I decided to publish this edition of the Waiver Wire article a little earlier as I was a little late with Saturday’s article. There are some good names to pick up during this mid-week waiver rush, so be sure to read each player’s breakdown. I include a couple of other names like Todd Frazier and Jesús Aguilar but I haven’t written them as thoroughly as these players …
Rafael Montero (TEX – RP) I’ve really tried to avoid listing players in back-to-back articles, but sadly Montero breaks the trend. He appeared in matches on Fridays and Saturdays and blocked saves in every game. He looked very impressive and was officially named the closest for Rangers with José Leclerc on the injury list. He has an elite fastball and can deliver one strikeout per inning. Montero is a hot commodity on waivers.
Dylan Moore (SEA – SS, OF) If I didn’t intend to include Montero, I would still have broken my pattern of repeated renunciations with Moore. Like Montero, Moore was placed in the waiver wire column last weekend and followed that mention with home runs in Sunday and Monday matches. I can’t speak if he can keep up this pace, but there is a promise. He’s getting the ball up and has a 56.7% hard contact rate that comes close to Tuesday’s play list. There’s some flexibility with Moore and it’s on a roll. He is showing power and don’t forget he also has speed on the base course.
Randy Dobnak (MIN – SP) Strikeout numbers are weak, but Dobnak has a 0.90 ERA and WHIP match in the year and took his third straight win Monday night against Milwaukee. It is more valuable in category leagues unless victories are rewarded handsomely in point leagues. Dobnak’s next two starts will come against the Royals, the first of which will be this weekend. The Royals have the third best team batting average in all baseball, but the Twins’ offense should provide Dobnak with enough support to earn another win.
Asdrúbal Cabrera (WSH – 2B, 3B) Cabrera is by no means a spectacular acquisition, but he is a solid player all around. On Monday night he played a monstrous game with two home runs and five RBI. He was safely hit in 9 of 12 games this year, while 8 of his 15 hits went for extra bases, elevating his cutting line to .357 / .413 / .738 entering on Tuesday. He hits regularly in the middle of training and can continue to drive in races for Washington.
Mitch Moreland (BOS – 1B) Moreland is one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this year. He is currently dealing with a “barking knee” as he said, but it hasn’t derailed his season one bit. In ten games he has six home runs and 12 RBI. His nickname in Boston has conveniently been changed from “Mitchy Two Bags” to “Mitchy Four Bags” and he has a robust .935 hit rate. Of course it will regress, but it is still contributing to power. Power may keep him green in the points leagues, but he has two walks for just seven strikeouts in the short season. Jesús Aguilar is a solid option in the league in case Moreland isn’t available. Aguilar has three consecutive multi-hit matches, including a home run on Monday.
Anthony DeSclafani (CIN – SP) DeSclafani was one of my favorites many months ago in the fantasy baseball Mock Draft Army. I was often selected in the last rounds of drafts and now looked pretty good after two starts. He didn’t go very far in the games, but nowadays that is the case with a fair number of pitchers. In 11 innings of work against Milwaukee and Detroit he did not allow a run and only one hitter walked. There are no strikeouts, but he’s generating a lot of soft and medium contacts and the batters are putting him on the ground. His upcoming start is good against Pittsburgh. As a team, the Pirates are cutting .209 / .273 / .328 and are averaging about four runs per game. I think he’s a great streamer this week and you can gauge his worth from there. The next start after Pittsburgh could be against Kansas City.
Ryan Pressly (HOU – RP) Some fantasy baseball owners actually ditched Pressly after her disastrous rescue opportunity skipped late last week. He followed this up by blocking the bailout Monday night, although he gave up a couple of hits. It is still the best option to get close to the Astros as it is truly the only one with any experience. Dusty Baker is an old school manager. I am confident that he will stay with the veteran especially after Monday’s result.
Max Stassi (LAA – C) Stassi is kind of an all-or-nothing hitter. He has eight hits in the year he entered on Tuesday and half of those are home runs. So the power is definitely there for him, and he’s getting most of the starts behind the parable. It could be a risk in the category leagues, but I like it in the points leagues because of the power and lack of strikeouts (so far). In fantasy baseball, the catcher’s position can be a bit of a revolving door, so if it cools you can put it back in the reserve, but I’m optimistic it can keep the offense in good lineup.
Framber Valdez (SP, RP – HOU) Valdez should be considered as an SP / RP who is getting more beginnings than relief appearances lately. He is 0-2 in the year but has had tough competition against the likes of Athletics, Angels and Dodgers. In his last two starts against division rivals, he racked up 17 strikeouts in 13.1 innings of work while still allowing only one earned run. Support for racing wasn’t quite there for him, but racing will come. Aside from the lack of a win, it was a great fantasy option. His next start will be Friday at home against the Seattle Mariners. Seattle do not boast a great attack and are averaging less than one home run per game entering on Tuesday. This will be a good match for Valdez to get his first win.
Maikel Franco (KC – 3B) I’m not as thrilled with Franco as I am for the other players on this list, but it’s on a mild hot streak that deserves our attention. Coming in on Tuesday he had 17 hits in 17 games, but most of those had been on the more recent end of the spectrum. He also scored five points and five extra base hits in his five previous games. It has recently arrived at the last third of the order, which is a little unpleasant, but it’s still producing. It’s not someone you have to run to the edge of giving up to get it, but keep it on your radar. It doesn’t generate a lot of walking, so it takes a slight hit in point leagues and OBP leagues. Todd Frazier is also worth checking out if you need help in third base. He entered on Tuesday with four multi-hit matches in the last seven starts and offers a better BA and OBP.
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