Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Week 6

In weekly FAAB leagues, your waiver wire claims have likely already been processed. Our FAAB Insights articles are great sources for finding targets ahead of weekly waiver deadlines.

Here, you will find players you can pick up if you have daily waiver claims or if you are able to pick up players throughout the week.

These are players you should consider adding from the waiver wire for matchup number six who are available in 60% or fewer of ESPN leagues.

 

Catcher

 

Eric Haase (C – DET) 1.3% Rostered

Between 2018-2021, Eric Haase struck out an average of 32%, but since then he has averaged 27.8%. This has reflected in his batting average gradually increasing from .231, to .254, to .277 between 2021 and this season.

While his inflated BABIP should regress over the rest of the season and cause his AVG to drop, it should not drop too far if he can continue to sustain his career high 21.1% LD rate.

One issue that Haase has faced this season is a drop in launch angle and hard contact that have led to an increase in ground balls. That is typically something that batters can adjust over the course of the season, and as his 35% FB rate (hopefully) approaches his career 40% FB rate, he should see some more home runs leave the park.

Haase has also been a bit unlucky with home runs this season, with two in 91 PAs. His HR/FB rate is 7.5% lower than his career norm, but this could be due to him hitting fewer fly balls, the lower launch angle, and perhaps some bad luck mixed in.

And the guy definitely wants to hit more homers – just look at him celebrating in the Detroit dugout after his most recent dinger:

Asked #Tigers catcher Eric Haase what it was like to finally do the Red Wings HR celebration:

“I missed it the first time but I blasted a slapshot in the back of the dugout (after the second HR). I’ve been waiting for that. No one likes that celly more than I do.” pic.twitter.com/u0i164JPwJ

— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) May 4, 2023

Despite his issues, Haase is consistently in the lineup and has the potential to improve on his current production. This is the time to get him on waivers before he turns it up and is more widely rostered.

Honorable Mention: Connor Wong (2.9%), Cal Raleigh (28.8%), Shea Langeliers (10.2%), Elias Díaz (30.9%)

 

Corner Infield

 

Matt Mervis (1B – CHC) 10.2% Rostered

Matt Mervis finally got the call in Chicago after batting .286 with six home runs, 27 runs, and 27 RBI. In AAA, he had a 16.1% walk rate and a 17.1% strikeout rate, which must have been enticing for the Cubs. Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer both have walk rates in the single digits and strikeout rates over 24%.

Mancini and Hosmer have both been serviceable for he Cubs, but Mervis offers the potential for more pop. In 2022, across three minor league levels, he hit 36 home runs in 578 PAs.

But here is what makes “Mash” Mervis an excellent target in fantasy baseball:

Hyped to see Matt Mervis vs MLB pitching.

Plot below is AAA 90th pct exit velo & swinging-strike rate. Mervis is the red dot. Top right = good

He SLGs low balls really well, no whiffs inside. Gotta go away or up/out of zone for whiffs, but he's below average chase. 📈 #Cubs pic.twitter.com/fGQ2Q8rOd8

— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) May 4, 2023

Mervis hits the ball hard and limits strikeouts, and while he may take some time to adjust to major league pitching, he is worth adding because those are two skills that matter for fantasy. They lead to home runs and a high batting average, making Mervis an excellent waiver wire target if he is available.

Honorable Mention: Nick Senzel (12.3%), Ezequiel Duran (6.2%), Josh Jung (29.9%), Carlos Santana (22.1%), Brett Baty (154%), Ryan Noda (.4%), Brandon Drury (33%), Harold Ramírez (32.2%)

 

Middle Infield

 

Luis Garcia (SS/2B – WAS) 5% Rostered

Luis Garcia has just a 6.3% walk rate, but his strikeout rate is an insanely low 8.9%. In fact, it is the fifth lowest in baseball, just ahead of teammate Keibert Ruiz.

With that sort of K% floor, it is surprising to see Garcia with only a .252 AVG. One typical culprit for a low batting average is BABIP, and Garcia’s .250 BABIP is much lower than his career .307 mark. Digging deeper, there could be an explanation in his 16% LD rate and 56% GB rate, both of which are worse than his career norms.

One major issue that could be at the heart of all of Garcia’s issues is a decreased launch angle from previous seasons. If he can increase it even a few degrees, the results could be much better for his AVG.

Many of his current metrics other than LA, GB%, and LD% are either in line with his past seasons or even better. His discipline numbers are better across the board. His contact rate is up 12% from last season. He shaved 15% off his chase rate. His ability to make contact gives hope that his AVG will rise, especially considering he is among the best in the league at making contact:

He is a young batter that has time to adjust, and is a skilled enough hitter to make the needed adjustments to improve. Now is the time to get Garcia off waivers before someone else does.

Honorable Mention: Taylor Walls (31.4%), Isaac Paredes (31.5%), Geraldo Perdomo (12.2%), Ji Hwan Bae (8.6%), Javier Báez (18.3%), Ramón Urías (1.8%), Anthony Volpe (45.7%), CJ Abrams (11.4%), Jon Berti (5.3%)

 

Outfield

 

Edward Olivares (OF – KC) 2.1% Rostered

Edward Olivares has primarily been a lefty specialist hitter, but after a string of successful games against righties, it looks like Olivares is bound for more time in the lineup.

Olivares has improved his walk and strikeout rates from last season. He has a career high 10.7% barrel rate and 39.7% HardHit rate this year, while getting his launch angle up to 12.9 degrees from an average of 6.6 degrees the last three years.

The outfielder has also improved his chase, swinging strike, and contact rates from last season, showing more maturity at the plate.

