Week 16

If you like closers and deep players, this week’s waiver wire should hit the mark for you.  With Gabe Kapler causing fantasy owners pain, we have a new name.  Should you invest heavily?  Dunno.  What about Tony Watson or Mark Melancon in SF, could it be someone else?  Do you know who Enyel De Los Santos is?  Can you say his name?  Read on to learn more.

Enjoy the list and please click on the baseball card to visit our partner amazon.com to explore additional information on each player. 

Tyler Anderson, SP, COL (CBS: 59% owned): He may be owned to the 59% level, but in virtually all of my Leagues he’s still sitting on the Waiver Wire. He has been absolutely brilliant in his past two outings, going eight shutout innings in both. If you’re looking for a starter to stream, he’s got the Diamondbacks and Mariners at home this week.

Victor Arano, RP, PHI (CBS: 4% owned): Gabe Kapler isn’t endearing himself to us Fantasy folk. Just as Seranthony Dominguez seemed to be settling into the closer role, along comes Victor Arano, who happens to save games in back-to-back outings this weekend. I think we have to consider this a saves-by-committee scenario at this time.

Enyel De Los Santos, SP, PHI (CBS: 6% owned)  The Phillies are going to need some spot starters for this coming week and Santos name is being bandied about as a potential option. The 22-year-old righthander is sporting a 9-3 won/loss record and stellar 1.89 ERA at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In 16 starts, the most earned runs he’s given up is three, doing that only twice. A cheap speculative bid is in order.

Niko Goodrum, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, DET (CBS: 15% owned): The Dixon Machado experiment has drawn to a conclusion as the Tigers finally tired of his inability to hit and sent him packing.  This leads us to the question of the day. Is there such a thing as a bad rum?

Matt Harvey, SP, CIN (CBS: 48% owned): It’s hard to even fathom, but yes it’s time to revisit Matt Harvey. In his past five outings he has three wins and in 29 innings pitched, has allowed a total of eight earned runs. Maybe, the problem in New York wasn’t Harvey?

Joe Jimenez, RP, DET (CBS: 27% owned): Somebody has to earn our first hat trick of the year, and with mentions in both Week Five and Nine, Joe Jimenez wins the honor. Shane Greene hits the 10-day DL with a right shoulder strain and could be lost for a while. It’s Jimenez job to lose.

Pablo Lopez, SP, MIA (CBS: 4% owned): The Marlins have done well as they drain the Mariners farm system. Lopez has been good against the Mets and not so good against the Nationals. He’s young, having just turned 22 in March, and best left for NL-only and Dynasty formats, but as a back-of-the-rotation type starter, is an intriguing option.

Nick Neidert, SP, MIA (CBS: 1% owned): Neidert, acquired from the Mariners in the Dee Gordon deal, is quietly getting it done at Double-A Jacksonville. He’s sporting a great 2.66 ERA to go along with 95 strikeouts in 91 1/3 IP and is but one step away from the big league team. For those playing in Dynasty Leagues, give the kid a look. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Stephen Piscotty, OF, OAK (CBS: 27% owned): Like the rest of the A’s, Piscotty has been on a nice little run. He has now hit homers on back-to-back days and has seven RBI in his past four games. A small FAAB bid could net you a solid fifth outfielder.

Jorge Polanco, SS, MIN (CBS: 27% owned): The penance now served, it appears as if Jorge Polanco is ready to assume the role of shortstop for the Twinkies. We witnessed the breakout in the second half of 2017 when he hit the bulk of his 13 homers and stole 13 bases. It gives one pause to think more of the same could be in order in the second half of 2018.

Yefry Ramirez, SP, BAL (CBS: 1% owned): He has now recorded two consecutive outings where he has allowed less than ten earned runs. Does this then qualify him to be the “ace” of the Orioles staff? In deep Keeper Leagues, a stash for 2019 isn’t a bad plan.

Will Smith, RP, SF (CBS: 23% owned): Let’s see if I’ve got this right. Hunter Strickland took over at the beginning of the year as incumbent Mark Melancon wasn’t ready to start the season. Sam Dyson took over for Strickland when Strickland decided to move an immovable object with his right hand. Tony Watson was rumored to be in the mix for saves, but Will Smith has now saved games in three consecutive outings. Mark Melancon still isn’t ready to work the ninth. If this doesn’t define the term “closer carousel”, nothing will.  Will Smith be able to hold down the fort?

Steven Souza, OF, ARZ (CBS: 36% owned): Whoa… I never thought I’d see Souza available in 64% of any Leagues, let alone CBS. Souza has spent most of the first half on the DL dealing with a pectoral injury and isn’t exactly setting the world on fire since his return, but he did hit 30 homers and swipe 16 bases in 2017. He deserves a lot more love than his current 36 percent ownership level.

Drew Steckenrider, RP, MIA (CBS: 6% owned): The rumor mill currently has the Marlins shopping both Brad Ziegler and Kyle Barraclough. What happens should they move both of those players?

Kyle Tucker, OF, HOU (CBS: 73% owned): Derek Fisher and Jake Marisnick both had their kick at the can and let’s face it, Tony Kemp is what he is. It’s time to see if Kyle Tucker is ready and he is going to get plenty of at-bats to prove that is the case. The 14 homers, 66 RBI, 14-for-17 stealing bases, and .891 OPS in 327 at-bats at Triple-A Fresno looks pretty good on his resume.

Jordan Zimmermann, SP, DET (CBS: 32% owned): This recommendation follows in the footsteps of the Matt Harvey recommendation. Who in their right mind would have thunk it? Maybe I’m not in my right mind? In his past six games, Zimm has allowed a total of five earned runs. Granted, the caliber of the opposition hasn’t been the best, but you can’t argue with success, especially the most recent 11 strikeout effort against the Rangers.

 

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