One month of the MLB season is officially in the books. Stats are starting to stabilize and the weather is getting warmer. Offense should start to heat up over the next few weeks, and the better pitchers should also start to steady.
My top waiver claim for this week is Rowdy Tellez, though there is a lot of interesting talent on the wire.
Let’s look at a few guys worth putting some FAAB on.
HITTERS:
Rowdy Tellez (1B/DH), MIL
Tellez has been on fire for the Brewers across the last two weeks, including a two -homer game on Wednesday night. The slugger is now batting .282 on the season with seven homers and 21 RBI. Yes, you read that correctly. And he’s probably on your waiver wire.
What’s more exciting? His barrel rate and expected slugging are in the top 1% of the league, his max exit velocity is in the top 3%, and his expected batting average is in the top 9%. As the weather warms, Tellez could really explode. He plays in a hitter-friendly home ballpark in a division with the Pirates and the Reds. Get your bids in now.
Daniel Vogelbach (1B/DH), PIT
Speaking of the Pirates, Daniel Vogelbach is finally getting regular opportunities with the DH now in Pittsburgh, and he’s not just batting for power, he is batting for some average. Vogelbach has reduced his chase-rate and he’s barreling the ball well. He’s slashing .292/.350/.514 and is worth an add in deeper leagues.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (SS), NYY
A lot of Yankees fans were upset when the Yankees made this off-season acquisition, but as it turns out, he could be exactly what the Yanks needed. IKF is playing good defense and is making good contact. Though he doesn’t add any power, he can contribute to batting average, runs scored (he has as many as Anthony Rizzo and Cedric Mullins), and the elusive stolen bases. His sprint speed is in the top 10% of the league.
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Patrick Wisdom (3B), CHC
Wisdom is smashing the ball with a 97th percentile hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 92.9. He still strikes out too much, but his five homers and 15 RBI could make up for that depending on your needs. If you have plenty of batting average guys, Wisdom can make up some power.
Yadiel Hernandez (OF), BAL
Hernandez is batting .371 to start the season for Baltimore. His expected slugging is in the top 15% of the league, he’s hitting the ball hard, and he’s also barreling at the highest rate of his career–more than double his previous two seasons. He’s currently on a hot streak, batting .476 with seven RBI across the last week. He’s an interesting streamer for daily leagues.
Manuel Margot (OF), MIA
Remember a few years ago when you drafted Margot for his stolen bases? Well, his sprint speed isn’t what it used to be, but he still has the potential to grab a few extra bags. This year, Margot has reduced his whiff rate to the lowest of his career, and he’s striking out far less often. Statcast says his expected batting average is .330 while at the same time his average exit velocity is in the top 25% of the league. He’s logged 12 RBI this season without hitting any home runs, but his profile is intriguing as someone who could bump your batting average and also contribute to stolen bases in deeper leagues.
PITCHERS:
Aaron Ashby (SP), MIL
Through 19.1 innings pitched so far, Ashby has a 2.33 ERA. He walks too many batters, but even with those walks figured in, statcast still expects his ERA to be a respectable 3.74. He’s in a division with the Reds and the Pirates, so he should log you some wins, and he’s striking men out at a rate of 10.24 per nine.
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Martin Perez (SP), TEX
Is it finally Martin Perez breakout season? Perez has the lowest ERA of his career (2.25) across 28 innings pitched. What’s even better? Statcast says his expected ERA is only 2.74. He has yet to allow a home run this season. The lefty is having tremendous success with his changeup and his cutter, and opponents are not barreling up the ball. He should get two starts next week with good matchups–the Royals and Red Sox, two bottom-10 offenses.
Dan Dunning (SP), TEX
Another Texas pitcher makes the list. Dunning is off to a good start to the season, limiting hard contact and pitching to a 3.81 ERA across 26 innings. He has a favorable matchup next week at home vs. the Red Sox.
