RADIO
Sean Scampton recommends outfielders (OF) who are valuable waiver wire targets or adds for Week 24 of the 2018 fantasy baseball season.
If you’re still reading Rotoballer’s amazing, awesome, crazy, undefeated, never failing, overpowered waiver wire coverage, then wipe the dirt off your shoulder because your postseason is still rolling. That’s what’s up, Rotoballers. That’s what’s up.
You know your boy is still rolling. I’m about to pull in a W in the Rotoballer staff Ottoneu league, so I’m certainly feeling myself today. As I move onto the semifinals, I’m looking for guys who will help me this week. Next week be damned, I care about the next seven days and nothing else. So we’ll continue our coverage based on the next week for all of our picks. And, of course, we’ll highlight a keeper/dynasty option who’re getting a little less love than they should.
Here’s your week 24 outfield waiver wire adds, Rotoballers. Best of luck on your sustained ride to that championship belt. Also, if you don’t already have one, get a championship belt. They rule.
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Week 24 Outfield Waiver Wire Targets
Jay Bruce (OF, NYM) - 21% owned
6 games vs. PHI, MIA, BOS
This week, we’ve got something for everyone. Like underrated youngsters? Scroll on down. Injured pros? I got you. And over-the-hill forgotten stars? Look no further than erstwhile fantasy producer Jay Bruce. To call Jay Bruce’s 2018 season up-and-down would be insulting to hills and valleys. Bruce has been really bad, save for spurts of very good production that have led to a somewhat salvaged line of .227/.306/.365 with just six home runs and a .137 ISO on 284 plate appearances. Yeah, that’s salvaged.
Don’t look now, but we’re on the hilltop with Bruce. Over the last two weeks, his line of .306/.390/.528 and a .222 ISO with a third of his dingers on the season in 36 at-bats. He looks like the Bruce of old, which is an undoubtedly useful fantasy outfielder. Also, the New York Mets don’t seem particularly interested in sitting him for any of their prized prospects, so the playing time should be there.
All that is amplified by the fact that the Mets play four of their six games this week against the inept Marlins. This is an ideal situation for a player of his caliber to be useful, and he’s available nearly everywhere. Go get him.
David Dahl (OF, COL) - 10% owned
7 games vs. LAD, ARI, SF
Sooooooo….. This wasn’t one of my better calls in the pre-season. I argued that, with health, David Dahl would be a solid value on his draft position. Unfortunately, the “with health” part didn’t pan out. Once again, David Dahl succumbed to a variety of bumps and bruises, only playing in 58 games so far in 2018. Worse yet, the 24-year-old dealt with ineffectiveness when he was in the lineup, and his .264/.316/.494 season line with nine homers and five steals in 190 plate appearances leaves a lot to be desired.
All that said, the things that Dahl does well have not disappeared. His contact is impressive, and a .230 ISO represents a career major-league best. He rarely makes weak contact, and he’s actually making more contact than at any point of his time in the bigs. His spike in strikeout percentage can be attributed to a decline in his plate discipline, but his most recent stint in Colorado has shown an improvement there as well. The season long 26.3% looks bad, but that number has been steadily declining. The last week has shown what can happen when things go right, and the two dingers on 11 at-bats with a .273/.250/.909 is actually evidence of Dahl’s transformation into a legit masher. He’s got a tough week long slate, but if he’s getting to his power he could tilt a matchup in your direction. He’s a worthy add in even shallow leagues, and a must add in 14 teams or more.
Brandon Lowe (OF/2B, TB) - 6% owned
6 games vs. BAL, CLE, OAK
Welcome to the Brandon Lowe Show. I don’t know where the Rays find these guys, but here’s another no-name utility player who has played a critical role in Tampa’s improbable run to threaten the Wild Card. A tool-less player with no standout abilities, Lowe does everything just well enough to have earned himself a spot with the cheap seat Rays. All he’s done in his 81 plate appearances is put up a strong walk rate, a solid .188 ISO, a very respectable .261/.370/.449 with three homers and two steals. He hits a lot of liners, rarely makes poor contact, and has a strong approach at the plate. He’ll never be a star, but Ben Zobrist-lite isn’t a bad ballplayer.
Lowe brings multi-positional flexibility, does a little bit of everything from a counting stats perspective, and is playing a full slate with a lineup that is rocking as of late. He’ll be matching up against weakened Cleveland and Oakland pitching groups, and they’ll have plenty to play for with a run at the Wild Card looking more and more like a very real possibility. He won’t draw a lot of oohs and ahhs from your leaguemates, but the dude produces.
Yairo Munoz (OF/SS/2B/3B, STL) - 2% owned
7 games vs. DET, PIT, LAD
Hey, here’s one that works for next year and this year. Hooray for killing two birds with one baseball! That’s the saying, right?
Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the Cardinal’s 23-year-old utilityman, he was the key piece that came back in the trade for outfielder Stephen Piscotty. Widely regarded as bat-first, he disappointed slightly in his rookie season. Plagued by injury and ineffectiveness, Munoz has collected just eight home runs, five steals, and 28 runs on a .281/.348/.438 in 276 plate appearances. When you’re a defensive liability, that’s not going to guarantee you at-bats. The Cards, for their part, seem convinced that Munoz is legit, and are going to keep running him out there.
This week showed a little more of what Munoz is capable of, and may be a sign of great things to come. A quarter of his dingers came in the last week, along with a .368/.429/.789 line and four runs. He’s mashing like he’s shown the ability to do at times, and there’s nothing in his profile to suggest that this is fluky. In fact, he’s shown improvement in areas of weakness over the last few weeks, producing more line drives and fly balls while reducing his groundballs. Munoz has also produced strong contact throughout the year, but has reduced his swings outside of the zone since returning from injury. All this is predictive of good things to come, and he’s a really underrated option for dynasty owners.
This week’s slate helps make the case for grabbing Munoz sooner than later. Three games against the struggling Pirates and three against the stellar Dodgers, but the Cards are one of the few teams with a full seven tilts this week. Munoz might have that tough matchup with LA, but he’s got the bat to overcome. If you’ve got a keeper spot handy in a deep league or dynasty, Munoz is worth a look, especially with the multi-positional eligibility.
