More Fantasy Baseball Week 7 Waiver Wire Adds: Bryan De La Cruz, David Robertson, Robert Gasser and More
Discussing the most-added fantasy baseball players in the last half of week 7 of the fantasy baseball season.
We already covered some potential fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups earlier in the week, but things change quickly in the MLB, so it’s time to discuss some more options going into the weekend.
Today, let’s take a look at a couple hitters, a pair of relievers and a young pitcher about to make his MLB debut.
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Max Kepler Fantasy Outlook
We’ll start with Kepler, an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins. He’s enjoying career-best numbers to open the season, and has been on fire at the plate of late.
In 21 games played, Kepler owns a .329 average and .390 on-base percentage. He’s a career .238 hitter, with a .321 OBP, so these early-season numbers might not last forever. Kepler has eight doubles and three home runs among his 24 total hits, has driven in 14 runs, scored 11 runs, stolen a base, walked eight times and struck out on just 12 occasions.
Fantasy owners are always trying to capitalize on the hottest hitters, and Kepler is one of them. Kepler has a hit in 11 straight games - he’s posted 17 hits in that span, including six of his doubles and three of the homers. He’s driven in nine and scored nine times in that span, while walking six times and striking out just four times.
Kepler isn’t going to hit like this all season, and probably not for too many more games, but while he’s going good at the plate, he’s a guy you could add and immediately get into your starting lineup. Maybe Kepler is in the midst of a career season, which would make him a really solid fantasy bench option after he’s done with his current hot streak. Regardless of how the rest of his season plays out, Kepler is playing well enough now to warrant a fantasy roster spot.
Shea Langeliers Fantasy Outlook
Langeliers is your typical boom-or-bust fantasy hitter. He’s got 15 extra-base hits (including nine home runs), but also owns just a .209 average and .260 OBP for the season.
He too has been hot at the plate, clubbing three homers in the past four games. Langeliers has 11 RBIs and six runs scored in that span, along with eight total hits.
Langeliers is a career .209 hitter, so don’t expect his current season average to move a whole lot. Like a lot of power hitters, Langeliers is streaky when it comes to hitting homers, and he’s in one of those surges now.
With Langeliers being eligible at only catcher (or maybe designated hitter), that makes him a touch more valuable, simply because the fantasy catcher position lacks a lot of great options. If you’ve been streaming your starter at the position all season, Langeliers is one to try out now to see if he can stay hot for a bit. Just make sure that his low average and OBP aren’t going to negatively affect your fantasy team too much.
Bryan De La Cruz Fantasy Outlook
De La Cruz has quietly been one of the game’s more consistent players over the past couple seasons. In his age-27 season, De La Cruz might be on his way to a career year with what he’s shown so far.
De La Cruz has a .269 average and .315 OBP this season. He’s got a career .264 average and .311 OBP, so there shouldn’t be much dropoff the rest of the season. His power numbers are up - he’s got 16 extra-base hits and 21 RBIs this season after having 51 extra-base hits and 78 RBIs in 153 games last season. De La Cruz has scored 22 runs already, which puts him on pace to easily eclipse last year’s mark of 60 runs.
The left fielder or designated hitter is in the lineup consistently and is now the team’s top hitter after Luis Arraez was traded to the San Diego Padres. The Marlins’ lineup is pretty weak overall, but it’s hard to argue against De La Cruz as a fantasy asset right now.
His numbers aren’t otherworldly, but at the very least, he should be on a fantasy bench in a good number of leagues. He can start when he’s going well at the plate, and then fill in when your regular starters have an off day or are injured.
David Robertson Fantasy Outlook
Discussing non-closer fantasy options is always interesting to me. They don’t get the fantasy points for saves, but a lot of leagues reward holds - and high-leverage relievers are put in games that are tied often, meaning wins are also possible if their offense cooperates.
Robertson isn’t closing games for Texas, but he’s arguably been the team’s best reliever. Across 17 appearances, Robertson is 2-0 with a 0.87 earned run average. He’s struck out 27 batters over 20 2/3 innings, while allowing just three runs (two earned) on nine hits and seven walks. Robertson has earned one save.
Among all the non-closer fantasy options in the MLB, Robertson is one of the best right now. He’s pitching often, and has fantastic results when on the mound. He’s got a career 2.85 ERA, so while he might not be able to keep his sub-1.00 ERA for much longer, you should also feel pretty safe that Robertson can limit his runs allowed and indeed be a valuable fantasy asset.
Trevor Megill Fantasy Outlook
Milwaukee has used several players as their closer as Devin Williams remains out with his injury. Megill has gotten the save opportunities of late, so it makes sense to see his own percentage on the rise.
In eight games, Megill has a stellar 1.04 ERA. He’s picked up three saves and allowed only one run on four hits and three walks over 8 2/3 innings, while striking out eight batters.
Megill has saves in three of his past four outings, and pitched while the team trailed by a run in the other game. The Brewers trust him with the most critical outs of the game, and fantasy owners should highly consider him as a waiver option.
Robert Gasser Fantasy Outlook
Gasser is about to make his MLB debut for the Brewers. He’s scheduled to start Friday against the Cardinals.
Gasser is the No. 5 prospect for Milwaukee. Across four seasons in the minor leagues, Gasser owns a 3.79 ERA. He’s 16-14 across 61 starts (and one relief appearance) and 299 1/3 innings. Gasser has accumulated 369 strikeouts and walked 110 batters.
His best-graded pitch is his slider, while he also has an above-average cutter, average fastball and below-average changeup. His control is also average. As his minor league numbers indicate, Gasser can strike out a bunch of hitters, and that’s always an appealing thing to fantasy owners.
While a division matchup is never an easy one for pitchers, a new prospect definitely comes in with a bit of an advantage. He’ll also be facing a St. Louis offense that ranks 28th in the league with a .217 average. The Cards are right in the middle of the league when it comes to striking out.
Gasser’s own percentage is likely to rise as fantasy owners set their Friday lineups, and although there’s always the unknown of how a prospect’s first game will go, this is a favorable enough matchup to try Gasser out in. If the youngster excels, he’s probably worth stashing on your team for a while, as Milwaukee is desperate for pitching help, so Gasser should stay in the big leagues if he looks good in start No. 1.
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