10-Team Leagues
Sean Manaea, OAK SP (65% ownership), FAAB Bid - $13-14 - We saw the potential from Oakland’s young lefty after just one game this season as he threw 7.2 innings of one run baseball while striking out seven. Manaea was actually much better at home than his numbers led us to believe as he notched a very solid 3.61 FIP. He has a big time arm and generates a ton of movement on his pitches. He’s someone I want a lot of shares of if he’s available in my league.
Joe Panik, SFG 2B (30% ownership), FAAB Bid - $11-12 - Where has this early season power come from? Panik has already blasted three homers this year and his career high at any professional level is 10, which he’s done twice. He’s not just hitting for power either as his current average sits at .421. Second base isn’t the easiest position to fill and Panik currently ranks fourth in the rankings amongst all of them according to Yahoo! Scoring. Do I expect this power to continue? No. But he’s a career .284 hitter so the average is a big plus and if he does continue to hit for more power than he has earlier in his career well that’s a huge bonus as well.
Andrelton Simmons, LAA SS (52% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 - Simmons has picked up right where he left off from last year. He’s become a very serviceable hitter and opened up 2018 white hot hitting .417 with four runs scored and five RBI. He’s the eighth ranked shortstop on Yahoo! right now and should remain to be a top ten option throughout the remainder of the year, mainly based on his hits and runs scored. There’s a scarcity at SS so scoop Simmons up while you can.
12-Team Leagues
Kevin Pillar, TOR OF (44% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7 - If we’re looking for someone with some stolen base upside still on more than half of the waiver wires on Yahoo!, look no further. Pillar already has three stolen bases which ties him for the league lead with Lorenzo Cain, Trea Turner and Tim Anderson. Not only has he swiped three bags already, but he’s hitting .381 which is putting him on base and giving him the chance to steal a base. He’s going to play everyday and is seemingly the forgotten guy in Toronto and he shouldn’t be with the way he’s opened the 2018 campaign.
Jaime Garcia, TOR SP (5% ownership), FAAB Bid - $4-5 - We’re always looking for more and more starting pitching and I believe Garcia is a nice place to start. He stymied a very good lefty hitting White Sox lineup allowing just one run over six innings. The best part about Garcia’s start was the seven outs via the strikeout. Garcia is someone who averages 7.3 K/9 over his career, so the 10.5 mark after his first start is a step in the right direction. Another aspect of his game I love and why I think he can be successful is the fact he racked up a 66-percent ground ball rate in his first start. He’s posted a 56-percent mark throughout his career, so it’s not crazy to think he can hover around 60-percent for the entire season.
Keynan Middleton, LAA RP (25% ownership), FAAB Bid - $6-7 - Both Blake Parker and Cam Bedrosian have gotten off to shaky starts this year which has led to opportunity for Middleton. He has already picked up a hold and a save and could be someone worth stashing in almost all formats. He was pretty decent during his rookie campaign last season posting a 3.86 ERA and a 9.72 K/9. If Parker and Bedrosian continue to struggle, the Angels have already made it clear early on that Middleton is next in line.
14-Team Leagues
Preston Tucker, ATL OF (4% ownership), FAAB Bid - $1-2 - Tucker has been a nice offensive boost for the Braves early on this year. He smacked his first homer of the year on Tuesday and has opened up the campaign slashing .421/.421/.684. Unfortunately for him and those looking to own him long term, Ronald Acuna is big league ready, the Braves are just using the system to have him under control for another year down the line so he had to begin the year in the minors. For a short-term pickup, Tucker is solid. He’s getting the chance every day and that will likely continue until Acuna is ultimately called up. He’s a risky pickup in any formats other than NL only or 14-teamers.
Aledmys Diaz, TOR SS (2% ownership), FAAB Bid - $2-3 - Now I’m not saying just throw away his numbers from last year, but Diaz is swinging the bat like he did back in 2016. Diaz has a career .806 OPS in two-plus seasons at the big league level. He has a very nice swing and if he can get back to where he was in 2016, he’ll be one of the steals of this year’s waiver wire. Get him now while you can still bid a piece of bubble gum for him.
Jack Flaherty, STL SP (35% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5 - Flaherty was supposed to be a stop gap until Adam Wainwright returned, but he wielded nine strikeouts over five innings in his first start and likely earned more opportunities every fifth day. Flaherty entered the year as 53rd ranked prospect in baseball according to Baseball America and showed why in start number one. He had a 9.0 K/9 at Triple-A last year while posting an impressive 2.74 ERA. Flaherty has a ton of potential and it would be wise to get him now while you can, even if he falls out of the rotation and you have to stash him.
*ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo
** FAAB bids based on $100 budge