With the 2021 baseball season entering the final week of the regular season, nailing the waiver wire and the players available are critical to beating out your league-mates in the fantasy playoffs.
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.
Cole Irvin, SP, Oakland Athletics
Roster Percentage: 36%
If you are looking for a two-stepper this week, Cole Irvin of the Oakland Athletics might be your guy.
Irvin isn't exactly Sandy Koufax, to be clear -- he's a good lefty, but he's not anything incredible. On the season, he's fired 169 1/3 innings pitched, fanning 117 batters with a 3.99 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.
He will face a Seattle Mariners team that is in the bottom 10 in wOBA over the last 30 days with one of the 10 highest strikeout rates in that span. In his second turn, Irvin will get a Houston Astros offense that may be resting for the postseason and could field a worse-than-normal lineup.
I like Irvin for volume this week.
Harrison Bader, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Roster Percentage: 18%
This might be a pick that hurts my stomach just writing about it, but there are a few things that are obviously clear.
First and foremost, Harrison Bader is clearly a man occupying an everyday job. Now, the final week is always a little quirky, and the St. Louis Cardinals, thanks to an impressive 15-game winning streak (entering Sunday), should have the second Wild Card locked up soon. It's always hard predicting playing time this final week, and the Red Birds will be no exception.
But with 14 homers and eight steals, Bader is clearly a dual-threat weapon, and he can help you in your fantasy title bout.
Shane Baz, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Roster Percentage: 48%
If there's any lesson to be learned here, it's that you should never trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Acquiring Shane Baz, Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow for Chris Archer (who is now back on Tampa Bay), the Rays fleeced the Pittsburgh Pirates. Baz, a highly touted arm, is up with the Rays now and should make another start this week. In his major league debut, he allowed two runs and whiffed five over five innings in a tough matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays. On Sunday, he punched out nine in 5 2/3 frames versus the Miami Marlins.
If you need a big strikeout arm, Baz can give you a good outing.
Nick Gordon, 2B/SS/OF, Minnesota Twins
Roster Percentage: 16%
Looking for a sneaky power-speed combo? Look no further than Nick Gordon of the Minnesota Twins.
Gordon has dazzled for the Twins lately. On Thursday, he showcased his skills with a homer and drove in four runs.
In just 62 plate appearances over the last month, Gordon has three homers and five steals and is displaying his immense talent. He could be in line for a monster final week, and with the Twins out of it, Gordon should get playing time.