Waiver Wire Week 3: Oakland Uncovers Plenty of Hidden Fantasy Gems
Through the first two weeks of games in the 2022 Fantasy Baseball season, one team is turning heads with their surprising 8-6 record: the Oakland Athletics. After the fire sale in the offseason, many fantasy managers are looking at this roster and saying, who are these guys? Are these under-the-radar players worthy of waiver wire pickups heading into the third full scoring period of 2022?
This weekly piece will look at five options under 50% rostered on Yahoo for 12- and 15-team leagues that are worthy of waiver bids or claims. As the season progresses we will have more data from which to draw conclusions, but for now, we will play the hand we’re dealt.
Waiver Options For 12-Team Leagues
Joc Pederson, OF, Giants (33% rostered) – If you are able to grab him now, Pederson is someone you are going to want on your roster for the next week. Four of his six games starting on Saturday are against right-handers, meaning Pederson should be in the lineup batting cleanup in each one of those games. So far this season, Pederson is slashing .306./.342/.583 and has a strikeout rate of just 18%. The upcoming games against the Nationals and Athletics have very favorable matchups for Pederson so get the power stroke going.
Brandon Marsh, OF, Angels (23% rostered) – A combination of injuries and inconsistency has made the Angels’ lineup a moving target so far. Because of that, Marsh has been in the lineup more than any other Angels’ batter except Shohei Ohtani. The hyped prospect is certainly delivering on his promise this season with a .323/.425/.516 slash line including a strong 12.5% walk rate. But most impressive is the severe cut to the strikeout rate from 35% last season to just 20% so far this year. Marsh is in this lineup to stay all year.
Austin Nola, C, Padres (42% rostered) – A catcher that has played 10 out of 14 games and hit either first or second in the batting order each game? Sign me up for that. He isn’t delivering much power yes (one homer and a .342 slugging) but he has stolen a base and is hitting for average.
Dylan Bundy, SP, Twins (34% rostered) – Is a move to Minnesota just what the doctor ordered to realign a career that has been one huge roller coaster from start to finish. Despite a strikeout rate that has declined for a third straight year, Bundy is inducing ground balls at an astounding rate. His 46.7% groundball rate is the best of his career and he has also severely diminished his hard contact allowed in the early going.
Dany Jimenez, RP, Athletics (13% rostered) – Our first Athletics player on the list is someone who was on almost no one’s radar for speculative saves at the beginning of the year, but maybe he should have been. There was much doubt surrounding Lou Trivino during draft season. We should have done a better job identifying that Jimenez would be a likely candidate should Trivino (4.91 ERA, 7.36 BB/9) struggle. Jimenez possesses an above-average fastball and slider and is using it to strike out 13.5 batters per nine innings so far this year.
Waiver Options for 15-Team Leagues
Daniel Vogelbach, 1B, Pirates (5% rostered) – You can tell we are in a new age of baseball when Daniel Vogelbach is leading off in every game he starts this year. No longer is speed the most important element at the top of a lineup, it’s about getting on base. Vogelbach is certainly doing that with a .395 on-base percentage this season and he has already popped three home runs. The RBI will suffer this season, but if he puts up anything close to a .300/.400/.500 line, that is a trade-off well worth it.
Francisco Mejia, C, Rays (9% rostered) – If you’re desperate for a catcher in deeper leagues, or you play in a two-catcher league, Mejia should be on your radar immediately. With Mike Zunino struggling, this is a 50/50 timeshare in Tampa and Mejia looks like the much better option to this point. He certainly won’t continue with a .348 average, but he has a career-high 35% hard-hit rate and that should hopefully lead to season-long positive outcomes.
Sheldon Neuse, 2B/3B, Athletics (5% rostered) – Neuse offers multi-position eligibility at two tough spots and has now hit second in the batting order for three straight games. He has been in the lineup for 11 straight games, against both righties and lefties, and is succeeding against all of them. He has a .368 batting average and .429 on-base percentage this season. And while that’s driven by a lot of BABIP luck (.520), he also has a .286 expected batting average. Even some regression to the average will still help you in that category and there is no reason for Oakland to take him out of the everyday lineup.
Paul Blackburn, SP, Athletics (10% rostered) – At 28 years old, Blackburn is the age of a pitcher breakout, and he certainly looks like he is headed that way through three starts. The 8.4 K/9 is a career-high. The 0.60 BB/9 is a career-low and his ERA (1.80) is actually worse than his FIP (1.39) and in line with his xFIP (2.09). It’s not all good luck either, as his BABIP (.275) and left on-base percentage are all in line with league norms. The wins may be tough to come by if the Oakland offense struggles, but the ratios look like they can help any fantasy team.
Jorge Lopez, RP, Orioles (17% rostered) – Do we really want the closer on one of the worst teams in the majors; a team that has been outscored by 15 runs so far this year and only scored 28 in 13 games? Well saves are saves in 15-team leagues and we will take them however we can get them. After the Tyler Wells trade, fantasy managers were waiting to see what pattern developed in the Baltimore bullpen. After two recent saves, it looks like the Orioles will continue to turn to Lopez and his 31.5% called plus swinging strike rate.
