Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options, and we’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites, and let you know which players to add, and which players you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Agustín Ramírez (MIA), C/1B (33% rostered on Yahoo, 11.1% on ESPN)
It’s hard to get off to a better start at the MLB level than Ramírez has. He entered the year as one of the Marlins’ top prospects—and the No. 40 prospect in all of baseball per FanGraphs—and he was called up to the big-league roster following injuries to Nick Fortes and Rob Brantly. Given how well he’s played, it’s hard to imagine him going back to the minors anytime soon.
Ramírez has had multiple hits in each of his first three MLB contests, including at least one extra-base hit in each game. That includes his first career homer on Friday. Ramírez is also the rare stolen base threat at catcher, racking up 25 steals across 126 minor league contests last season. He already has one swipe at the major league level, so he’s capable of producing in every category across the board.
Agustin is already up to the No. 3 spot in the Marlins’ lineup, and his Statcast data supports his early success. He’s posted a 20.0% barrel rate through his first three outings, and he sports a ridiculous .448 xBA and .770 xSLG.
It’s obviously a small sample size, and Agustin isn’t going to produce like the best hitter in baseball forever. Still, he seems far from overmatched at the MLB level. He also has some experience at first base and DH from his time in the minors, so he has the potential to earn more at-bats than the typical catcher. Ultimately, he’s someone you should be adding to your roster if you don’t already own one of the top players at the position.
Pavin Smith (ARI), 1B/OF (37% Yahoo, 22.7% ESPN)
Saying that Smith has been one of the best hitters in baseball to start the year would not be hyperbole. Among qualified hitters, his .427 xwOBA ranks 14th in the league. It’s not quite as good as his actual mark, but it’s still extremely impressive. It puts him in the same category as guys like Freddie Freeman (.431), Matt Olson (.423), and Shohei Ohtani (.422).
While Smith is clearly not those guys, he’s shown significant improvement at the dish this season. He’s also made better decisions as the year has progressed, which has allowed him to tap more into his raw power:
Smith has not been an everyday player for the Diamondbacks, but his ability to tee off against right-handed pitchers puts him on the strong side of a platoon at DH. He’s due for some regression, but his underlying Statcast metrics suggest he should continue to produce at a high level. He ranks in the 84th percentile for xBA and the 91st percentile for xSLG, so he’s a player who can help in most categories across the board.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Ramírez also pops up on Saturday’s list of most-added players on Yahoo. However, he was merely fifth in that department, so he’s still not being added at the rate that he should be.
Ben Brown and Walker Buehler were two streaming options that fantasy players flocked to for Saturday. Brown was taking on the Phillies, and that did not go as hoped for those who took a shot on him. He failed to make it through the fourth inning, surrendering nine hits and six earned runs in the process. It dropped his ERA to 6.04 for the year, and while his 4.49 xERA is slightly better, there’s not enough upside to hold him moving forward.
Things went slightly better for Buehler. His final statline wasn’t all that impressive—6.0 innings, seven hits, three earned runs, three strikeouts—but he did enough to record a quality start. His offense also bailed him out against the Guardians, so he was able to secure a victory. It was his fourth win in six starts, so he does have some upside in that department. Unfortunately, the rest of his metrics are underwhelming at best, so he’s far from a “must-roster.”
Noelvi Marte was someone discussed in length on Friday, and he continues to take advantage of his opportunity. He added three more hits on Friday, and he had an unsuccessful stolen base attempt. Ultimately, his combination of power and speed is tantalizing, and he has the prospect pedigree to support a potential breakout.
Jordan Beck got the opportunity to bat second for the Rockies on Saturday, and he went 0-4 with two strikeouts. However, he’s still put up some eye-popping stats of late. He had five homers in his previous three outings, and he added his fourth stolen base of the season. Only two of those homers came at Coors Field, which is another encouraging sign for his future outlook. Overall, his wRC+ currently sits at 162, putting him well above league average. Beck struggled mightily against big-league pitching last season, but with the Rockies clearly playing for the future, he should get plenty of opportunities to prove himself this season.
Most of these players have been discussed at length in these columns all season. Dylan Moore continues to provide a nice combination of power, speed, and batting average, and his positional versatility makes him a worthy addition to almost every roster. Tyler Mahle has been nothing short of one of the best pitchers in baseball to start the year, though his pitch-modeling metrics aren’t sold on him quite yet. Max Meyer has piled up strikeouts with a 2.10 ERA. All three of those guys should be owned in most leagues at this point, along with Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Andrew Heaney is the new addition to this list, and like Mahle, he has had a somewhat inexplicable breakout this season. He’s a pitcher with a pretty long track record of mediocrity, but he’s pitched to a 1.72 ERA and 2.80 xERA through his first five starts. He’s added 31 strikeouts in 31.1 innings, and he’s coming off an absolute masterclass in his last outing.
If it seems too good to be true, it’s probably because it is. Among 86 qualified starters, Heaney ranks 74th in Pitching+. He’s tentatively slated for two starts next week—Tuesday vs. the Cubs and Sunday vs. the Padres—but he carries significant risk in both outings.
Category-Specific Players to Add
Eric Wagaman (MIA), 1B (9% Yahoo, 6.8% ESPN)
First base has somewhat quietly become one of the deepest positions in fantasy. We’ve had a host of breakouts at the position this season, with guys like Tyler Soderstrom, Spencer Torkelson, and Jonathan Aranda all becoming top-flight options. That doesn’t even include some of the multi-positional guys like Smith or a recent call-up like Nick Kurtz.
