Week 1

Another season of trolling the Waiver Wire begins and as in the past, those early opportunities to strengthen your draft day efforts and find those necessary injury replacements will be huge in shaping those final results. “Go big or go home” is our motto!

In addition to the traditional Waiver Wire, we have added a new speculative list called Five Under Five. Those very cheap players that could pay off dividends down the road.

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

1. Kole Calhoun, OF, LAA (CBS: 35% owned)

He’s going to bat leadoff in 70 percent of his games. He will hit 20 homers. There’s no way “The Cowboy” repeats that .283 OBP he posted last year.

2. Brett Gardner, OF, NYY (CBS: 34% owned)

The return of Aaron Hicks is looking to be at the very least several weeks down the road and in the interim Gardner will be hitting at the top-of-the-order. The fact that the Yankees have Detroit and Baltimore on the schedule for six games this week presents an opportunity to run up some great counting stats.

3. Mychal Givens, RP, BAL (CBS: 37% owned)

Yes, I know he didn’t get the save yesterday against the Yankees, but he was by far the best Baltimore reliever. He shut down the Yankees with three strikeouts in the eighth and should be back pitching the ninth sooner as compared to later.

4. Brian Goodwin, OF, LAA (CBS: 11% owned)

The initial diagnosis on the turf toe injury suffered by Justin Upton has been moved from 2-to-3 weeks to 2-to-3 months. Brian Goodwin looks to be the principal beneficiary when it comes to playing time opportunities, but don’t forget he was recently released by the Kansas City Royals. Not a real confidence builder, eh? In deeper and only formats you might want to toss a buck down on Brennon Lund. A good start down on the farm and we could see him in Anaheim before the return of Upton.

5. Garrett Hampson, SS, COL (CBS: 50% owned)

We’re still waiting for a timetable on a potential return for Daniel Murphy, but with a fractured finger and possible tendon damage, it’s a safe bet that it’s not going to be anytime soon. For those that exercised patience when Hampson didn’t win the second base job breaking camp, it is now going to be rewarded.

6. Enrique Hernandez, 2B/SS/OF, LAD (CBS: 47% owned)

Hernandez hit 21 homers last year and already has a two-homer game under his belt this season. Toss in the roster flexibility he provides and the fact that he has flipped roles with Chris Taylor this year and is going to be seeing full-time at-bats at second base and there’s a lot to like.

7. Jeremy Jeffress, RP, MIL (CBS: 24% owned)

What looked like a real strength just a scant few backs, has now turned into a problem for the Brew Crew. Corey Knebel is scheduled for TJS and Jeremy Jeffress is currently rehabbing a shoulder injury and on the IL to begin the season. Josh Hader is one of the best in the bus, but don’t let Jeremy Jeffress be the forgotten man. Jeffress is still several weeks from a return, but when he does he should move right into a position of prominence and saves in Milwaukee. You can spend a buck or two now, or a big chunk of change in about three weeks.

8. Peter O’Brien, 1B, MIA (CBS: 3% owned)

The calf injury to Garrett Cooper and subsequent trip to the IL will give O’Brien a chance to flash some power in the Fish lineup.

9. Joc Pederson, OF, LAD (CBS: 41% owned)

Three homers in his first three games with three walks and only one strikeout will guarantee he will maintain his spot at the top-of-the-order for the Dodgers. Are his days of being a platoon player a thing of the past?

10. Taylor Rogers, RP, MIN (CBS: 17% owned)

Rocco Baldelli has made it clear that he’s going to be using multiple pitchers in the ninth inning to start the season. The fact that southpaw Taylor Rogers earned the first save of the 2019 season for the Twins reinforces that fact. Trevor May and Blake Parker are both righties with Rogers being the only southpaw. The early save recorded by Rogers won’t be his last.

11. Aaron Sanchez, SP, TOR (CBS: 32% owned)

He looked very good in his 2019 debut against the Tigers. How much of that was the Tigers offense leaves to be seen but he hasn’t looked this confident since that 2016 breakout campaign. Finally, it looks like Sanchez career is heading in the right direction.

12. Jorge Soler, OF, KC (CBS: 32% owned)

The 5-for-7 start with three doubles and five RBI is a nice way to remind us that the sun might be rising and not setting for the 27-year-old Soler.

13. Dansby Swanson, SS, ATL (CBS: 16% owned)

For a player coming off a wrist injury and whose status was questionable to start the season, he’s off to a solid start. Is a 15-15 type season really one that we would consider being disappointing?

14. Anthony Swarzak, RP, SEA (CBS: 4% owned)

The news that Hunter Strickland is hitting the 10-day IL with a right lat strain, opens a window of opportunity for saves in Seattle. While Cory Gearrin will most likely be the popular choice among Fantasy players, I’ll toss a couple of bucks at Anthony Swarzak (who will be returning from the IL Tuesday) and back it up with a Sean Armstrong stash. Strickland’s injury has now been upgraded to a Grade Two strain, so it’s likely a long-term stint on the IL. The better arms should rule the roost, and Swarzak and Armstrong are the better arms.

15. Kolten Wong, 2B, STL (CBS: 14% owned)

It’s all about the ability to consistently stay on the field, something we haven’t seen from Wong since 2015. A 6-for-10 start, with a two-homer game tossed in for good measure, is going to generate huge interest heading into Week Three.

16. Kyle Zimmer, RP, KC (CBS: 2% owned)

The combination of Brad Boxberger, Ian Kennedy, and Wily Peralta is far from awe-inspiring. Keep the .71 ERA turned in by Kyle Zimmer this Spring filed away for future reference.

17. Jordan Zimmermann SP, DET (CBS: 17% owned)

He carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in his debut against the Jays and left after seven innings allowing only one single. The Yankees on the road isn’t a great matchup next week, but the two-start week that follows against the Twins and Indians is enticing.

Five under $5

1. Jalen Beeks, SP/RP, TB (CBS: 3% owned)

Could he be the 2019 version of Ryan Yarbrough? In AL-only formats, I’ll spend a buck to find out.

2. Connor Joe, OF, SFG (CBS: 1% owned)

He should be left for the deepest of formats. At the end of the day, he’s simply an average Joe.

3. Nick Margevicius, SP, SD (CBS: 3% owned)

The 22-year-old southpaw, who until yesterday had never pitched above A-ball, turned in a great debut. Five innings of three-hit ball with no walks, five strikeouts, and only one earned run should be deserving of another opportunity.

4. Miguel Rojas, 1B/3B/SS, MIA (CBS: 2% owned)

He managed to accrue 488 at-bats last year as a super-sub, or as it’s known in Miami, an everyday player. As a 10-10 type player, he’ll hold value in NL-only Leagues.