Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report - 7/14/19

The first half and All-Star break are now behind us and the grind to the playoffs begins. The waiver wire is more important than ever down the stretch so let's take a look at some options that can help you get to the playoffs and beyond.

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Starting Pitchers

Andrew Cashner(SP-BOS)
46% owned

Since getting beat up in back to back starts at Colorado and at home to the Giants(won both starts), Cashner has been very productive. The Orioles, as a team, have been better, helping him to three straight wins and while he doesn't get many strikeouts, he has allowed five or fewer hits with two or fewer earned runs in five straight starts since those bad outings moving his ERA down to 3.83 on the season.  In shallow leagues, I would reserve him to a streaming option if you are dealing with IL issues or just need an extra arm. In larger leagues, he could make a nice addition for a second-half run.

**Update - Cashner was traded to Boston this past weekend and gets a bump in value when look at win potential.**

Alex Young(SP-ARI)
34% owned

While the Diamondbacks are a whopping 13.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, they are just 1.5 games back in the Wildcard. Rookie Alex Young could play a huge part in the rotation as the team enters the second half putting him on the fantasy radar as well. I am not too worried about him being pulled after six no-hit innings(71 pitches) in his last start vs. Colorado as he has gone back and forth between the bullpen and rotation at both levels. The good news is that the leash should be extended moving forward and he is currently penciled in as the #4 guy in the rotation.

Young lacks an overpowering fastball(89 mph average velocity) but throws four plus pitches including a slider(32% usage) that is generating a 16% swinging strike rate helping him to an overall swinging strike rate of 13%. This is one indicator that he should be able to sustain at least a league-average K rate moving forward. Until we know more about his status moving forward, he is best used a streamer in smaller leagues but can definitely be picked up in larger leagues as a speculative rotation guy for the D-Backs the rest of the season. And if he is available in your keeper league, run to the waiver right NOW!

Relief Pitchers

Liam Hendricks(RP-OAK) - 48% owned

The ownership is going up fast so jump on board while you can. Blake Treinen made his return to the bullpen after an injury but with how well Hendricks is pitching, he will remain the closer for now. Hendriks has four saves since taking over the closer role and has allowed just six hits with 14 K's and zero walks in those 8.1 innings. Even if Treinen gets the closer role back eventually, Hendriks will still have a ton of value in leagues where holds are counted or where you just need a reliever to help with ERA and K's.

**Update: He is now just over 60% owned since I started writing this so jump on board while you still can!**

Emilio Pagan(RP-TB) - 38% owned
Diego Castillo(RP-TB) - 27% owned

The Rays bullpen is one we can target and is still fairly low owned. Jose Alvarado who was the closer early in the season then missed time with a family issue, and after making a comeback is back on the IL with an oblique strain. Both Castillo(7) and Pagan(5) have gotten opportunities this season but Pagan is my first choice of the two at the moment as Castillo has been on the IL for a couple of weeks with a shoulder strain. Despite a few bad outings, Pagan has been excellent with a 1.75 ERA and has an electric fastball(95 mph average velocity) and slider(87 mph average velocity) that are both generating an elite 18% swinging strike rate and an overall 34.6%  K rate. Castillo would be more of a longshot/speculative play as he has not been nearly as impressive with a 3.93 ERA, 11% walk rate, 1.31 WHIP and slightly above average 26% K rate.

Catcher

Roberto Perez(C-CLE)
21% owned
Catcher is a tough position to fill so I was surprised to see Roberto Perez still at just 21% ownership across yahoo leagues. He started off slow but has been tremendous lately posting a .317/.383/.707 slash line with nine home runs and a 173 wRC+ since the start of June. He is much better against lefties(.425 wOBA, 166 wRC+) but is still league average against righties(.331 wOBA, 103 wRC+) meaning you can plug him in at the start of the week and forget it. He is a great pickup in league sizes and setups.

Infield

Freddy Galvis(2B, SS-TOR)
40% owned
Galvis is another player who started out slow but entered the All-Star break as a very productive fantasy player. Over the last month, he has posted an impressive .330/.373/.569 slash line with six home runs, 19 RBI, and 17 runs and has also spent some time at the top of the Jays order. He is likely going to be involved in a lot of trade talks and could join a much better offense. Best of all, he is multi-position eligible and helps out at second base or shortstop. He probably isn't a starter on your team unless you are in a deeper league but can definitely provide close to replacement value with other players sitting or temporarily injured.

Nate Lowe(1B-TB)
20% owned

Mike Brosseau(2B,3B-TB)
2% owned

The Rays infield has some player s who can be targeted and let's start with Lowe. Since being recalled from Triple-A on July 4, he has hits in five of six starts including three straight multi-hit efforts in the series against Baltimore where he also added three home runs and seven RBI. As long as he keeps getting opportunities, and he should as a top prospect at the position, he is a solid bat that can help in multiple categories. He is slashing .290/.419/.519 at Triple-A this with 12 home runs and in 18 games at the big-league level he is hitting just below .300 with five bombs and double-digit runs(15) and RBI(13).

If you want to get even riskier, take a shot with Mike Brosseau who is eligible at second and third base. He went into Sunday with an absurd .382 average and .417 on-base percentage over a very small sample of 11 games since he was called up and while those numbers aren't sustainable, he still projects to be a solid hitter. In 68 games at Triple-A this season, he is .317 with a .408 on-base percentage and found his power stroke with 15 home runs and has added 58 RBI and 51 runs scored. Both players make sense to target in larger keeper leagues but even in redraft leagues of 12 or larger, they can help you out in the short term.

Outfield

Danny Santana(1B,2B,OF- TEX)
33% owned
Depending on the league settings, Santana has been a Top 30 player over the last month and deserves our attention. He comes into the week red-hot going 10 for 19 over his last four games pushing his average up to .309 for the season. He isn't an "everyday player" but his multi-position eligibility and success at the plate keep him in the lineup very regularly. No matter your league setup, he provides value in lots of areas with 11 home runs, 31 RBI, 43 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases.

Kevin Pillar(OF-SFG)
19% owned
This is more of a deep league add if you are dealing with injuries in the outfield or have to roster more than three at the position. You might look at the overall numbers(.247/.275/.418 slash line) and laugh at me for this recommendation but hear me out. He may not be a great choice in OBP(on-base percentage leagues) but since the start of June, Pillar has tallied the 9th most runs scored(24) and 9th most RBI(23) of all outfielders in the league. He may not be a player you keep on your roster until the end of the season but he isn't going to hurt you if you need a couple of week fill-in in the outfield.

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