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Zack Collins is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for Week 18 of the 2021 MLB season. Consider adding the catcher if he's free agent in your leagues.
BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams and in OBP formats
ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues
ANALYSIS: The week sets up nicely for Zack Collins, who's taken over as the everyday catcher for Yasmani Grandal (knee), who underwent surgery to repair a tendon tear in his left knee back on July 7. Collins hasn't really flashed since taking over the job (.158/.360/.368, 1 home run, three RBI, and 6:5 K/BB ratio in 25 plate appearances) and he doesn't hit in a prominent spot in the lineup, typically eighth or ninth, but he'll be facing some tasty pitching matchups next week. The White Sox head to Kansas City for a four-game set with the Royals before heading back to South Side to host the Indians for a three-game weekend series.
Collins bats from the left side of the plate and is slated to face five right-handed starters. The 26-year-old backstop is slashing .242/.370/.424 with nine doubles, three home runs, and 17 RBI over 99 at-bats against righties this season. Brad Keller (5.84 ERA, 6.45 xERA), J.C. Mejia (7.53 ERA, 5.24 xERA), and Triston McKenzie (5.91 ERA, 4.84 xERA) shouldn't be very challenging for Collins while the two lefties he could potentially face are Daniel Lynch (15.75 ERA, 11.50 xERA) and Kris Bubic (5.03 ERA, 5.86 xERA).
He's got a rough 31.1% strikeout rate for the year but he's getting on base at a decent clip with a 13.4% walk rate. He may be a better fit in OBP leagues as he's improved his plate discipline since July 7, putting up a 23% strikeout and walk rate since then. Potentially streaming Collins is about getting a piece of a potent lineup that will be facing subpar pitching. He's readily available on the waiver wire and is capable of providing a decent OBP, runs, and should have some RBI opportunities as the Sox tee off on the Royals. The ceiling is higher than you may think and the floor won't kill you in an OBP league.
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