MLB

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Week 21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Aug 18th, 2019
Raimel Tapia is getting a lot of playing time for the Rockies, and he's putting up good numbers lately. Which other adds should you be eyeing?

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 search 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.

Tony Gonsolin - Los Angeles Dodgers (SP)

Yahoo Ownership: 15%

With Dustin May moving to the bullpen, Tony Gonsolin will start on Sunday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and if his last few appearances are any indication, he could be a major weapon for fantasy pitching staffs.

Recently, Gonsolin was outstanding in his first major league appearances, whiffing 13 batters while handing out only one free pass. That swing-and-miss ability was prevalent throughout the minor leagues as he racked up a strikeout rate of at least 26% at every level from 2017 or better.

He's also held his own from a walk-rate perspective, recording a double-digit walk rate in only a single stop this season.

Gonsolin will have the powerful engine of the Dodgers' offense behind him, which can help in your wins category. If you need some spot starts, Gonsolin could be helpful.

Nick Ahmed - Arizona Diamondbacks (SS)

Yahoo Ownership: 25%

Raise your hand if you have owned Nick Ahmed in the past? Yup, me too. But dude has been absolutely ballin' since about July 1st, and if you need middle infield help, go grab this man.

Now up to 16 home runs (tied for a career-best mark), 67 runs scored, 68 runs batted in, and seven steals, Ahmed has been a powerful weapon in the middle of the order. He owns a .953 OPS since July 1st, and 10 of his 16 homers have come in the last seven weeks.

A sneaky part of Ahmed's surge, especially for folks in OBP leagues, is his career-best 8.5% walk rate. It's allowing him to be on base to rack up those ever important counting statistics.

Raimel Tapia - Colorado Rockies (OF)

Yahoo Ownership: 13%

It never fails, unfortunately, that David Dahl finds his way on to the Injury List. This time, it's courtesy of a nasty ankle injury that, given the Colorado Rockies fall from grace in the standings, could wind up with Dahl missing the rest of 2019.

But that opens up playing time in the outfield for Raimel Tapia, and like Ahmed, he has been taking full advantage with a surge recently. Since taking over as a starter on July 29th, Tapia has slashed his way to a .359 wOBA.

Tapia also isn't a liability against lefty arms. He's batted .294 against them this season in 87 plate appearances, so he should be close to a full-time starter down the stretch. For continued exposure to Coors Field, take a look at the lefty swinger.

Chris Bassitt - Oakland Athletics (SP)

Yahoo Ownership: 49%

As the Oakland Athletics have climbed their way into the playoff race, and they sit only 6.5 games behind the Houston Astros, their starting rotation has been extremely solid, led by right-hander Chris Bassitt.

Over 21 starts and 119 2/3 innings pitched this season, Bassitt has been strong across the board, recording a 34.7% hard-hit rate and posted a career-best 8.8% swinging-strike rate. While that swinging-strike rate doesn't jump off the page, his increased use of a strong change-up this year (up to 8.3%) shows he is improving in that category.

Something also seems to have clicked for Bassitt in the second half as he's recorded a .294 wOBA and limited walks to a 6.4% rate in 42 innings. Like Gonsolin, he could be a big add down the stretch to your fantasy rotation.