The Home of Fantasy Sports Analysis

Fantasy BaseballFantasy Baseball Waiver Wire

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 19

By Taylor Tarter
Fantasy Baseball waiver wire Ryan McMahon MLB Player Props

Here are some waiver wire targets ahead of Week 19 that you should consider adding. The following recommendations are organized as deep and shallow league targets. Of course, the players you choose to add and drop from your team should largely depend on your league size and the roster construction of your team.

More great fantasy baseball advice and analysis: Waiver Wire & FAAB Recommendations | Daily MLB Injury Report | MLB DFS Picks | Line-up Analysis | Dynasty Rankings and Strategy | MLB Bullpen Updates | MLB Player Props | Prospect Rankings & Analysis | Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations

Deep League Targets

C Mitch Garver – TEX

Mitch Garver’s playing time has increased with Jonah Heim hitting the IL. He has been super hot lately, especially since July 22. Since that date, Garver is 9-for-29 (.310 AVG) with two home runs, four runs, and four RBI. On the season, he has six homers, 17 runs, 21 RBI, and a .254 AVG. Here is his most recent homer:

Garver’s BABIP is .329, which is about 30 points higher than his career average, but it appears sustainable. He does not have enough plate appearances to qualify, but his 14.1% barrel rate and 48.2% HardHit rate would rank first among qualified catchers. He also has a 21% LD rate and a 50% pull rate that support a high BABIP. This means Garver could outproduce his .229-.244 rest-of-season projections for batting average.

Garver has made strides in his plate discipline this season which should also help him maintain his AVG. For the fourth season in a row, he has improved his contact rate, which now sits at 78%. He improved his chase rate from last season to 20.9%.

The catcher room in Texas could get crowded once Heim returns, but for now, Garver should be a waiver wire target.

1B Kyle Manzardo – CLE

The Rays sent Kyle Manzardo to Cleveland for Aaron Civale, which is especially significant because Cleveland also traded away first baseman Josh Bell. This could open the door for Manzardo to crack the big league club for the Guardians once he returns from a sore shoulder.

This has been a bit of a down season for Manzardo in AAA, but considering how well he did in A and AA, fantasy managers should not worry. In 2022, across A and AA, Manzardo hit 22 homers with 71 runs, 81 RBI, and a .327 AVG.

In AAA this season, Manzardo has 11 homers, 33 runs, 38 RBI, and a .238 AVG. Part of his issue this season is that he has struck out more than in the past. On the other hand, Manzardo has a higher line drive and pull rate than ever before. Clearly, he has worked on driving and pulling the ball more this season in anticipation of a call to the majors. That s a skill that should translate to the big league club and help him adjust quickly. Plus he can do this:

Manzardo should not be too far off from reaching the majors and could excel when he gets there. He is a worthwhile waiver wire stash for the time being.

SS Marco Luciano – SF

With Casey Schmitt and Brandon Crawford hitting barely over the Mendoza line, the Giants called Marco Luciano up to help at shortstop. Across AA and AAA this season, Luciano hit 13 home runs, 37 runs, 36 RBI, and had six steals and a .234 AVG.

Despite the low AVG, Luciano did better after his promotion to AAA. He dropped his strikeout rate and was driving and pulling the ball better before joining the Giants. Luciano has appeared in four games so far for the Giants, scoring two runs and batting .273.

Luciano has some adjustments to make to improve his plate discipline, although the sample size is small. His contact rate sits at 56% and his chase rate is 44%. Hopefully those numbers can improve over the rest of the season. If they do, he should continue to earn playing time over his middle infield counterparts in San Fran.

Do not worry about Estrada’s return either. He should take on second base duties when he comes back. In deep leagues, Luciano is a great waiver wire add for teams in need of middle infield depth.

OF Matt Wallner – MIN

Matt Wallner has taken on a bit of a larger role with Alex Kirilloff finding himself on the IL again. Wallner is up to six home runs, 13 runs, 12 RBI, one steal, and a .265AVG on the season.

Wallner has flashed power throughout his time in the minors, tallying 15 homers across two levels in 2021 and 27 homers across two levels in 2022. He had 11 homers this season in AAA in between stints in the majors. His power should come as no surprise since he possesses a 17.8% barrel rate and a 48.9% HardHit rate. Those would rank sixth and 22nd respectively among qualified hitters if Wallner was qualified.

