If you haven’t checked out our MLB Lineups page, you’re missing out. FantasyData has created a few new pages for the reduced 2020 baseball season to help you with your fantasy roster and or sports betting needs. We also created an MLB optimizer for those looking to play DraftKings, Fanduel, or Yahoo in any daily fantasy games.
Fantasy Baseball Week 4 Waiver Wire
With week three in the books, that means the fantasy baseball season is roughly a third of the way finished. Depending on your roster construction and team situation, you may need to be more aggressive with waiver claims and FAAB to avoid taking zeros. The week four waiver wire includes players that provide value now and moving forward with hot hitters, streaming pitchers, and relievers.
Hitters
Nick Solak, 2B/OF, Texas Rangers
20-25% FAAB
Riding a six-game hit streak (8/9 – 8/15), Nick Solak compiled six runs, four doubles, one home run, four RBI, and one steal. On the season, he has one home run, eight runs, eight RBI, and three steals while slashing .313/.389/.438. We knew Solak could hit, but it was a matter of playing time. Solak has a 24.5% line drive rate while spraying the ball to all fields. His 89.7 mph average exit velocity (64th percentile) and 39.6% hard-hit rate (59th percentile) are both above average. He typically displays consistent on-base skills while providing a healthy batting average with sneaky speed. Add him in all leagues if available.
Nick Solak – Texas Rangers (2) pic.twitter.com/lIxk9gsTVW
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 15, 2020
Dom Smith, 1B/OF, New York Mets
15-20% FAAB
Like Solak, Dom Smith is heating up in August with six doubles, five home runs, eight runs, and 11 RBI, while slashing .302/.404/.791. Smith has a 90.8 mph average exit velocity (54th percentile), a 45.7% hard-hit rate (48th percentile), and a 17.1% barrel rate (93rd percentile). Typically Smith hits better against right-handed pitching and the Mets project to play five right-handed pitchers this week. However, in 2020, Smith has a higher batting average against left-handed pitchers. Ride his hot bat and add where available.
Kole Calhoun, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
15% FAAB
In August, Kole Calhoun has hit five home runs, 11 runs, and 15 RBI while slashing .286/.327/653. He bats at the top of the lineup and recently moved to the leadoff spot for the Diamondbacks. We love to see the 29.6% line drive rate up from his 22.5% career average. Calhoun typically displays a pull-heavy approach with a career 44.1% pull rate, and he is pulling the ball 61.1% of the time, which is a bit high.
Calhoun’s hard-hit rate and average exit velocity are slightly above average, but his 11.1% barrel rate ranks in the 78th percentile. His .281 xBA (83rd percentile), .556 xSLG (89th percentile), and .390 xwOBA (92nd percentile) all indicate Calhoun could improve on his surface stats. Add the veteran outfielder with confidence.
Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati Reds
15% FAAB
Holy moly, add Jesse Winker and his red hot bat in August where he is slashing .486/.571/1.000 with eight runs, five home runs, seven RBI, and one steal. That triple slash is outrageous after an awful July slashing .118/.318/.118. Winker’s Statcast data jumps off the page with a 50% hard-hit rate (78th percentile), a 94.1 mph average exit velocity (94th percentile), and a 15.8% barrel rate (64th percentile). His expected stats also show signs of improvement with a .353 xBA (96th percentile), a .690 xSLG (91st percentile), and a .484 xwOBA (99th percentile). Hopefully, Winker continues to display his plus hit tool and amazing production. Monitor the Reds schedule since their games were postponed over the weekend after a Reds player tested positive for COVID-19.
Austin Slater, OF, San Francisco Giants
10-12% FAAB
Sneakily, Austin Slater is hitting the ball well with three home runs, six runs, four RBI, and five steals while slashing .317/.429/.585. Slater’s line drive rate increased to 39.3%, and that is about 15% higher than last year. His ground ball dropped from 52.3% to 39.3%, and both combined are positive changes in the small sample. Although Slater’s .400 BABIP is high, he typically displayed a high BABIP with the Giants and in the minors.
When looking at his Statcast data, it backs up the hot start with a 46.4% hard-hit rate (82nd percentile), a 90.6 mph average exit velocity (81st percentile), and a 14.3% barrel rate (87th percentile). Slater’s expected stats on Statcast also provide evidence of sustainable changes with a .310 xBA (94th percentile), a .523 xSLG (84th percentile), and a .405 xwOBA (94th percentile). Monitor Slater’s injury status because he has been dealing with a right elbow flexor strain, but also started in a game on Saturday.