That makes it hard to get too excited about Wagaman, but he has also performed admirably at the position. Specifically, he’s been a big help from a batting average standpoint. He’s currently sitting at .273, but his .319 xBA puts him in the 95th percentile. His .555 xSLG is also nearly 100 points higher than his actual mark, so he can help a bit there as well. He’s shown improvement from both a contact and power perspective as the year has progressed:
Ultimately, he can be a valuable addition in deeper leagues or if you’re specifically looking to improve your team’s average.
Brandon Lowe (TBR), 1B/2B (44% Yahoo, 12.9% ESPN)
Lowe has been dropped in a handful of leagues recently, and it’s easy to see why. He entered Saturday’s game vs. the Padres with a .209/.240/.308 triple slash, which is simply not going to cut it. He also has just three homers and zero steals while striking out at a near-30% clip.
Still, there are reasons for optimism with Lowe moving forward. For starters, he has a long track record of production at the MLB level. The last time he played more than 109 games in a season, he finished with 39 homers.
Lowe’s underlying metrics are also solid, so he’s been one of the unluckier batters in the league to start the year. His xwOBA is 90 points higher than his actual mark, and he’s underperformed his expected metrics by the sixth-largest degree among qualified hitters. Lowe is poised for some positive regression moving forward, and when it happens, he should be one of the best sources of power at second base.
Camilo Doval (SFG), RP (36% Yahoo, 9.1% ESPN)
Ryan Clark dug into Doval in Saturday’s column, but his name bears repeating. He picked up his fifth save of the season on Friday, and he appears to be the Giants’ top reliever in the early season. Ryan Walker was able to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and earn a win on Saturday, but it was another shaky performance. He surrendered two hits and allowed two more hard-hit balls, and his numbers are worse than Doval’s basically across the board. While Doval has pitched to a 2.25 ERA and 2.76 xERA, Walker is at 5.94 and 3.74, respectively.
At a minimum, this appears like it could be a committee situation moving forward. With the Giants currently sitting at 18-10, there could be enough opportunities to make both guys worthy options. There’s also a chance that Doval steals the job away entirely, making him an appealing target for those looking for saves.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out the great Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings to see his favorite choices in the opening week. There are plenty of aces scheduled to take the bump on Sunday, but there are some solid streamers as well. Nick makes the case for Jordan Hicks, but he’s far from the only option:
José Soriano (LAA), SP (32% Yahoo, 16.0% ESPN)
Soriano isn’t a particularly strong pitcher. He got off to an excellent start this season, but he’s come back to reality over his past few outings. He’s allowed 18 hits and eight earned runs across his past nine innings, and he’s added just four strikeouts during that stretch. Overall, it’s dropped his ERA to 4.34 for the year, which is right in line with his 4.54 expected mark.
However, Soriano gets a favorable matchup against the Twins on Sunday. They’ve been a below-average offense in that split this season, and they play into Soriano’s biggest strength. His one elite attribute as a starter is his ability to generate ground balls. He has a 64.4% ground ball rate this season, which puts him in the 96th percentile. The Twins have the eighth-highest ground ball rate against right-handers, so it’s a matchup where Soriano should find some success.
Speculative Adds
Jordan Lawlar (ARI), SS (11% Yahoo, 2.2% ESPN)
The Diamondbacks are not off to a bad start this season, but “not bad” is not going to cut it in the NL West. They’re currently behind the Padres, Giants, and Dodgers in the standings in what is the best division in baseball. They’re going to need to pick up the pace slightly.
Fortunately, the Diamondbacks have one of the best prospects in baseball who appears more than ready to make his MLB debut. Lawlar has demolished Triple-A pitching so far this season, racking up five homers and 10 steals with a 167 wRC+. He has also been playing multiple positions at Triple-A to increase his versatility for when his call-up ultimately arrives.
Like Kurtz, it feels like Lawlar will be in the big leagues sooner rather than later. It feels like days or weeks more than months at this point, so he’s someone to consider getting a jump on.
Mickey Moniak (COL), OF (2% Yahoo, 1.1% ESPN)
While Beck is the flavor du jour in the Rockies’ outfield, don’t sleep on Moniak. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft is never going to live up to his draft status, but he’s been getting pretty consistent at-bats in the Rockies’ outfield this season. Considering they play half their games at Coors Field, that’s not a bad thing.
Moniak has also put together some solid batted-ball data. He is striking out a bunch, but he still ranks in the 77th percentile for xBA and the 86th percentile for xSLG. He’s not someone who deserves to be added quite yet, but he’s at least someone to keep an eye on in deeper formats.
Deep League Players to Watch
Bobby Dalbec (CWS), 1B/3B (0% Yahoo, 0.1% ESPN)
Dalbec is about as deep as it gets. However, with the White Sox dealing with injuries to their corner infielders, Dalbec should get plenty of opportunities for the team moving forward. Dalbec has always had prodigious power, checking in at 70 on the 20-to-80 scale, though it hasn’t helped him make an impact at the MLB level. That’s unlikely to change, but he was crushing Triple-A pitching to start the year. He had four homers and a 167 wRC+ through his first 12 games, so perhaps he can be a post-post-post-hype sleeper. He might be worth a look in super deep or AL-only formats.
