Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Power Up with Pederson

The All-Star break is around the corner, and it’s the perfect opportunity to take stock of our fantasy squads. While half of the season is in the books, there’s still plenty of time to improve our teams and make gains in the standings — as long as we take advantage of the fantasy baseball waiver wire.

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The fantasy baseball waiver wire targets listed below are rostered in 70% or fewer of Fantrax leagues. Whether you’re in the market for an injury replacement or just want to ride the hot hand, all suggested pickups should bring some added oomph to fantasy rosters moving forward. With that, let’s look at the Week 15 fantasy baseball waiver wire targets.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets

Joc Pederson, UT, Rangers (26%)

Joc Pederson is bringing the power, smacking five long balls in his last six starts. The slugger is hitting .308 in that stretch with a 1.242 OPS and .577 ISO across 28 plate appearances.

Things have clicked for Pederson since he moved to the leadoff spot in mid-May. He hit 12 of his 14 homers in that 48-game span and piled up 22 runs scored and 23 RBI. Additionally, Pederson owns a solid .252/.338/.568 slash line across those 158 plate appearances to go with a 15.1% barrel rate and .317 ISO. The veteran generally sits against lefties, but that shouldn’t be a problem next week with 5/6 RHP on the docket. Pederson a great addition to power-needy lineups.

Esmerlyn Valdez, OF, Pirates (53%)

Esmerlyn Valdez is on a tear. He homered in four consecutive games and is hitting .478 with a 1.643 OPS in seven games while filling in for an injured Spencer Horwitz. Valdez is also sporting a plus plate approach in that limited stretch with a 14.8% walk rate and 22.2% strikeout rate.

While the bulk of Valdez’s fantasy value stems from power (13 HR in 56 Triple-A games), it comes with iffy contact. Valdez carried sub-80% zone contact rates throughout the minors and has a lowly 67.9% mark in his short time with the Pirates. However, Valdez’s hot streak is still worth riding. He’s not buried in the lineup and should be a counting-stat asset for a hot-hitting Buccos team. Valdez has an opportunity to stick with the Pirates after the All-Star break; pick him up to see if that pans out.

Nasim Nunez, 2B/SS, Nationals (58%)

Nasim Nunez continues to pile up stolen bases. His 96th-percentile speed has fueled an MLB-best 32 steals this year. And since June, Nunez has been an asset in the batting average column. His .329 BA over his last 86 plate appearances is a significant improvement from his previous .189 mark. Additionally, Nunez has been getting on base at a hefty .400 clip in that stretch and is 10-for-11 on the basepaths. While a .490 BABIP is driving a lot of his results, speed-needy fantasy managers would be wise to take advantage while it lasts. Just make sure you’re good on the power front.

Owen Caissie, OF, Marlins (62%)

Owen Caissie is starting to find his rhythm at the plate. He reached base safely in 11 of his last 13 games, slashing .389/.439/.778 with four dingers, nine runs scored, 11 RBI, and a stolen base. Caissie is riding a .476 BABIP over those 38 plate appearances, but his numbers look good under the hood. He’s making a ton of quality contact, posting a 24% barrel rate and 52% hard-hit rate. Caissie’s 29.3% strikeout rate during that span isn’t great, but it’s an improvement from his 38.9% mark on the year. If he can maintain his plate gains, Caissie offers pop and some speed as a strong-side platoon bat.

Denzer Guzman, 3B/SS, Angels (29%)

Denzer Guzman has held his own since his call-up in early June. He’s hitting .268/.325/.437 with three homers and a steal across 77 plate appearances. Guzman brings a solid blend of power and speed to the fantasy table. He tallied 12 home runs and nine steals in 58 games in Triple-A this season while making contact in the zone at a solid 86.6% clip.

Guzman should get a long leash at third base, is CI/MI eligible, and hit in the top third of the order in five of the Angels’ last six games. There’s nothing flashy here, but those in deeper leagues should take notice. Guzman is well worth an add to see how this plays out in the second half.

Dean Kremer, SP, Orioles (42%)

Dean Kremer looked good in his return this week from a quad injury. He twirled six innings of one-run ball against the White Sox, logging four strikeouts to one walk. Kremer only has three starts under his belt this season, but it’s hard to argue with the results: 3.18 ERA (2.79 xFIP), 0.88 WHIP and 20:3 K:BB across 17 IP. The uptick in Ks is nice to see (12.5% SwStr%), as Kremer hasn’t been a big strikeout arm over his career (20.3% K%). If the swing-and-miss sticks, Kremer could shape up as a nice rotation piece in the second half of the season. Pick him up to see where this goes.

Jake Bennett, SP, Red Sox (54%)

Jake Bennett has looked sharp since taking Brayan Bello’s spot in the rotation. In four starts, he’s boasting a 2.78 ERA (3.44 xFIP), 0.88 WHIP and 20.7% K-BB% across 22.2 frames. Moreover, Bennett hasn’t issued many free passes (3.4% BB%), while getting batters to chase at a whopping 41.9% clip. There’s not much to complain about here, other than Bennett’s criminally low rostership. He’s a must-add arm in shallow leagues.

Brandon Sproat, SP, Brewers (63%)

It took a minute, but Brandon Sproat is finally starting to shine. In five starts in June, Sproat flexed a 3.46 ERA (3.15 xFIP) and 0.97 WHIP to go with a 21.2% K-BB% across 26 innings. Sproat’s underlying metrics support his results, and his lofty 28.3% strikeout rate comes with a 13.1% SwStr% for the month.

Looking ahead, Sproat is tabbed for a favorable matchup against a struggling Diamondbacks team (83 wRC+ versus RHP in June), followed by a less-friendly tilt against the Pirates (134 wRC+ versus RHP in June). The Brewers roll with a six-man rotation, but Sproat is still worth grabbing in 12-teamers.