Wallner’s .308 BABIP is reasonable when considering his hard contact plus a 20% LD and 46% pull rate. These metrics are right in line with what the Twins brass loves and scouts for, so Wallner looks like the real deal and should continue earning playing time.

Wallner makes for a great waiver wire target for anyone in need of an outfielder for the week ahead.

SP Steven Matz – STL

Steven Matz struggled through April and May, wrapping up May with a 5.60 ERA. Since then, he has been much better, pitching in relief for most of June and part of July. He pitched to a 1.64 ERA in June and a 2.17 ERA in July, lowering his season ERA to 4.06 in the process.

This season, Matz has an 8.42 K/9 rate and a 2.90 BB/9 rate, both worse than last season. His 73% LOB and 45% GB rates are much better than last year, though. His BABIP is up a bit, despite lowering his line drive and pull rates allowed.

Matz seems to have finally found his stride with the Cardinals, picking up two quality starts to end July. He allowed just one earned run across his last 17 IP.

Matz’s changeup has worked well for hi this season, tallying a 29% whiff and 16% putaway rate – both the highest among his four pitches. Check it out here:

While Matz has had his ups and downs this season and over his career, he is on the right track now. Make him a waiver wire priority if he is available in your leagues.

Shallow League Targets

C Cal Raleigh – SEA

Cal Raleigh is up to 17 home runs, 50 runs, 45 RBI, and a .230 AVG on the season. He is rostered in far too few leagues despite ranking top 10 in homers, runs, and RBI.

Raleigh has made major improvements from last season. He added to his walk rate and lowered his strikeout rate. His improved plate discipline could due be in part to better patience at the plate. He lowered his swing rate for the third season in a row, also improving his chase and contact rates for the third season in a row as well.

Raleigh also possesses excellent hard contact. His 12.5% barrel rate ranks first among qualified catchers and his 41% HardHit rate ranks fifth. That type of contact has led him to homers like this one:

He also has ticked up his line drive and pull rates from last season, which correlate to a boost in BABIP and legitimize his increase from a .211 AVG last season to .230 this season.

Raleigh should be added from the waiver wire in nearly every format where he is available.

1B/3B Mike Moustakas – LAA

Mike Moustakas has had a bit of a resurgence this season after struggling to stay healthy since 2021. In 74 games this year, he has looked solid. Moose has nine homers, 35 runs, 30 RBI, and a .263 AVG, his highest totals since his last full season in 2019.

Moustakas has done this by making some adjustments, including hitting the ball harder. He has a 40% HardHit rate, the second highest of his career. His 7.6% barrel rate is below league average, but his best since 2020.

Moustakas has done better at driving the ball this season than ever before, and has a 41% pull rate. Those tendencies have allowed his BABIP to sit higher than normal. Fantasy managers should buy the batting average and somewhat ignore the .216-.241 rest of season projections for his AVG.

He also has made improvements to his strikeout rate, lowering it from last season along with his chase rate. Moustakas is a much improved hitter this season, and even with a crowded infield for the Angels, he should still find time in the lineup.

Add Moustakas from the waiver wire if you need corner infield depth.

2B/3B Ryan McMahon – COL

Ryan McMahon could be on pace for a career year this season. He is up to 18 home runs, 57 runs, 56 RBI, five steals, and a .263 AVG. Most projections have him outproducing his previous highs of 24 homers, 80 runs, and 86 RBI. If the season ended today, his AVG would be the highest of his career.

McMahon has looked impressive despite a 30% strikeout rate, which has gone up for a third straight season. His biggest issue there seems to be a below career average contact rate on pitches in the strike zone. That has taken his contact rate under his career average as well.

Fantasy managers should not worry too much about the contact considering the type of contact McMahon makes. He has a 12.2% barrel rate and a 46.3% HardHit rate. Those numbers rank third among qualified second basemen and seventh among qualified third basemen.

McMahon possesses a 22% LD rate and a 35% pull rate, both nearly identical to his career norms. So the .350 BABIP that is 33 points higher than his career average BABIP likely spells some regression to his batting average.

Even with regression likely on the way, McMahon should still remain valuable in most formats. Consider adding him from the waiver wire ahead of your next matchup.

OF Tyler O’Neill – STL

Between landing on the IL and earning the ire of his manager, this season has been a bit of a struggle for Tyler O’Neill. Hopefully he is locked in to the lineup at this point.

