Hitters

Max Kepler, (MIN); FAAB Bid: 2-3% - If you are in one of the 54% of Yahoo leagues in which Kepler is still available, it is time to act quickly because he won’t be on this list much longer. Entering action on Saturday the outfielder is 11 for his last 32 with four home runs and eight RBI. Kepler is still hitting just .222 but you can’t argue the fact that he is a dual threat with 10 home runs and seven stolen bases. I would like to think that Kepler’s .243 BABIP is the cause for his struggles and will lead to an improvement, but in fact it is in line with what we have seen from him previously. What are after here though is that 15/15 potential as he has a .237 ISO and an 18.8-degree launch angle. If you want to be optimistic though Kepler’s 11.3%-barrel rate and 46.0% hard hit rate will do just that. 

Leury García, (CWS); FAAB Bid: 1% - Garcia isn’t the type of player that will truly jump off the page at you, but depending on the league he is eligible just about everywhere. In daily league or if you are plugging a hole Garcia is the perfect option as he plays just about every day for Chicago. Entering action on Friday, Garcia was hitting .379 in July before going hitless to bring his average for the season down to .259. There isn’t much power or speed here but Garcia is a reliable option if you are looking to fill a hole. 

Hunter Dozier, (KC); FAAB Bid: 1% - Entering the season Dozier was well liked as a bat with some potential who could hit 20 to 25 home runs while driving in around 80 runs. It is quite the understatement to say that things aren’t exactly go according to plan for Dozier who was hitting just .179 on the season entering action on Saturday. Things have gotten better as of late for him as that includes .258 batting average in his last 31 at bats but Dozier does have eight home runs to this point and Kansas City continues to utilize him in the middle of their batting order. A large part of that is due to lack of other options but it does work in his favor as he has plenty of time to work through his issues. Based on Dozier’s batting average, he likely won’t garner attention for some time, but based on his .228 BABIP, things should start to improve. With a .167 ISO, Dozier hasn’t lost his power and his 8.6%-barrel rate is in line with what we have previously seen from him while also posting a career high hard-hit rate of 43.4%.

Ben Gamel, (PIT); FAAB Bid: 1-2% - Talk about an unlikely cleanup hitter. But there Gamel is for what clearly is a rebuilding Pittsburgh team batting fourth just about every game. He took a .238 batting average into action on Saturday before ripping a hard-hit single, so admittedly this isn’t the most exciting option, but in his last 34 at bats Gamel was hitting .324 with three home runs, seven RBI, and seven runs scored. The outfielder is barreling balls up levels he previously didn’t come close to (10.9%) and he has clearly adjusted his swing to focus on the long ball with an 18.9-degree launch angle. 

Jake Burger, (CWS); FAAB Bid: 2% - Since his promotion all Burger has done is hit. The problem at this point is that Burger hasn’t been playing everyday but ultimately you have to expect talent to win out. He went deep for his first career home run on Saturday after hitting 10 in 42 games in Triple-A earlier this season. Through 27 plate appearances with the White Sox, Burger is hitting .400 and the main thing for the former first round pick is that he is healthy after not playing from 2018-2020 due to injuries and the lack of a minor league season last year. If Burger continues to hit and earn more playing time, he is someone to keep an eye on.

Starting Pitchers

Dane Dunning, (TEX); FAAB Bid: 2% - This is a tough one here as Dunning will be facing the Astros at the end of the week. However, the right-hander starts the week with a favorable match-up against the Tigers and he is one of the better two-start pitchers that you might find floating around the waiver wire. In his last three starts Dunning has a 1.93 ERA but more importantly he has 14 strikeouts in 14 innings. That shouldn’t be a surprise as he is striking out 9.68 batters per nine innings on the season to go along with a 4.22 which you could argue has been inflated by a .361 BABIP. Dunning doesn’t go too crazy on the walks (3.19 per nine innings) and his 3.35 FIP and 3.57 xFIP both point a favorable picture as well. 

Alec Mills, (CHC); FAAB Bid: 1-2% - Mills is another solid option if you are looking to maximize innings and strikeouts this week while give yourself two chances at a victory. In facing the Cardinals and Diamondbacks I’m not especially concerned with either match-up but by the same token, I wouldn’t consider Mills a slam dunk either. The main thing I like about Mills is that he does a great job at keeping the ball on the ground (56.4%) which helps to limit potential damage and explains why there is some optimism behind his 4.84 ERA with a 4.16 FIP and 4.03 xFIP. We get 7.45 strikeouts per nine innings so while it lags behind what we have become accustomed to, it isn’t terrible when he takes the mound twice and he has a solid chance of emerging victorious against Arizona. 

Zach Thompson, (MIA); FAAB Bid: 3% - Thompson returned to action on Saturday and promptly threw four scoreless innings in Philadelphia while striking out two. In 28 innings with the Marlins this season Thompson has a 1.93 ERA while striking out 10.61 batters per nine innings, limiting the walks (2.89 per nine innings) and avoiding the long ball (one). A 2.46 FIP and 3.83 xFIP do point to some regression, but it is hard to argue with we have seen from Thompson to this point and even at that point, it is unlikely you will find much better on the waiver wire. 

Relief Pitchers

Ranger Suárez, (PHI); FAAB Bid: 5% - Here we go, let’s now shift our attention to Suarez in the ever-evolving battle to figure out who will be getting saves in Philadelphia. With three over the last 14 days, including the last two save opportunities for Philadelphia it is safe to assume that the job belongs to Suarez. At least for now that is. With a 1.22 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 37 innings this season Suarez has proven to be worthy of the job and we have to flock to him. 

Paul Sewald, (SEA); FAAB Bid: 5% - Sewald has converted the last two Seattle save opportunities which means by that logic the closer job belongs to the right-hander. There isn’t much of a track record to work with as Sewald has just three saves on the season but there is opportunity in Seattle and he has certainly owned the job with a 1.38 ERA and 0.96 WHIP while picking up five wins in relief and striking out 44 batters in 26 innings. This is a train worth riding for as long as possible.