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We have completed another week of MLB action, making it time to make more waiver wire moves as we head into Week 18. With more and more injuries and players slumping, it is time to start changing our rosters. I want to emphasize that it is still not time to panic about your core players. Do not go dropping early picks that are just slumping out the gate. If they are still struggling in a few weeks, we can look at the underlying metrics to see if a drop is in play.
Early in the season, we are interested in players off to hot starts and, more importantly, showing sustainable improvements from last season. With the early injuries, we are also looking into players that may be receiving more playing time. Some of the lower rostered players, or some not mentioned here, are on the solid side of platoons, so make sure you are not adding them if they have a negative schedule. Lastly, the names in the article are in order of percentage rostered, not so much in my preference of adding to your roster. This article will discuss fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for the outfield in Week 20, August 22 thru August 28.
In the first few weeks, rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. When you want to chat about outfielders, prospects, or dynasty leagues, message me directly on Twitter at @bdentrek. Key points - this list will focus on rostered players in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
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Andrew McCutchen, Milwaukee Brewers
41% Rostered
McCutchen is not lighting the world on fire when it comes to batting average, but he is contributing in power and counting stats.
Over the last ten games, he is only hitting .231 but has three home runs with 11 runs scored and eight RBI. His .282 ISO is solid, and his .799 OPS and 118 wRC+ are not bad. McCutchen is barreling the ball 12.9% of the time over the last ten games to go with a 41.9% hard-hit rate.
More importantly, the Brewers face five LHP in six games next week, and McCutchen has a .250 ISO and .802 OPS versus LHP this season. At worst, McCutchen is a nice streamer for next week, potentially being serviceable for the remainder of the season.
Joey Meneses, Washington Nationals
32% Rostered
Meneses was called up on August 2 by the Nats and has been a solid contributor from the get-go.
He is hitting .323 with five home runs since the call-up. Meneses has a .258 ISO, .934 OPS, and 158 wRC+, which is outstanding. The 30-year-old journeyman is finally getting a chance to produce, and it is coming off a lovely Triple-A season where Meneses hit 20 home runs with a .286 batting average.
Meneses is hitting third most days for the Nats, which should result in some friendly ROTO production. He is now viable in all 12-team and deeper leagues as playing time should not be an issue for the rest of the season.
AJ Pollock, Chicago White Sox
27% Rostered
It has been an up and down season for Pollock, but things have been clicking offensively lately.
He took over leadoff duties for the Sox on August 7 and, since then, is hitting .271. He has six extra-base hits, including two home runs. He is striking out less than 10% of the time to go with a .208 ISO and 126 wRC+.
We all know how good Pollock can be with regular playing time and health. Right now, Pollock has both of those and is worth rostering in deeper leagues and some 12-team leagues.
Joey Gallo, Los Angeles Dodgers
27% Rostered
By now, we all know who Joey Gallo is regarding fantasy. He is a power bat with good OBP skills but also strikes out a lot and provides a low batting average.
While with the Yankees, there were no power or OBP skills, making him very difficult to roster for fantasy. Well, that has all changed with the trade to the Dodgers. Since the trade, Gallo is hitting .222 with three home runs.
He is striking out 41% of the time but also has a .323 OBP, and his contact quality is excellent, with a 28.6% barrel rate and 71.4% hard-hit rate. If your team is ok in batting average, then Gallo is a perfect addition in the future as he can provide a lot of power down the stretch.
Sam Haggerty, Seattle Mariners
6% Rostered
Haggerty has been a significant benefactor of the trade deadline with the Reds. Since August 6, Haggerty has been playing nearly every day and is hitting .351 with a home run.
More importantly, he provides a lot of speed with three stolen bases. Haggerty is now hitting .310 with four home runs and eight stolen bases. Throughout the minors this season, he hit .283 with six home runs and 15 stolen bases.
He will provide some batting average help as well as some power and a lot of steals. Haggerty will also play his home games in Great American Small Park which is always a fantasy perk.
Deeper League Waiver Wire
You can check out my NFBC deeper league waiver wire article, which comes out every Saturday, and looks at deeper-league waiver wire options at various positions.
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