It is always an interesting process when tracking potential waiver wire pickup recommendations. Take the case of the New York Yankees. During this past week, they have called up three prospects to fill spots from players who have gone on the disabled list. The first, Tyler Wade, made a nice debut but may be up with the Yankees for only a brief time. The second call-up, Miguel Andujar, had three hits with four RBI in his big-league debut, and then was sent back to Triple-A Scranton to work on his defensive skills at third base. The third call-up, Dustin Fowler, is now out for the season after suffering an open rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee. It was a gruesome injury, and we wish Fowler the best.
We would also like to wish a happy and safe Canada Day and Independence Day to all. In honor of this, here is a little baseball trivia related to July 4: What Hall of Famer recorded his 3,000th career strikeout on July 4, 1980, becoming only the fourth player to accomplish this feat? (answer at the end of the article) Now onto this week’s waiver wire recommendations using players that are owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues. Stats as of June 30.
Ian Happ, 2B/OF, Chicago Cubs
Happ has been a key player for the Cubs with Ben Zobrist sidelined, as well as other Cubs, including Jason Heyward and more recently Kris Bryant. Happ is hitting .250 with a .846 OPS. He has also slugged 10 home runs with 23 RBI since being called up. Although he has shown some speed in the minors, Happ has only one stolen base so far, but could be a candidate for some more once he is allowed to show some of that speed.
Michael Taylor, OF, Washington Nationals
[the_ad id=”384″]During his last seven games, Taylor has hit .391 with three home runs and eight RBI. Taylor has made the most of his playing time since he took over in center field for the injured Adam Eaton in late April. Taylor will probably ended up being a top 15 batter for the month of June. He is a true 20/30 threat for HR/SB and is at least a starting outfielder for many fantasy teams this year, and might even soften some of the blow from owners looking to replace the injured Trea Turner, especially as he is enjoying what may end up being the best year of his career.
Jose Urena, SP, Miami Marlins
Urena is starting to look like one of the better options for the Marlins rotation. Even after losing to the Mets, Urena now owns a 3.42 ERA in 17 games, including 11 starts, and he’d won his last five decisions prior to Thursday’s loss. Urena has made a vast improvement, as he entered this season with a 4-13 record and a 5.33 ERA in 21 previous starts. Urena’s record now stands at 6-3 due in part to his ability to throw a powerful two-seam and four-seam fastball consistently near 95 to 96 mph, combined with his command and execution of his changeup and slider that have made him more effective.
Randal Grichuk, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Numbers on @RGrich15's 💣
5th HR
20th RBI
109 MPH off the bat
478 feetCRUSHED!!!! 💪💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/guib5BJyXt
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 26, 2017
After a demotion to the minor leagues, Grichuk took advantage of his time working with minor-league hitting instructor George Greer at Single-A Palm Beach and then at Triple-A Memphis. When Grichuk returned, he needed only 10 at-bats in his first two games back to hit half as many home runs as he had hit in his previous 167 at-bats over 46 games. In his last seven games, Grichuk has hit .318 with three home runs and nine RBI. The key to keeping his improved numbers will be his plate discipline and contact skills, which could be helped by a shortened swing he developed while working with Greer.
Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Since coming off the disabled list on June 13, Pederson has been hitting .291 with six homers, 14 runs scored and 13 RBI in the first 17 games since his return. During this time, Pederson has shown a better eye, more patience and awareness, and better bat speed. This has only helped his ability to draw walks and hit for power. Hitting three home runs with seven RBI in his last seven games may indicate that this improvement from his pre-disabled list statistics could continue, especially if this is linked to his getting better prepared for fastballs, as Pederson has worked hard to eliminate an inside vulnerability. Pederson has also seen his overall contact rate improve by nine percentage points over the last two years, without sacrificing power.
Sean Newcomb, SP, Atlanta Braves
Someone is going to yell "Padres!" at me, but good grief, what more does Sean Newcomb have to do to be picked up everywhere?
— Scott White (@CBSScottWhite) June 28, 2017
Good question. It may have something to do with the fact that he plays for the Braves. Regardless, Newcomb would be a fine pickup. He recorded his first major league victory on June 27 by throwing six scoreless frames in his first career road start in San Diego. Newcomb has been successful in his early starts due to his control. According to Fangraphs, he ranks 18th in first-pitch strike rate, seventh in zone rate, and third in strike rate compared to 190 pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings. Continuing this will help keep him in the neighborhood of the 1.48 ERA he has already posted, along with 21 strikeouts.
Lonnie Chisenhall, OF, Cleveland Indians
All Chisenhall has done this year for the Indians is lead the American League in pinch-hit at-bats, doubles, home runs, RBI, and runs scored. He is not only a solid pinch hitter, as he has hit .308 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI while appearing in 50 games in right and center field for an Indians team that has had to employ an outfield by committee approach to much of the first half of the season. Even playing with a sore shoulder in April, Chisenhall has been even better in 2017 than the overall numbers suggest. According to Fangraphs, he is only pulling the ball 30% of the time, while putting well over 50% of the batted balls in the air, and around 38% of them are registering as hard hits for May and June.
Answer to trivia question: Nolan Ryan