Clint Frazier, OF, New York Yankees
10-15% FAAB
With Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hitting the injured list, Clint Frazier projects to fill in. So far, Frazier hit the ground running while hitting three doubles, two home runs, three runs, and eight RBI while slashing .538/.571/1.231. In such a small sample, it is not worth mentioning the Statcast data. However, I mentioned him in the Week 1 Waiver Wire article up on the site because he made an intriguing swing change. With more playing time, add Frazier in most leagues.
Clint Frazier with a 410-FOOT BLAST in his first AB of the season! 🔥
Watch now on YES & stream the game live on FOX Sports GO: https://t.co/V78y5jtXT6 pic.twitter.com/dMoM3g2ncs
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 12, 2020
Starting Pitchers
Kevin Gausman, SP, San Francisco Giants
10-15% FAAB
Against the Athletics on Saturday, Kevin Gausman recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts and allowed five hits, three earned runs, and three walks. On the season, Gausman has thrown 25.2 innings and 34 strikeouts with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He is missing bats with a 14.5% swinging-strike rate and a career-low 4.7% walk rate. Gausman’s splitter, his best pitch, results in a 24.6% swinging-strike rate, a 41.3% whiff rate, and a .194 xwOBA. Add Gausman as a streaming pitcher, especially if your team needs strikeouts.
Tony Gonsolin, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
10-15% FAAB
Tony Gonsolin has not allowed an earned run in two starts this season. In two starts, he tossed 8.2 innings, allowed four hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts. Last year with the Dodgers, he pitched well in a starter and reliever role. Gonsolin uses a four-pitch mix with a four-seam fastball, splitter, slider, and curveball with his splitter and slider resulting in the most whiffs. Check out the swinging strike rates on his slider and splitter over the last two seasons – slider (22.5%) and splitter (19.1%). The Dodgers currently have a six-man rotation scheduled, and they might send Gonsolin back to the alternate site or bullpen. However, with the two nasty pitches, he is worth an add in all leagues.
Merrill Kelly, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
10-12% FAAB
Across 26.1 innings, Merrill Kelly has 22 strikeouts with a 1.71 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Kelly limits the walks with a career-low 2.9% walk rate, provides decent ratios, but does not miss a ton of bats. Kelly’s .233 BABIP allowed and 100% left on base rate indicate he is likely due for regression in the ERA department, and the 3.78 FIP reflects that as well. He increased his velocity across the board with his five-pitch mix, and that may be contributing to the hot start. With postponements and injuries, add Kelly as a streamer in all leagues.
Chris Bassitt, SP, Oakland Athletics
10-12% FAAB
Chris Bassitt projects for a two-start week facing the Diamondbacks and Angels. In late July, I mentioned Bassitt in the Late-Round Sleepers article, and he has performed well so far in 2020. In 22.1 innings, Bassitt recorded 19 strikeouts with a 2.42 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Like Kelly, Bassitt controls the strike zone and limits the walks with a career-low 4.6% walk rate. He is using the sinker most, and it is resulting in a 40.7% ground ball rate, which is lower than his 51.6% ground ball rate on that pitch in 2019. However, this season, the 50% ground ball rate on his four-seam fastball increased by almost 7%. The four-seam fastball also has a higher swinging-strike rate and whiff rate.
- 2019: Four Seam Fastball – 10% swinging-strike rate, 22.4% whiff rate
- 2020: Four Seam Fastball – 13.6% swinging-strike rate, 32.1% whiff rate
Kelly and Bassitt fall into the same category of streaming pitchers that provide decent ratios and limit walks, both of which are valuable in all leagues.
Relief Pitchers
Drew Pomeranz, RP, San Diego Padres
With Kirby Yates hitting the 10-day injured list, add Pomeranz where available. Pomeranz provides elite ratios and strikeout rates with a 0.00 ERA, 0.52 WHIP, and a 37% strikeout rate with four saves in 7.2 innings. Use about 20-25% or more of your FAAB on Pomeranz if he is somehow available.
Taylor Williams, RP, Seattle Mariners
Taylor Williams has recorded three saves on the season across 7.2 innings with ten strikeouts, a 4.70 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP. Williams appears to be leading the Mariners closer committee.
Trevor Gott, RP, San Francisco Giants
Trevor Gott is a cautious recommendation because he allowed nine earned runs across one inning total in his last two outings. Before those two blowup outings, Gott allowed one earned run and recorded four saves in six appearances. Like Williams, he appears to be leading the closer committee.
