list of deep league waiver wire pickups and sleepers includes an interesting array of players that can potentially fill up a stat sheet. It is also a group that is flirting with prime real estate in some potent lineups. If you’re searching for an upgrade, including NL-Only and AL-Only formats, take a look at some of these options if they are still available in your league.

Kevin Gausman, SP, Baltimore Orioles

Owned in 17% of Yahoo Leagues, 3% of FleaFlicker Leagues

If you are looking for a starting pitcher on the rise, Kevin Gausman is a strong option to consider. Although he has yet to produce high punch-out totals, his overall arsenal of pitches should translate into more strikeouts down the road.

Right now he is impressively working off of his change up and keeping major league hitters guessing. In June, he is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and will be getting a start against the struggling Rays.

Let's not forget he was a very highly touted prospect, and may finally be putting it all together at the MLB level. The Orioles have a very good team supporting him as well, which never hurts.

Recommendation: Very young and quite possibly very good going forward; a long look is in order

Denard Span, OF, Washington Nationals

Owned in 23% of Yahoo Leagues, 3% of FleaFlicker Leagues

The Nationals are slowly starting to hit their stride. With Denard Span getting hot, it gives the offense that extra jolt they have been missing at the top of the lineup. Span has speed (12 stolen bases) and run scoring ability (44), but don’t expect too much more than that. Here's some more food for thought: his lefty-righty splits are about the same, but he does hit much better at home than on the road.

Recommendation: Looking like a run scoring machine thus far, time to go get him

Juan Francisco, 1B / 3B, Toronto Blue Jays

Owned in 22% of Yahoo Leagues, 12% of FleaFlicker Leagues

Swing hard just in case you hit it. Juan Francisco fits in well with the Jays' mantra for this year (and the past few years for that matter). You're going to have to live through some dry spells - but with 12 homers in 55 games, Francisco is worth a look.

A solid match up guy against right-handed pitchers, Francisco will probably sit or get limited at bats against the lefties. But I like the fact that he can hide amongst the big guns in the Toronto order. He could hit a sneaky 25 home runs before the season ends.

Recommendation: Nice daily league guy, but no urgency to roster unless he's hot

Steve Pearce, 1B / OF, Baltimore Orioles

Owned in 11% of Yahoo leagues, 5% of FleaFlicker Leagues

Red hot in June, hitting a sizzling .420 and OPS of 1.200, Steve Pearce is on such a torrid pace that is almost impossible to take him out of the lineup. In fact, he collected two hits in each game of  a recent five game stretch. Pearce is providing pop too, with seven bombs in only 125 at bats. Look at him as a strong home start in daily leagues, with his robust .407  batting average at Camden Yards. But you are also looking at a 31-year-old veteran that may eventually fall back to career norms, so buyer beware.

Recommendation: Too hot to pass up as a flier, if you are in need of outfield depth

James Jones, OF, Seattle Mariners

Owned in 8% of Yahoo Leagues, 3% of FleaFlicker Leagues

Usually when a player is wearing a uniform number in the 90s during spring training, he is bound for another year of development in the minors. But that is not the case with James Jones and  the Mariners' revolving door at the top of their lineup. Jones had never played above A-Ball entering the 2014 season, but may end up emerging as one of the M’s biggest surprises this year. With stolen base potential (12), and the fact that he is seeing a lot of good pitches hitting in front of Robinson Cano, Jones may be a Mariner mainstay.

Recommendation: Mariner table setters have come and gone, continue to monitor for now