Not only does the calendar now say July, but we are officially in the second half of the season based on games played. As we celebrate Independence Day, fireworks will likely be an ongoing theme for the rest of the year. We have a lot of baseball left to be played, and it will be an interesting month. Tampa Bay kicked off the trading festivities by sending Aaron Civale to Milwaukee and that is just the start. In bigger news, Washington finally promoted James Wood much to everyone’s delight. It is time to look forward for any edge or improvement that you can find. Don’t stop evaluating your team and looking for ways to improve. As you continue working to improve your team, let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 15.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 7/03). The popularity of Dynasty leagues on Fantrax does sway some of these percentages compared to other platforms, but these are players who should be on your radar.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations
James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals
It’s about time. If James Wood has not been stashed in your league, then it is go time. In 52 games at Triple-A, Wood hit .353 with 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and 37 RBI. While he did post a .410 BABIP, Wood has speed and hits the ball hard, regression still means his batting average won’t be a liability. A large reason for that is Wood’s decreased strikeout rate.
Historically, strikeouts were an issue for Wood, but this season, they have come at a clip of just 18.2%. Regardless of his propensity to strikeout,
Wood helps in OBP leagues thanks to his double-digit walk rate. The power is legitimate here as is his ability to barrel up a ball, and that will play. Growing pains have to be considered, but the talent outweighs that.
Brooks Lee, SS, Minnesota Twins
Stop me if you have heard this before, but Royce Lewis is injured… again. It is not something to take delight in, and in fact, it’s crushing to see such a great talent and person continually heading to the Injured List. In this situation though, it means that we get to see what Brooks Lee can do at the big league level.
The former first-round pick should receive regular playing time, and he has certainly earned it. In 20 games at Triple-A this year, Lee is hitting .329 while showing off his strong bat-to-ball skills. Lee is walking 9.6% of the time with a strikeout rate of just 13.8%. While it’s unclear how much will translate to the big league level, Lee is also showing off power with seven home runs and a .306 ISO. After initially struggling in Triple-A last year, Lee has looked a lot better this year with 21 RBI and 20 runs scored.
Jose Iglesias, SS, New York Mets
Sometimes you just have to ride the hot hand. The fact that it’s coming with a literal OMG moment thanks to Jose Iglesias’ hit song just makes a cool story. However, it’s statistics and production that win fantasy baseball leagues, and right now, Iglesias is bringing that to the table too.
Playing in part due to the struggles of Jeff McNeill, Iglesias has certainly taken advantage of the situation. At the very least, he will continue to play against southpaws, but the veteran is making it difficult to keep him out of the lineup. In 20 games, Iglesias is hitting .388 with 10
RBI and eight runs scored. For those looking for middle infield help, Iglesias should be on your radar. At the very least, he doesn’t strike out and will hit for a strong average.
Stuart Fairchild, OF, Cincinnati Reds
Receiving regular playing time has led to Stuart Fairchild stealing four bases over the last 14 days. While there has been much talk about the increasing prevalence of stolen bases, Fairchild is tied for the Major League lead over the last two weeks.
In that stretch, Fairchild has 11 hits in 38 at-bats with eight RBI and six runs scored. On the season, Fairchild has 11 stolen bases in 161 plate appearances with his .233 batting average ultimately limiting his upside. With five home runs, there isn’t much in the way of power here, but he does have 23 RBI and 23 runs scored. Remember though, it’s the stolen bases you are after.
Christian Scott, SP, New York Mets
While there is a potential innings limit to deal with at some point, right now, Christian Scott is back in the Mets’ rotation. After Tylor McGill struggled, and prior to the return of Kodai Senga, Scott is once again an intriguing arm.
In five starts prior to Wednesday’s start, Scott had a 3.90 ERA over 27 innings with a 3.48 xERA. Scott was striking out eight batters per inning while walking two. Scott did struggle with just a 34% groundball rate, but he was able to limit the damage while showing potential. Over the last two years, Scott has begun to develop his pitch tool and is a young arm to keep an eye on.
After not allowing a hit to Washington on Wednesday in his first trip through the order, Scott was hit hard. A three-run homer ultimately did the right-hander in as he finished with four runs allowed in 5.2 innings on six hits and two walks while just striking out two batters. Regardless of that, Scott should still be on your radar.
Gavin Williams, SP, Cleveland Guardians
Gavin Williams made his MLB debut last season and finished with a 3.29 ERA in 86 innings. While he did strike out a batter per inning, Williams struggled with his control walking four batters per nine innings.
An elbow injury delayed the start to the season for Williams, but he made his debut on Wednesday. Now that Williams is back in the rotation, the right-hander is worth a look. Ultimately, any young arm with potential should be on your radar at this point. The fact that Williams pitches in the AL Central only heightens that.
However, his debut didn’t exactly go according to plan. Williams took the loss in four innings as he allowed five runs on seven hits. If you are looking for some form of optimism, Williams did have a FIP of 3.66. We also shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Williams is still working through the rust and has just 17 minor-league innings under his belt this season.
Frankie Montas, SP, Cincinnati Reds
It’s very likely that Frankie Montas fell out of favor in the majority of leagues. After missing just about all of 2023, aside from an inning of work at the end of the season, and struggling in 2022, Montas entered the year healthy. To this point, he has pitched to uneven results after joining the Reds. In his last three starts though, Montas has turned in a solid 3.18 ERA while striking out 14 in 17 innings. While Montas did walk seven in that stretch, he managed to pitch out of trouble.
On an overall basis, Montas has dealt with traffic on the bases this year. The right-hander has a 1.31 WHIP, which along with a 4.23 ERA is serviceable. It has been disappointing though to see him strike out just 58 batters in 73 innings. At this point, Montas isn’t much better than a streamer. This week though, there is nothing wrong with that as he takes the mound twice. The fact that he is facing Colorado and Miami makes things even better.
Jose Quintana, SP, New York Mets
Something is going on in Queens these days, and Jose Quintana is part of that. The southpaw is always a solid streaming option, but with a 1.65 ERA in his last three starts, he has our attention. New York can’t seem to stop winning and hitting which also puts Quintana in good position to pick up victories. Quintana has picked up two of his three wins over his last three starts while also striking out 21 batters in 16.1 innings.
That trend goes against his 7.08 strikeouts per nine innings, but it does have my attention. At this point, Quintana is what he is. But can we really argue with a pitcher who is starting twice in a week and is facing the Nationals and Rockies?
Chad Green, RP, Toronto Blue Jays
With both Jordan Romano and Yimi Garcia sidelined, someone has to pick up the saves for Toronto. As of late, there haven’t been many opportunities, but we did see Chad Green in that role on Tuesday. Despite a leadoff double, Green was able to emerge unscathed while picking up the save.
It was the third save on the season, along with six holds, for Green. The veteran has shown an ability to pitch effectively deep in games, and this should be no different. It’s unclear when either reliever will return, so it’s possible Green holds this role for a solid amount of time.
In 19.2 innings this season, opposing hitters are batting just .203 against Green. With a 1.37 ERA and 0.92 WHIP this year,
Green has been able to limit the damage. The good news is that Green won’t crush your ratios while chasing saves.