BY: SOME GUY NAMED STEVE
Folks, we are nearly halfway through the fantasy baseball season and although the waiver wire may look bleak at first glance, I am here to give you some lower owned players to target in your leagues. This week we have two red-hot bats for the Indians as well as a Tigers pitcher that Wake mentioned on last week’s show!
Amed Rosario: Cleveland Indians SS/OF (48.9% ESPN Ownership)
The first player on today’s list is a player that many of us are familiar with. Amed Rosario was once a top prospect for the Mets, but after a disappointing start to his career, the young utility player is having himself a breakout season for the Indians. So far this season Rosario has a very solid .284/.339/.408 slash line to go along with four home runs, five doubles, four triples, and seven steals. Rosario also has 33 runs scored and 20 RBI’s this season and is currently the 12th-ranked SS in fantasy. Although his season long numbers have been good enough, that is not the main reason why I am recommending grabbing Rosario now.
Over the past month Rosario has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball. In the month of June Rosario is batting .391/.417/.500 with 12 runs scored, a home run, and three steals. He already has five multi-hit games in June and has failed to reach base safely in just one of the eleven games. The hot streak goes back even further as Rosario has a .373 average over his last 22 games with six extra base hits, five steals, and 17 runs scored. The craziest part is I think that Rosario can continue most of his recent success throughout the rest of the season. Amed Rosario currently has the highest hard hit rate (42.2%), the lowest strikeout rate (18.4%), and the highest walk rate (6.9%) of his career. He has stolen seven bases without being caught once and will supply your teams with a high average and a lot of counting stats batting 2nd in the Indians lineup. I would go add Rosario right away!
Bobby Bradley: Cleveland Indians DH (10.4% ESPN Ownership)
The second player on today’s list is another Indians batter, but one who is lesser known than Rosario. Bobby Bradley has been one of the top power hitting prospects for the Indians and is now finally getting his chance to play regularly at the major league level. In just eight games this season, Bradley is batting .440/.481/.880 with seven runs, three home runs, and 10 RBI’s. Bradley has started in six of the eight games he has appeared in and has hits in seven of them. What’s even more impressive is Bradley only has four strikeouts in 25 at bats and has shown that he can handle major league pitching.
The biggest downside to adding Bradley is his position eligibility. Bradley is currently only DH eligible so you will need a utility or DH spot to be able to start him. He also will not continue to bat at a .440 AVG as he never batted above .264 AVG in the minors but the power is legitimate. Bradley has four seasons in the minors with at least 27 home runs and that is the main reason I recommend adding him. As long as he gets regular at bats, Bradley is capable of hitting six to eight home runs a month and could be a huge addition for a playoff push.
Tarik Skubal: Detroit Tigers SP (40.5% ESPN Ownership)
The final player on today’s list is a Tigers pitcher that is finally starting to pitch to his potential. Tarik Skubal was a top pitching prospect for the Tigers last season and after a disastrous rookie season, Skubal appears to be heading in the right direction this year. As of now, Skubal is 3-7 on the year with a 4.35 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts in 60 innings. Although those numbers are a bit underwhelming, Skubal has pitched very well since the start of May with a ton of strikeouts in all of his starts.
In his seven starts since the start of May, Skubal is 3-3 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a whopping 56 strikeouts in 38 innings. Despite a high WHIP Skubal has done a good job of stranding runners because of his ability to generate swing and misses. Skubal’s K rate during those starts is at 13.2 K/9 which is in elite territory and that’s my biggest argument for picking him up. Very rarely do you find a pitcher on waivers this late in the season with that type of strikeout potential. Skubal is that exact pitcher and he’s starting to put together a string of good starts. If he can keep up his consistency then I would take a shot on adding Skubal.
Be sure to check out this week’s TWS Fantasy Baseball Podcast!
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