Welcome back RotoBallers to Week 10! It’s June already. It’s almost time to make some big decisions about your fantasy teams. If you’re struggling, hopefully some of these additions can help turn your season around. Today, we're back with another edition of our first base and third base fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
For those who are not familiar, each week at RotoBaller, we publish a waiver wire article for each position. This article will look at corner infield options, at both 1B and 3B. You can also read our other articles for middle infield (2B and SS), outfield, starting pitchers, and more.
Let’s keep rolling right along here with some names to consider as fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for this upcoming week of the MLB and fantasy baseball season – June 13 through June 19.
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Kyle Farmer, Cincinnati Reds
41% Rostered
Farmer made his way into last week’s suggestions, and he’s squeaked his way into this week’s as well. The veteran infielder has stayed red hot for the Reds, taking advantage of the Diamondbacks' pitching.
Over his past seven games, Farmer has a homer, eight RBI, and a pair of stolen bases. And over his past 15 games, the slugger is hitting .365 and has a .424 OBP, 1.097 OPS, four home runs, and 16 RBI.
Farmer has now popped five home runs on the season and has added four stolen bases. He’s driven in 33 runs and is hitting a solid .262. Like I said last week, Farmer isn’t going to win you your fantasy league, but in a pinch, he is a solid middle or corner infield option.
Garrett Cooper, Miami Marlins
39% Rostered
There may be no hotter hitter currently in baseball than the Marlins' Garrett Cooper. In his past seven games, Coop is hitting an even .500 and has a homer and five RBI. Looking even further, he has a .928 OPS over his past 30 games.
Overall on the season, he’s now driven in 27 runs and has a .864 OPS while hitting .319 in 51 games. Cooper’s right around his career marks in hard-hit and barrel percentage, so there’s no reason to believe he’ll regress.
The only question that remains is if he can stay healthy. Over the past two seasons, Cooper has appeared in just 75 games. However, when he’s been out there, he’s been a relatively reliable presence in the Marlins lineup.
Since 2019, Cooper has posted a .827 OPS and has 34 home runs and a .290 batting average in 263 games played. He’s a solid first base and outfield option, and you should definitely pick him up while he’s healthy and red hot.
** Cooper was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on Saturday afternoon but should slot right back towards the top of the Marlins lineup when he returns.**
Santiago Espinal, Toronto Blue Jays
32% Rostered
Like Farmer, Espinal was in last week's suggestions. As I mentioned, he was slumping to end the month of May but has heated up with the calendar turning over to June. Even with Cavan Biggio back in the big leagues Espinal has seen everyday time and is taking advantage of it.
Over his past seven games, the infielder is 13-for-29 with a pair of homers, eight RBI, and a 1.243 OPS. His 26.1% line drive rate is way up from last season which has helped him maintain his solid .293 batting average on the year.
Espinal has surprisingly been a huge part of the fierce Blue Jays lineup with five homers and 28 RBI in 57 games. The 27-year-old has reached base in nine straight contests and figures to remain a key contributor for Toronto.
J.D. Davis, New York Mets
1% Rostered
With Dominic Smith back down in Triple-A and Pete Alonso banged up, J.D. Davis has been receiving more playing time both at first base and DH. While the numbers aren’t quite there so far this season, Davis’ advanced metrics show good things could be coming.
In 37 games played, Davis is hitting just .245 and has a .688 OPS and eight extra-base hits. Davis has certainly been hitting into some bad luck, as his hard-hit percentage is currently in the top-1% of the league, and his barrel percentage and exit velocity are both up there as well.
He’s been taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him a bit, hitting .288 with a .709 OPS over his past 15 games. Davis has some upside and is definitely a guy to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
Others to Consider:
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