It’s the middle of June already. Seriously. I can’t believe how quickly this summer is moving and if your fantasy baseball team is struggling, you better act quickly on the waiver wire or the season will get away from you. That’s why we are bringing you the week 11 edition of our Waiver Wire Watch, so you can hopefully improve your team now before it gets too late to do anything about it.
You can email us fantasy questions at steve@fightingchancefantasy.com and ryan@fightingchancefantasy.com. You can also follow us on Twitter, Steve @fantasygeek37 and Ryan @fightingchance. Also please like Fighting Chance Fantasy on Facebook here.
If you like this content and want to be notified of future posts, you can click on “Notify Me of New Posts by Email” below.
Waiver Wire Pitchers
Blake Snell, SP-Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays top prospect is here to stay this time as it appears that Matt Andriese is headed to the bullpen. Snell has a huge upside and is someone that is needed to be grabbed in every league. He was great his first start as he allowed just one run over five innings while striking out six. Most young pitchers struggle a little, but Snell is one of the more exciting pitching prospects in 2016 and stop reading now and grab him!
James Paxton, SP-Seattle Mariners. I did not see this coming. Mariners’ starting pitcher, James Paxton has shown signs of excellence in the past, but couldn’t quite put things together on a regular basis. However, he was recently called up from AAA and due to a change in arm slot, his results have been spectacular. To give you some perspective on how it has helped, he’s pitched in three games so far this season and in his second game, he set his record for average fastball velocity at almost 99 MPH. In that game he broke his own record by almost a mile per hour in which he set in the game before that against San Diego. If you want to read more about the change in arm slot and his improvement in velocity, you can click here for an excellent, in depth article by Eno Sarris on Fangraphs on his recent success. Not only has the velocity been up, but in his three starts so far, he’s only given up a total of four earned runs while striking out 24 batters in 16 innings. Will it last? I think he could very well be a very nice pitcher for the rest of the season and is definitely worth an addition in all leagues right now.
Get on board w/James Paxton. His 98.7 & 97.9 avg. FB mph from past 2 GS were 1st & 2nd in his career. Different dude; good matchup at TB.
— Tristan H. Cockcroft (@SultanofStat) June 13, 2016
Jameson Taillon, SP-Pittsburgh Pirates. Some thought that we were going to see Pirates rookie, Jameson Taillon for good after he was called up for a start last week, but ultimately, he was sent back down to the minors after pitching to a no decision against the Mets. He wasn’t a rock star in his major league debut, but he’s been lighting it up in AAA, as he’s gone 61.2 innings with a 2.04 ERA and has had 61 strikeouts to only six walks. With Gerrit Cole injured and now Juan Nicasio in danger of missing his start tomorrow, the time could be approaching that we see Jameson Taillon for good in the Pirates rotation. If he’s still available in your league, you better act fast if you want a chance to add the future stud.
Carlos Estevez, RP-Colorado Rockies. The Colorado Rockies have placed closer, Jake McGee on the DL with some knee inflammation and that has opened the door for someone else to step in and take his place. It looks like that person will likely be Carlos Estevez, as he successfully earned his first career save on Saturday against the Padres. He has some serious heat on his fastball and has started coming into his own in the minors in 2015. I still think this is McGee’s job once he returns from the disabled list, but Estevez is definitely worth adding if you want a cheap source of saves for the next several weeks.
Waiver Wire Hitters
Tommy Joseph, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies. Ryan Howard has sucked for years and now that the Phillies have someone capable to take his place, Howard’s ass has been planted on the bench. In 23 games so far this season Joseph is hitting .301 with seven home runs and 12 RBIs. He also had six more in 27 games in the Minors before coming up, so the kid has some power. He does tend to strikeout a bit too much, but it has improved as he moved through the Minors. Not to mention what power hitter doesn’t strikeout a lot anymore? He probably won’t get a ton of RBIs since no one else on his team seems to know how to get on base anymore, but Joseph is a solid pickup to put on your bench for depth at first base, or in case of injury.
Have the need for speed? Tim Anderson is your guy right now!
Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox. The big mantra so far in this fantasy baseball season has been a severe lack of steals. Ten weeks into the season there are only 17 batters who have double digit steals. Two of them are on the DL, and others are fantasy baseball giants like Melvin Upton, Alcides Escobar, and Jarrod Dyson! The White Sox hope to add to that list when they promoted one of their top prospects in Tim Anderson. He doesn’t have much power, but the kid has some serious wheels. He stole 49 bases at Double-A in 2015, and he had 11 so far this season before coming to the big club. He definitely strikes out more than you’d want a contact hitter to do, but he has generally hit between .280 and .300 in the Minors. If you have ANY need at shortstop or in stolen bases, you’d be wise to give Anderson a look. After just three games in the Majors, the White Sox have given him a chance in the leadoff spot.
Jhonny Peralta, SS, St. Louis Cardinals. It has been a great return from the Disabled List for Peralta as he has collected at least one hit in every game so far except for one. He has three multi-hit games, two doubles, a home run and seven RBIs in six games. He is going to have added value as he shortly will also be third base eligible after the shakeup in the Cardinal infield has him manning the hot corner. He is still owned in less than 50% of leagues across the main sites, and I don’t understand how that happens with an established vet like Peralta at an incredibly thin position. Go get him today and reap the benefits of your lazy ass league.
The post Waiver Wire Watch Week 11: Paxton, Snell, Tim Anderson & Many More! appeared first on Fighting Chance Fantasy.