There is a lot to like about the All-Star break. It is an exciting few days to celebrate our great game. However, while there are no lineups to set, it’s not a time sit back and relax. You cannot simply rest on laurels here. Having a few days with the stress of setting lineups and following games, provides us with a great opportunity. This is when you can truly evaluate your team and prepare for the remainder of the season. As you continue working to improve your team, let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 17.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 7/14). 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
Austin Wells, C, New York Yankees
It has been a slow start to the season for Austin Wells, but his power is real. Through 194 plate appearances, he is struggling to put everything together, hitting just .216 with six home runs and 20 RBI. Wells is walking at a double-digit rate (11.9%) while also limiting the strikeouts (20.6%). His .242 BABIP isn’t ideal, but it does point to future improvements over the second half of the season.
In nine games this month, Wells is hitting .250 with three of his home runs. With a .246 xBA, there is room for Wells to improve and that is also evidenced by his .431 xSLG compared to his .384 slugging percentage.
Now that Jose Trevino is on the Injured List, Wells will be playing every day behind the plate for the Yankees. The regular playing time should only serve to benefit Wells as he looks for consistency.
Lawrence Butler, OF, Oakland A’s
The Oakland A’s are the land of opportunity and Lawrence Butler has been taking advantage of that. Now elevated to the leadoff spot, Butler has truly been finding his groove.
Over Butler’s last six games, he has eight hits in 22 at-bats with five of those being home runs. Butler has driven in 13 runs while stealing two bases. Despite the recent success, Butler is hitting .286 in July, his batting average for the season is just .211. Strikeouts will always be a problem, 29.5% of the time, but with nine home runs and six stolen bases, Butler has a solid power/speed combination.
While the results might not have consistently been there, Butler has some noteworthy metrics. With a 10.6% barrel rate and 46.9% hard-hit rate, Butler does make strong contact. As Butler bridges the gap between his .349 slugging percentage and .431 xSLG, the results should follow.
Xavier Edwards, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Between the struggles of Tim Anderson and the injury to Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards has done a great job of capitalizing.
Over the past two seasons, between Triple-A and the major leagues, Edwards has consistently hit for a high batting average. In 93 games at Triple-A last year, Edwards hit .351 with 80 runs scored and 32 stolen bases. He followed that up by also hitting .295 in 30 big league games. Edwards went back to Triple-A to begin this season and hit .330 in 26 games.
While Edwards will never be confused as a power threat, that doesn’t mean we should look the other way. In 61 plate appearances, he is hitting .352 with three stolen bases. Chasing stolen bases is a consistent theme, and Edwards is our latest option.
Michael Toglia, 1B, Colorado Rockies
We know that the Rockies don’t exactly rush into giving young players plentiful at-bats, but they don’t have a choice here. Colorado is clearly rebuilding and after trying multiple options at first base, it’s now Michael Toglia’s turn.
Batting average hasn’t been a strong suit of Toglia’s, but after hitting just .106 in April, things are certainly ascending. There really was no place to go but up for Toglia though, and we do need to put things in perspective. In June, Toglia hit .238 in 80 at-bats (after taking a trip to the minor leagues) before hitting .217 in 14 games to begin July. While Toglia does strike out 30% of the time, in fairness, his BABIP on the season is .180 with an xBA of .245.
The power though is what we are after. Toglia is slugging .503 with an xSLG of .546. Toglia is making loud and strong contact with an 18.1% barrel rate and 53.4% hard hit rate. With that being said, it shouldn’t be surprising that Toglia has 16 home runs in 51 games. Toglia’s batting average should get closer to being respectable and there is real power upside here.
Luis Ortiz, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Luis Ortiz found his way back into Pittsburgh’s rotation, and at least for now, he has likely earned himself more starts.
Ortiz has only made three starts this season, but he has been up to the task with just two earned runs allowed. Overall, Ortiz has a 2.84 ERA in 66.2 innings. The most notable plus here is that Ortiz is allowing just .41 home runs per nine innings. While he has been successful in relief, Ortiz is clearly more valuable in the rotation. With about eight strikeouts per nine innings, Ortiz isn’t truly overpowering hitters but he is getting results and we can’t overlook that.
Yilber Diaz, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
With the current state of Arizona’s rotation, Yilber Diaz likely has at least another month’s worth of starts coming. In two starts, over 12 innings, Diaz has a 1.50 ERA after showing flashes of success in the minor leagues. Diaz throws hard but has yet to demonstrate his strikeout upside over his first two starts. At the same time, we do have to keep an eye on Diaz’s control, but there is nothing to stop him from being a streaming option, at best.