The next few days will be wild times on the fantasy baseball waiver wire, as the MLB trade deadline is sure to result in several players becoming coveted roster additions. But even before the chaos ensures, there are plenty of men who should see their roster rate grow immediately.
Managers must become more familiar with Fitzgerald, who put together a five-game homer streak that ended on Wednesday. Sure, the 26-year-old is no Barry Bonds, who was the last Giants player to accomplish such a remarkable feat, but he plays for a team that ranks among 23rd in home runs and therefore should find his name on the lineup card often in the coming days.
Fitzgerald hit .292 with 22 homers and 32 steals in 121 minor league games last year, which means that he has the diverse skill set that fantasy managers covet. At the very least, he should be rostered for the next few days while we wait for him to cool off.
Edwards is the perfect fit for roto managers who are looking for help in steals or batting average. The 24-year-old is hitting .368 with plenty of BABIP luck (.438), but he has shown an elite level of control over the strike zone (12:14 BB:K ratio) that should enable him to continue to hit for average. He has also started running the bases more aggressively, swiping five bags in his past 11 games. Edwards hit .351 with 32 steals in 93 Triple-A games last year and has hit .330 at that level this season.
Little has changed since I mentioned Mayo in last week’s article. He’s a terrific prospect who should debut for the Orioles very soon and will be the most coveted youngster to grab from the waiver wire in the second half.
Hayden Birdsong (SP, San Francisco Giants, 13%)
Birdsong turned some heads last time out when he walked into Coors Field and recorded 12 punchouts and 27 swinging strikes. The right-hander didn’t accomplish anything notable in his first four major league starts, but his success last weekend makes him a must-start pitcher in most formats when he faces the same Rockies offense tomorrow.
One note: Managers should not be swayed by Birdsong recently being optioned to Single-A, as the plan is for him to be recalled on Saturday.
Max Meyer (SP, Miami Marlins, 31%)
Meyer is widely regarded as one of baseball’s best pitching prospects, and he looked comfortable in the majors when he posted a 2.12 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP across three April starts. Without publicly saying as much, the Marlins seemed to keep the youngster in the minors for the past few months due to service time considerations, but the key dates have passed, and Meyer should be back with the big club soon. This week may be the last chance to grab the righty without competition from leaguemates.
The case for Phillips is pretty simple. In his first three major league starts, the rookie has logged a 15:1 K:BB ratio while pitching in front of the team with baseball’s best record. Fantasy baseball managers should be interested in any starter on the Phillies, which makes Phillips worth adding while we wait to see if the club adding rotation depth by the July 30 MLB trade deadline.
In deeper leagues, adding Woods Richardson now should result in having one of the preferred two-start pitchers next week. The right-hander has been an asset in fantasy leagues (3.27 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) with solid underlying skills (71:25 K:BB ratio) and next week will face an average Mets offense before enjoying a favorable matchup against the last-place White Sox.
Marsh is a decent pitcher — a little better than his 4.75 ERA indicates (he has a solid 90:31 K:BB ratio), but I’m not going to tell you that he’s anything special. However, like Woods Richardson, Marsh could have a major impact next week when he makes two starts, with the first one coming against the White Sox.
Green has emerged as the likely closer for the Blue Jays for the remainder of the season. The right-hander has earned five saves in July, and he has been effective all season (1.82 ERA, 0.94 WHIP). Green’s only competition for saves is Yimi García, who is almost certain to be traded by next Tuesday. Toronto’s subpar season makes Green a mediocre saves source, but he is also a safe one, who has not allowed more than one run in any of his 29 appearances.