He only has two home runs on the season in 107 PAs, but his HR/FB rate is the lowest in his career despite the highest fly ball rate of his career. The home runs should start coming as he gets more consistent time in the lineup.

Olivares could easily finish the season with double digit home runs and steals, while also hitting for an average of .260 or better, all of which makes him fantasy relevant in all formats.

If you need outfield depth, Olivares is an excellent target off of the waivers.

Honorable Mention: LaMonte Wade Jr. (9.6%), Chris Taylor (5.1%), Jarren Duran (20.5%), Esteury Ruiz (17.4%), Jack Suwinski (16.4%), Josh Lowe (49%), Connor Joe (16.6%), Robbie Grossman (1.7%), JJ Bleday (1.2%), Max Kepler (3.7%), Matt Vierling (1%), Jason Heyward (.7%), Colton Cowser (.6%)

 

Starting Pitcher

 

Bryce Miller (SP – SEA) 24% Rostered

Logan Allen (SP – CLE) 19% Rostered

Tanner Bibee (SP – CLE) 18.2% Rostered

Mason Miller (SP – OAK) 17.4% Rostered

Brandon Pfaadt (SP – ARI) 8.1% Rostered

This is a little different than usual, but it is important to address the slew of recent pitching prospects to get the call. They are listed in the order in which I would try to add them.

Bryce Miller was arguably having the worst season in the minor leagues of all the pitchers mentioned above, but he is the most likely to stick in his major league team’s lineup, while also having the most opportunity to accrue wins.

The Cleveland tandem may end up with better results, but once Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale return from injury, they may be demoted. Mason Miller should turn in better strikeout numbers than Miller, but may struggle to limit runs and likely will not pick up many wins in Oakland. Brandon Pfaadt was plan C for the Diamondbacks after Madison Bumgarner was DFA’d, and struggled in his first outing, which could tell us something about how the team views him.

Bryce Miller has a 95 MPH fastball with a lot of jump. In fact, it has the most rise of any fastball in the MLB.

His fastball has a 37.9% whiff rate and a 47.1% putaway rate, which is incredible. His cutter is his next best pitch, and he also has a slider and changeup. This pitch mix should keep him productive in the majors.

Logan Allen is a strikeout machine. He never finished a minor league stint with lower than an 11 K/9 rate. So far, that has translated to the majors as he has a 10.7 K/9 rate. He has used his changeup and sweeper well this season. They have a .133 and .143 batting average against, as well as 40.7% and 31.4% whiff rates respectively. Here’s a clip of his sweeper:

Logan Allen, Wipeout 80mph Sweeper. 🌊 pic.twitter.com/licVx0U7uo

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 30, 2023

His teammate, Tanner Bibee, is more of a fastball/slider pitcher, and has more zip on his fastball than Allen. He has a wipeout slider that has induced a 38.5% whiff rate and a 25.8% putaway rate in the majors this year. He is incredibly deceptive with his pitches as shown here:

Tanner Bibee, 95mph Fastball and 82mph Slider, Overlay pic.twitter.com/BPM5KxK6OB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 2, 2023

Aside from playing for Oakland, one other issue that could limit Mason Miller’s upside is his lack of innings and a presumable innings limit. He has just 28.2 IP since 2021. Some positives for Miller include a 98 MPH fastball, and a slider/cutter/changeup combo that have whiff rates between 30%-50%. Here he is inducing a strikeout on a wicked cutter:

Mason Miller, Nasty Elevated 95mph Cutter. ✂️

4th K

And 🤫 thru 6. pic.twitter.com/th5VAjbrrE

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 3, 2023

Brandon Pfaadt throws mostly a fastball/slider/changeup combo with a curveball sprinkled into the mix. His biggest issue seems to be earning the trust of the Diamondbacks. He lined up with MadBum’s slot the first two times through the rotation without the veteran, but Pfaadt was not selected. Then in his first start, he pitched a dud after receiving a ton of hype. He ended up recording three strikeouts in the game. Here is his first one on a wipeout slider:

"First of many!"

Brandon Pfaadt records his first Major League strikeout for the @Dbacks. pic.twitter.com/SWHSSnbfHR

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 3, 2023

He may have the toughest time sticking in his team’s rotation long term, especially with so many other young arms available to Arizona.

Honorable Mention: Drew Smyly (39.9%), Mitch Keller (46.8%), Zach Eflin (42.9%), Josiah Gray (14.8%), Martín Pérez (41.7%), Bailey Ober (13.5%), Alex Cobb (54.3%), Hayden Wesneski (10.2%), Graham Ashcraft (48.1%), MacKenzie Gore (23.7%), Roansy Contreras (11.1%), Gavin Stone (3.1%), Louie Varland (1.4%), Wade Miley (23.9%)

 

Relief Pitcher

 

José Alvarado (RP – PHI) 58.8% Rostered

José Alvarado just meets the 60% rostered threshold, but he is still available in a number of leagues and needs to be more unanimously rostered.

He has a 16 K/9 rate and has yet to issue a walk in 13.1 IP. He could eventually see some positive regression to his 2.03 ERA as his .348 BABIP and 20% HR/FB rate get down to normal rates. Alvarado’s xFIP is 0.36 and his SIERA is 0.64.

Plus, he has three pitches that all grade as borderline quality pitches, well above league average, in our PLV metric:

Alvarado has emerged in a crowded Phillies bullpen, but is the reliever you want from that team. He is worth a waiver wire add immediately.

Honorable Mention: Jhoan Duran (45.7%), Carlos Estévez (38.2%), Alexis Díaz (40%), Alex Lange (15.7%), Andrew Chafin (17.7%), Michael King (9.8%), Will Smith (9.5%), Liam Hendriks (21.9%), Jason Adam (16.2%)