On the season, O’Neill has appeared in 41 games, tallying four homers, 18 runs, 12 RBI, two steals, and a .254 AVG. Since he returned to the lineup on July 20, he has a .309 AVG with two homers, six runs, six RBI, and a stolen base. Here is his latest bomb:

In typical O’Neill fashion, he has impressive hard contact with a good deal of strikeouts. He has a 13.5% barrel rate and a 47.2% HardHit rate, which are nearly identical to his career marks, as is his 30% K rate.

O’Neill has also essentially matched his chase rate and contact rate from last season so far, but has added more line drives and fewer grounders. That could explain the improvement in batting average and a boost in BABIP that is closer to what he did in his 2021 campaign.

As the rest of the season rolls on, O’Neill could be in store for more homers. His 12.5% HR/FB rate this season is the lowest of his career and nearly 8% below his career average. Considering the hard contact, that number should improve over the rest of the season.

O’Neill’s current metrics are essentially what we expect out of him year to year. He possesses a lot of value over the rest of the season and could rack up stats in all five roto categories. Make him a waiver wire priority for this week.

SP Grayson Rodriguez – BAL

Grayson Rodriguez had a disappointing start to his career. He had a 7.35 ERA before being demoted to AAA, but made some adjustments and has done much better since his return. In four starts since being recalled, he has a 3.65 ERA, lowering his season ERA to 6.09.

Rodriguez’s stuff shows he is a much better pitcher than his 6 ERA makes him look. He has a 10 K/9, a 3.8 BB/9, and a 44% GB rate. His impressive strikeout rate is thanks in large part to his changeup, slider, and curveball.

His changeup has a 27% whiff rate and a 17% putaway rate. Rodriguez’s slider and curveball each have 33% whiff rates and 18% and 21% putaway rates respectively. Here is a look at his slider in action:

A high .335 BABIP and 21% HR/FB rate point to some positive regression to his ERA. Rodriguez’s 3.77 xFIP and 4.09 SIERA reflect a much better pitcher than his current ERA.

Rodriguez has steadily been getting better, gradually improving his ERA each start since his return to the bigs. If he is available on the waiver wire in your league, you should scoop him up now.

Other Players to Add from Waivers

Here are a few other players available in a range of league sizes that you should consider adding if they are on your waiver wire.

  • C: Yan Gomes, Yainer Diaz, Danny Jansen, Ryan Jeffers, Luis Campusano, Connor Wong
  • CI: Jeimer Candelario, Triston Casas, Joey Meneses (OF), Ryan O’Hearn (OF),
  • MI: Wilmer Flores (1B/3B), Jon Berti (3B), Trevor Story, CJ Abrams, JP Crawford
  • OF: Willi Castro (3B), Lars Nootbaar, Chas McCormick, Mike Tauchman, Jarren Duran, Riley Greene, Will Benson, Marcell Ozuna, Jake Fraley, James Outman, TJ Friedl, Max Kepler, Harrison Bader, Leody Taveras, Joc Pederson
  • SP: Seth Lugo, Kenta Maeda, Kyle Hendricks, Christopher Sanchez, Kyle Bradish, Josiah Gray, Michael Lorenzen, MacKenzie Gore, Jose Quintana, Taijuan Walker, Nick Pivetta, J.P. France, Tanner Bibee, Wade Miley
  • RP: Adbert Alzolay, Giovanny Gallegos, Brooks Raley, Adam Ottavino, Gregory Santos, Pete Fairbanks, Kyle Finnegan

Prospect Waiver Wire Watch

A number of prospects are worthy of consideration for waiver wire claims due to being called up or potentially being called up. Here are a few to consider adding.

  • SEA OF Cade Marlowe – 5 runs, 2 home runs, 2 RBI, 2 seals, .308 AVG in 26 at-bats
  • STL SS Masyn Wynn – could get the call with DeJong’s departure; 16/16/.278 at AAA
  • PIT SS Liover Peguero – 4 runs, 3 homers, 8 RBI, .250 AVG in 28 at-bats
  • OAK 2B Zack Gelof – four homers and five steals with a .226 AVG
  • PIT SP Quinn Priester – 9+ ERA so far after 3 starts
  • OAK 1B Tyler Soderstrom – struggling so far, .190 AVG with two RBI
  • CLE SP Gavin Williams – starting to look better, but pitched six IP or more in only two games
  • MIL OF Sal Frelick – incredible debut, has home run and .233 AVG in 41 PAs
  • CIN SP Andrew Abbott – looks like an absolute stud
Fantrax was one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites over the last few years, and we’re not stopping now. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
More fantasy goodness More from author
Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.