Welcome to another fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category column. As we embark on the second half of the season, we’ll look to keep the good times rolling as we break down a few more potential adds.
This weekly piece covers players who can help in at least one specific category. For example, if your team is scoring plenty of runs and hitting for a strong average but struggling to steal bases, you can scroll directly to the stolen bases section for a targeted pickup. While most of these players will contribute across multiple categories, their primary value comes from the one they’re listed under.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category
Without further delay, here are this week’s top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category. All players listed are rostered in fewer than 45% of Yahoo leagues.
Batting Average
Ryan Jeffers (C – MIN): 33%
Ryan Jeffers came off the injured list (IL) just before the All-Star break and has collected a hit in every game since. He also hit a home run. Jeffers’ season average currently sits at .292, and as a catcher, you can’t ask for much better than that. He was performing like a top-five backstop before getting injured and could turn out to be a quiet steal in the second half. He’s one of our top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups this week.
Runs
Gleyber Torres (2B – DET): 42%
Gleyber Torres is likely to return later this week. He’s hit mostly out of the two-hole this season, where he can once again be counted on for plenty of runs scored. Torres snagged 26 runs in just about a quarter of a season and is coming off back-to-back seasons of 80 and 79 runs scored. Torres also spent some time on the IL during those campaigns.
The Tigers second baseman won’t wow you in any category, but he’s above average in most and should be a nice boost to your runs category once activated.
Stolen Bases
Caleb Durbin (2B, 3B – BOS): 37%
Caleb Durbin is doing everything well lately. The Red Sox infielder has secured 18 runs, 13 RBI, five homers and five steals over the last 30 days. He’s also produced a .337 average. Durbin has been a godsend for Boston lately, helping them to 13 straight victories. Durbin’s up to 10 swipes on the season. Qualifying at second base and third base should lead to him being rostered everywhere.
RBI
Kyle Karros (3B – COL): 28%
Kyle Karros has four homers and nine RBI this month, but more importantly, he’s regularly batting fifth in the Rockies’ lineup. He’s looked great at the dish recently and has pushed his ideal launch-angle sweet spot up to 41%, which ranks in the top 4% of the league. Karros also rarely chases pitches and puts together a solid at-bat in every plate appearance.
Karros gets to face Andrew Alvarez and Miles Mikolas in Colorado to start the week, two of the weaker starters in the National League. Karros should be able to take advantage of those matchups and, hopefully, plenty beyond.
Home Runs
Curtis Mead (1B, 2B, 3B – WSH): 43%
I wanted to go with Griffin Conine here because he’s been on fire lately and hits the ball extremely hard. However, Conine doesn’t start against lefties, which is always a hindrance for fantasy managers. If you play in a league that allows for daily lineup changes, Conine does pick up some extra value. But to be safe, I’m going to go with Curtis Mead instead.
Like Conine, Mead also rides the pine on occasion. But on the positive side, the Nationals infielder plays more often and crushes the ball just as much. He’s also done it more consistently.
Mead is up to 17 homers on the season to go along with an impressive .513 slugging rate. He ranks in the top 14% of xwOBA and the top 16% of xSLG. He also consistently launches the ball at an ideal launch angle with elite exit velocity. Mead also rarely strikes out (19%) and can even steal a base (he’s up to six on the season).
Hitting second or third in the lineup has done wonders for Mead’s counting stats, as he is approaching 50 RBI and 50 runs scored. With a trip to Colorado to kick off the week, I’m adding as many Nationals as I can for the period.
WHIP
Bailey Ober (SP – MIN): 19%
Bailey Ober’s one of those fringe players who’s usually on and off the waiver wire based on upcoming matchups. He can score you a win under proper circumstances and can often reach high strikeout totals. But it’s his WHIP that stays rather consistent.
With a career 1.13 WHIP and a 1.19 WHIP on the campaign, Ober is a safe bet to gather you some decent numbers. This week, he’s set to face off against Cleveland, whom he just held to one run on three hits and a walk back on July 9th. He’s a nice option in deeper leagues to help lower your WHIP in the right matchups.
ERA
Brandon Pfaadt (SP, RP – ARI): 15%
Brandon Pfaadt rejoined the rotation on June 30th and faced three straight division opponents who are familiar with his work. Despite the familiarity, Pfaadt held the Dodgers, Giants and Padres to a total of three runs. He allowed just one walk throughout those contests while giving up just a single home run. He then beat the Cardinals, allowing just two runs over 5.1 innings.
Pfaadt utilizes at least six different pitches to keep batters off balance. He’s a groundball specialist who regularly produces an outing with an above-50 % rate. The 27-year-old has turned his season around, and one aspect that stood out to me is how he’s adjusting his pitch mix based on his opponent.
Pfaadt will go from featuring his sinker more than 20% of the time — as he did against the Padres — to not throwing a single one in his next start against the Dodgers. And while he threw 17% sweepers against the Padres, who couldn’t seem to touch it, he offered the pitch only around 3% of the time to the Dodgers and the Giants in the prior games. Pfaadt also upped his change-up usage when facing the Dodgers, throwing it a whopping 25%, more than doubling his season average.
When a pitcher is comfortable doing this, the analytics and team preparation for the players facing him can hurt more than they help. Players are told to expect a certain type of pitch in certain situations, and Pfaadt just isn’t throwing it.
With such a wide repertoire, batters are forced to take a defensive approach at the plate instead of an aggressive one. That change has led to an uptick in ground balls (45%) and infield pop-ups (17%) while limiting hard contact (20%). He’s also been able to keep line drives in check by lowering that number to a career-low 16.6%.
It could just be that Pfaadt has a feel for certain pitches on certain days, but whatever the reason, it has made him extremely hard to square up in recent outings. Ride the wave while it lasts — pick up Pfaadt where available as he goes for his fifth straight victory.
Strikeouts
Cade Cavalli (SP – WSH): 40%
I mentioned Cade Cavalli a few weeks ago, but he was on the brink of suspension. Now, with all of that behind him, Cavalli is back to striking out opponents in bunches. He racked up nine strikeouts in his latest outing and now has 30 punchouts on his ledger over his last 21.1 innings.
Cavalli is set to take on Colorado on the road this week, and while that matchup may look daunting on paper, the Rockies haven’t been doing much at home lately. Cavalli’s an excellent long-term addition for those in search of strikeouts.
Wins
Trevor McDonald (SP, RP – SFG): 8%
Trevor McDonald is coming off a nice bounce-back appearance where he held the Rockies to just three hits and a walk over seven one-run innings. Throwing significant innings for the first time in the big leagues, McDonald’s had his ups and downs this season, including the occasional meltdown. That said, he’s also been brilliant at times, holding the Cubs, Athletics, Padres and Diamondbacks to one run or fewer in multiple outings.
We’re highlighting McDonald today because of the teams he’s matched up against. This week, the 25-year-old righty is penciled in for a two-start week against the lowly Royals and Angels. Those two teams represent two of the worst records in baseball and could easily lead to a pair of wins for McDonald. He’s shown the ability to last deep into games. If he can hold the fort for just long enough, he could come away with dual victories for the period.
Saves
Jacob Webb (RP – CHC): 16%
Daniel Palencia suffered a setback in his rehab, and the Cubs aren’t expecting him to return anytime soon. Chicago will likely pursue trade options to fill the closer role, but in the meantime, Jacob Webb is the Cubs’ closer. He’s been a bit lucky at times this year, but his ERA is below 3.00, and he’s collected five saves. Webb has also registered a robust 10.42 K/9 ratio. He’s a decent plug-and-play for those desperate for saves.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn
Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.