It's waiver time. One of the keys to any fantasy success is not only nailing your draft, but scouring that waiver wire for players who can give your team a boost. Even though fantasy baseball can be a really long season, it's key to scour those waivers and take it week-by-week to cement your fantasy status.
The four players below are all owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues and could give your team a lift as you start off the season. It's never too early to consider some adds and drops for your team.
Hunter Pence - Texas Rangers (OF)
Yahoo Ownership: 30%
Quick -- name the player tied for the most RBIs in all of baseball across the last 14 days. Would you have guessed veteran outfielder Hunter Pence of the Texas Rangers?
Given that he remains available in 70% of Yahoo leagues, he probably wasn't the first name on your mind. But Pence has been ballin' out so far this year.
It remains to be seen if is this for real, but his spike in hard contact seems to be pointing to yes. Pence owns a 53.3% hard-hit rate, and with the hot Texas summer on the horizon, he's about to ply his trade in an environment that's very friendly to offense.
Pence isn't locked into an everyday role for the rest of the season, but while he's rolling like this, he's worth an add.
Derek Dietrich - Cincinnati Reds (1B/2B/OF)
Yahoo Ownership: 38%
If you're coming up short in the power department, Derek Dietrich of the Cincinnati Reds could be a great addition to your roster.
First, don't sleep on the slugger's positional flexibility. He qualifies at first base, second base and outfield. That's an underrated thing. On top of that, he's hitting a whole bunch of homers. He's up to 10 jacks on the season and a ridiculous .999 OPS for a Reds lineup that has been off to a slow start.
Playing half his games in a homer-happy park, Dietrich makes for a worthwhile add, especially if you need some pop.
Corbin Martin - Houston Astros (SP)
Yahoo Ownership: 18%
Called up from Triple-A Round Rock to replace the struggling Collin McHugh, Corbin Martin makes his major league debut today. Should you consider adding the Houston Astros' starter?
Martin probably isn't going to be a strikeout ace. In 2018, he posted just a 23.5% strikeout rate over 103 innings in Double-A. In 24 1/3 frames in Triple-A this year, he's bumped up his strikeout rate to 29.8%, but the sample size is small. Martin will also need to curb his walk rate as he's twice posted double-digit walk rates across his five minor league spots.
But there's no denying the value of a starter on a team like the Astros, who now lead the league with a .357 team wOBA, giving all their starting pitchers a great shot to rack up wins. With Forrest Whitley struggling and Josh James working as a reliever, Martin could take a rotation spot and run with it.
Griffin Canning - Los Angeles Angels (SP)
Yahoo Ownership: 36%
If Martin has been snapped up in your leagues, Griffin Canning of the Los Angeles Angels is another young arm worth looking at, and he carries some serious strikeout potential.
Canning owns a 33.3% strikeout rate so far in the majors, supported by a 20.8% swinging-strike rate. Yowzers. Now we're talking about a sample of 9 2/3 frames, so we need to pump the breaks a bit. But he put up a 24.5% strikeout rate and 12.5% swinging-strike rate in 59 Triple-A innings in 2018. His minor league profile is pretty stout.
Canning makes another start today, so check out the righty and see if he's worth an add to help your rotation.