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Week 19

Orlando Arcia, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (CBS: 34 per cent owned, ESPN: 10 per cent): The future at shortstop has now arrived in Milwaukee, and if the Brewers offense is firing on all cylinders, (as it wasSaturday) Jonathan Villar and Arcia will be a force to be reckoned with at the top-of-the-order for years to come.

Pedro Alvarez, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles (CBS: 32 per cent owned, ESPN: 19 per cent): He’ll sit against southpaws, but even in a platoon situation, how do you argue with the results? Since we rolled into August, those five solo homers in 13 at-bats would fit well on anyone’s roster.

Andrew Benintendi, OF, Boston Red Sox (CBS: 47 per cent owned, ESPN: 25 per cent): Who needs Triple-A, anyway? You don’t when your competition for playing time is Bryce Bentz and the soon-to-be returning Chris Young. In a rather small sample size, Benintendi went 14-for-43 against southpaws at Double-A Portland, so if he gets out of the gate strong, the full-time gig could be his to own down the stretch. Those strong OBP numbers and stolen bases should be a welcome addition to both Boston and your Fantasy outfield.

Keon Broxton, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (CBS: 3 per cent owned, ESPN: 1 per cent): Since being recalled at the end of July, Broxton has gone 12-for-32 with two homers and two stolen bases, fueled in part by his monster 5-for-5 Saturday against the DBacks. If he continues to hit, the at-bats will be there, as will those stolen bases.

Michael Conforto, OF, New York Mets (CBS: 46 per cent owned, ESPN: 16 per cent): That hot start to the season for Conforto seems like a distant memory, but with both Yoenis Cespedes and Juan Lagares hitting the DL, there is an opportunity at-hand. Conforto won’t find a better opportunity to get untracked.

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees (CBS: 25 per cent owned, ESPN: 4 per cent): Carlos Beltran has been traded. Alex Rodriguez will be playing his last game as a Yankee this coming Friday. This has to be cause to speculate on whether or not we will see Judge wearing pinstripes in the near future. We will, it’s simply a case of whether it will be sooner-or-later. He’s returning from a month on the DL, dealing with a knee injury, so the Yankees could always keep him down on the farm until he’s 100 per cent and look to Tyler Austin as a temporary option. Buying in early on Judge could be cause to save a buck or three.

Ketel Marte, SS, Seattle Mariners (CBS: 36 per cent owned, ESPN: 10 per cent): Marte is slated to return from a stint on the DL with mononucleosis at the end of next week. It’s been a disappointing rookie campaign, but that speed potential is still very intriguing for the stretch run.

Casey McGehee, 3B, Detroit Tigers (CBS/ESPN: unowned): The broken hand suffered by Nick Castellanos, creates a big hole at the hot corner in Detroit. The big question will be does Casey McGehee have enough left in the tank to fill that vacancy? He’s already gotten the call and the five homer, 49 RBI, .322 BA at Triple-A Toledo bodes well for his chances. The Mighty Casey won’t strike out.

Raul Mondesi, 2B/SS, Kansas City Royals (CBS: 17 per cent owned, ESPN: 4 per cent): Whit Merrifield couldn’t get it done, so the Royals have turned to top-prospect Mondesi. His march through the minors concluded with only 56 at-bats at Triple-A Omaha, but along the way he swiped 24-of-25 bases. He’s still very much a work in progress, but if one is chasing speed numbers he has to be a consideration this weekend.

Joe Musgrove, SP, Houston Astros (CBS: 40 per cent owned, ESPN: 21 per cent): What a debut. Eight strikeouts and 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball against the Jays offense. How was the follow up start today? Up against the tough Rangers offense he tossed seven innings of five-hit ball, with no walks, six strikeouts, and allowed a scant one earned run. It’s time to part company with a good chunk of that FAAB.

Paulo Orlando, OF, Kansas City Royals (CBS: 6 per cent owned, ESPN: 5 per cent): So is Paulo the real deal? The jury is still deliberating, but in the meantime he’s gone 13-for-25 since the beginning of August with a homer, four runs scored, and two stolen bases. He’s on a roll, and it’s time to tie a yellow ribbon around him and roll him on out.

Trevor Plouffe, 3B, Minnesota Twins (26 per cent owned, ESPN: 3 per cent): Plouffe has been activated off of the 15-day DL and will immediately move back to the hot corner for the Twins. He has had an incredibly frustrating season, enduring a myriad of injures and subsequent lost time due to injuries, but as we saw in 2015 the potential boost in home run and RBI numbers could make for a solid replacement for the injured Nick Castellanos.

Cameron Rupp, C, Philadelphia Phillies (CBS: 32 per cent owned, ESPN: 14 per cent): Something kicked in at the end of June and it’s still kicking. The results have been nine homers, 25 RBI, and 31 hits in his past 108 at-bats. In a world devoid of quality catchers, Rupp deserves to be shown a bit more respect.

Gary Sanchez, C, New York Yankees (CBS: 26 per cent owned, ESPN: 6 per cent): The future at catcher has arrived in the Big Apple, and it should be a long, great run. Ten homers, 50 RBI, with a .282 BA at Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre bodes well for his potential for success right out of the gate. Don’t be concerned about playing time opportunities as the Yankees will utilize him at both catcher and DH. In two catcher formats, bid high, he’s worth the investment.

Scott Schebler, OF, Cincinnati Reds (CBS: 5 per cent owned, ESPN: 2 per cent): I said Peraza, the Reds said Schebler. The Reds win. The power was clearly on display this week as he hit one a mile against the Cardinals. Temper your batting average expectations, but when he tags one, it will be going a long, long way.

Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs (CBS: 28 per cent owned, ESPN: 10 per cent): To say that the 2016 season has been a disappointment would be an understatement. He’s coming off a long stint on the DL for a hamstring strain and needs to step it up and quickly at that. Will the sun rise or set for the young Cuban born outfielder? I’m betting it will rise to the occasion.

Jake Thompson, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (CBS: 14 per cent owned, ESPN: 7 per cent):  Thompson suffered through a disappointing debutSaturday, allowing seven hits, two walks, and six earned runs  against the Padres. Don’t let this poor start, sway your bidding. Instead, look at this as an opportunity to buy a bit lower. He is very much the real deal as demonstrated by that superb season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Tyler Thornburg, RP, Milwaukee Brewers (CBS: 37 per cent owned, ESPN: 28 per cent): Thornburg has enjoyed a great 2016 season and moves to the top of the pecking order for saves in Milwaukee. He has that first successful save under his belt and looks to own the gig for the Brewers over the balance of the 2016 campaign.

 

5 comments on “Week 19

  1. […] identifies the top players to target off the waiver wire heading into Week […]

  2. It would be a lot more helpful to have these on Sunday, when transactions for nearly every weekly league are due.

  3. […] Our week 19 Waiver Wire pickups are now available. […]

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