With the 2021 baseball season wrapping up, nailing the waiver wire and the players available are critical to beating out your league-mates in season-long leagues.
Each week we will take a look at players who are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues and can help out your season-long squads. Remember, if you aren’t scouring the waiver wire, you are falling behind.
Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays
Roster Percentage: 20%
Very similar to the tight end position in fantasy football, the catcher slot in fantasy baseball is a tough one to find a quality option. Oftentimes, it feels like the position can be a detriment to your success.
While some may see Alejandro Kirk in this piece after his two-homer game and think I'm being a prisoner of the moment, Kirk has provided some serious pop in the last month. Over 65 at-bats, he's ripped four home runs, and his .292 batting average is pretty dang nice.
Check out Kirk if you are looking to shore up your catcher slot.
Brady Singer, SP, Kansas City Royals
Roster Percentage: 45%
Brady Singer has a significant adjustment to his pitch mix, relying less on his heater and more on his slider. The results have been somewhat staggering for the Kansas City Royals' starter. Is this the mega prospect we all assumed was about to arrive?
Look at these numbers from his last four starts: 24 2/3 innings pitched, 23 strikeouts and only one home run allowed. That span includes a brilliant blanking of the Chicago White Sox in his last outing over seven scoreless innings. While that's easily the best start of Singer's bumpy 2021 campaign, it's certainly notable.
The 4.58 ERA this season in 116 innings may be a head-scratcher, but with the changes made recently, Singer could be a massive rotation boost down the stretch.
Rowan Wick, RP, Chicago Cubs
Roster Percentage: 21%
Taking a ride on the closer carousel is fun for no one -- literally, no on -- especially in this day and age, when closers are rotated in and out of their jobs pretty often.
But it does seem like the Chicago Cubs closer job pretty clearly belongs to Rowan Wick. He's locked down the last three save opportunities for the Cubs, and in the last month, he's whiffing better than a batter per inning.
If you are desperate for saves, Wick is worth adding.
Yonny Hernandez, 2B/OF, Texas Rangers
Roster Percentage: 4%
At the end of the season -- especially in rotisserie leagues -- category management is absolutely critical. If you need speed, Yonny Hernandez is a dude to think about.
Now, let's be clear -- this guy is the definition of a rabbit. He has virtually no pop, and he hits at the bottom of the Texas Rangers' lineup. But he has swiped four bags in the last week, and that's too good to ignore.
If you need some swipes, Hernandez is a viable pickup.
Notable Two-Start Pitchers to Consider This Week
John Gant (MIN) -- at NYY, at TOR
Games in Coors Field This Week
None