With another full week of baseball coming up, it’s always smart to check the waiver wire or scout for the occasional ‘diamond in the rough’ fantasy star found at a very cheap cost. Winning the waiver wire could be the difference between grabbing a few extra points to land in the money or falling just short. Here’s a few hitters that might be available on your league waiver wire or could be found at a relatively low cost against favorable pitching match ups.
(Note: Stats and numbers are as of June 16th)
Monday, June 19: Ben Gamel (SEA OF) vs. DET Jordan Zimmermann (5-5, 5.35 ERA)
Ben Gamel has enjoyed plenty of at-bats in the lead-off spot, even after Mitch Haniger’s return. Gamel has five multi-hit games in his past six contests and has batted .416 through the first 13 games of June. Jordan Zimmermann has struggled on the hill this season, and allowed five earned runs in his lone start against Seattle. Left-handed batters are hitting .331 against Zimmermann on the season. With Gamel only owned in 29% of Fantrax leagues and 9% of ESPN leagues, he’s a solid pickup to use in your outfield or in daily fantasy.
Tuesday, June 20: Matt Adams (ATL 1B) vs. SF Matt Moore (2-7, 6.00 ERA)
Freddie Freeman will likely be on the disabled list until mid-July, so Matt Adams will continue to get starts at first base until he returns. Adams has eight homers, 19 RBI, and 14 runs in 22 games with the Braves. Matt Moore has not won a start since May 13 against the Reds, posting a 11.08 ERA in the month of June. Left-handed batters are hitting .387 against Moore on the season and with Adams batting from the left side, he’s a heavy favorite in this match up. Matt Adams is only owned in 47% of Fantrax leagues.
Wednesday, June 21: Eduardo Escobar (MIN 3B/SS) vs. CWS Miguel Gonzalez (4-8, 5.49 ERA)
The Twins offense has been on a tear recently, ripping twenty eight hits in a game last week. Eduardo Escobar has raised his season batting average from .210 to .295 since the start of June and has batted .565 over the past week with three home runs. Miguel Gonzalez has been struggling, posting a 0-3 record in June with a 10.49 ERA. Batters are currently hitting .287 against Gonzalez on the season. Escobar is only owned in 16% of Fantrax leagues and is able to play shortstop and third base, so he could be a solid fill-in for your infield.
Thursday, June 22: Matt Davidson (CWS 3B) vs. MIN Hector Santiago (4-6, 5.26 ERA)[the_ad id=”384″]
I picked Matt Davidson two weeks ago as a player to watch because he’s been swinging a hot bat over the past month. In the last series vs. Baltimore, Davidson was 7-for-15 with four home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored. He currently leads the White Sox in home runs with 14. Hector Santiago has been tagged for a loss in each of his past four starts, giving up five runs in 2.2 innings in his last start against Seattle. Davidson is only owned in 28% of Fantrax leagues and offers a cheap option to use in daily fantasy.
Friday, June 23: Colby Rasmus (TB OF) vs. BAL Alec Asher (2-5, 5.05 ERA)
Colby Rasmus is batting a solid .292 on the season, but he’s only used against right-handed starters. With Asher being a rightie, it’s likely Rasmus will be getting the start in the outfield on Friday. Rasmus has batted .382 with three home runs over the past two weeks. Asher has been tagged with a loss in his past two starts, unable to get past the fifth inning in either start. Asher is 0-5 with a 6.98 ERA in five starts on the road this season. Rasmus is only owned in 23% of Fantrax leagues and 2.5% of ESPN leagues, so there’s a heavy chance he’ll be available on the waiver wire.
Saturday, June 24: Lonnie Chisenhall (CLE OF) vs MIN Kyle Gibson (4-4, 6.79 ERA)
Chisenhall has enjoyed a strong offensive month, slamming six home runs with 16 RBI and a .342 batting average over the past 30 days. His season batting average has risen to .291 on the year. Kyle Gibson has posted a 4-1 record over his past seven starts, but it came with a relatively high 5.79 ERA. He was able to pick up a win in his last start even though he allowed six earned runs, thanks to his offense putting 20 runs on the board. Lefties are batting .339 against Gibson on the season. Chisenhall is only owned in 26% of Fantrax leagues, so he’s likely available as a fill-in for your outfield or a cheap daily fantasy option.
Sunday, June 25: Wilmer Flores (NYM 1B/3B) vs. SF Matt Moore (2-7, 6.00 ERA)
I picked Flores as a player last week, but with Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera both going down with injuries this week, he will likely be in the Mets lineup everyday. Flores has batted .322 with three home runs and 11 RBI over the past month. Matt Moore has struggled so much recently that we’ve picked two hitter matchups this week against him (see June 20 above.) He faced the Mets in his May 8 start, allowing three runs in 5.1 innings and receiving the no-decision. Flores is 1-for-5 with a double in his career against Moore. Righties are batting .270 against Moore on the season. Flores is only owned in 30% of Fantrax leagues and can be used to fill-in either corner of your infield.