Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Pickups for the Week of Jul 18th
These are the top 10 waiver wire trends for the week of July 18th. This week includes Howie Kendrick, Mike Montgomery, Dylan Bundy, Ervin Santana, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jim Johnson, Kennys Vargas, Alex Bregman, Andrew Benintendi, Luis Valbuena. These Waiver Alerts have already gone out to our members over the past past week as soon as we spotted them.
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Howie Kendrick laced four hits in five at-bats and added a walk in the Dodgers' loss on Saturday.
Despite reaching base five times, Kendrick did not factor in the scoring. He neither scored or drove in a run. Despite playing almost every day he has garnered only four home runs, 36 runs and 21 RBI on the season. He has a .261 batting average with seven stolen bases. It is not a very enticing fantasy package.Dodgers left fielder Howie Kendrick went 4-for-5 with a double and walk Saturday vs. the D-backs.
Spin: Kendrick's rough start to the season has affected his current .271/.329/.376 line, but he has been nothing short of fantastic lately. The 33-year-old entered the game with a .381/.447/.595 line in July and and that has only jumped after his four-hit effort. It's time to pick him up off the waiver wire even in mixed leagues.
Howie Kendrick went 3-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored from the leadoff spot Friday against the Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers remained awfully patient with Kendrick after his brutal start, and he's turned it on now, going 16-for-42 (.381) with a homer and six doubles so far in July.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +45.91%
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike Montgomery’s first major-league pitch at Kauffman Stadium — a sizzling 93-mph fastball, delivered in 91-degree heat at 1:32 p.m. Central time Sunday — was thrown with as much cool as he could muster in such suffocating humidity.The moment came years later than he once anticipated it would, and in a different uniform than he once hoped it would. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mike Montgomery used to dream of pitching at Kauffman Stadium. He'll finally get his chance Sunday, albeit for the Seattle Mariners. The 2008 first-round draft pick by the Royals, Montgomery will make his first start of the seaso
Montgomery allowed just one run with three strikeouts and no walks across 6.1 innings Sunday versus the Royals, improving his record to 3-3.
Montgomery was selected to make his first start of the season to help get Seattle to the All-Star break, and he put together a quality start to earn the win, despite four late runs allowed by the bullpen. It is unclear what the next step will be for Montgomery, but the club had considered giving him another start after the break and could be even more inclined to do so after Sunday's performance.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +463.61%
The Orioles announced Friday that Bundy will start Sunday's game against the Rays, Eduardo Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Bundy worked exclusively as a reliever in the first half, but the Orioles -- desperate to solidify a couple spots in their rotation -- will give him at least one chance to start for the big league club, and hand him the ball Sunday for his first major league start. Bundy's 1.53 first-half WHIP raises an eyebrow, but he showed improvement after the calendar turned to June, posting a 1.18 WHIP while also striking out 22 batters in 17 innings over seven appearances.
Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy will make his first career Major League start Sunday against the Rays at Tropicana Field.Spin: Bundy, 22, has a 3.08 ERA in 22 relief appearances with the Orioles this year, his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013. Bundy, who is out of Minor League options, made the club out of Spring Training and was expected to build his arm strength and get innings under his belt, though manager Buck Showalter hinted at a potential starting spot at some point. Bundy should be added in AL-only leagues right away.
The Orioles announced Friday that Bundy will start Sunday's game against the Rays, Eduardo Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Bundy worked exclusively as a reliever in the first half, but the Orioles -- desperate to solidify a couple spots in their rotation -- will give him at least one chance to start for the big league club, and hand him the ball Sunday for his first major league start. Bundy's 1.53 first-half WHIP raises an eyebrow, but he showed improvement after the calendar turned to June, posting a 1.18 WHIP while also striking out 22 batters in 17 innings over seven appearances.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +102.93%
Ervin Santana is the “most likely” member of the Twins to be traded this summer, per ESPN’s Jayson Stark. However, executives that have spoken to the Twins about trades tell Stark that Minnesota is willing to talk about virtually anyone on their roster. Per one exec to whom Stark spoke, the Twins are telling potential…ESPN's Jayson Stark is hearing the Twins "will talk about a deal for just about anybody."
Per Starks, the Twins are telling teams "If you've got any ideas, throw them out there." It sounds like Minnesota is open to trading almost anyone, though we're guessing that list excludes young talents like Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios. The Twins finished above .500 last year but have fallen flat in 2016 and could be headed for a full-on rebuilding movement. Out of all the Twins, Stark said Ervin Santana is the one most likely to be dealt ahead of the August 1 trade deadline.
You don’t need a metric invented by guru Bill James to know that Ervin Santana’s two-hit shutout Wednesday was a gem — and one of the best-pitched games by a Twin in recent memory.But a James invention called Game Score does give us one way of measuring just how good Santana was — and just how rare his performance was in the context of recent Twins pitchers.Game Score, per Baseball Reference, is derived thusly:Start with 50 points. Add 1 point for each out recorded, (or 3 points per inni
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +79.18%
NEW YORK -- Maybe the Boston Red Sox's chances of making the playoffs really are in Eduardo Rodriguez's hands. Two hours before Saturday's game here against the New York Yankees, Red Sox manager John Farrell told the media to watch those hands, spThe Red Sox recalled Rodriguez from Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday.
Rodriguez spent the last couple weeks in the minors after posting a 10.03 ERA over five June starts, but he will re-join Boston's rotation coming out of the All-Star break. He will first take the ball Saturday against the Yankees -- a team he has not faced this season, but had success against in 2015, posting a 3-1 record and 2.22 ERA over four starts.
Updating a previous report, Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch for Boston on Saturday, according to MLB.com.
An earlier report had the Red Sox calling up Rodriguez to start Friday's game against the Yankees, but that start is going to Steven Wright. The Red Sox are confident the left-hander's problem with pitch-tipping has been rectified and their anxious for him to regain the form he had during his rookie season in 2015.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +84.88%
Johnson could take over as the Braves' closer for the time being with regular ninth-inning pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (oblique) expected to land on the disabled list, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Johnson received and converted a save opportunity last week when Vizcaino was out with an elbow injury, so he would be the favorite to take over the closer duties if it turns out Vizcaino does require a stint on the DL. Johnson would presumably serve as the closer until Vizcaino is ready to return, but he is a candidate to be traded prior to the August 1 deadline while playing for a Braves team that is well out of the playoff race.
Johnson could take over as the Braves' closer for the time being with regular ninth-inning pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (oblique) expected to land on the disabled list, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Johnson received and converted a save opportunity last week when Vizcaino was out with an elbow injury, so he would be the favorite to take over the closer duties if it turns out Vizcaino does require a stint on the DL. Johnson would presumably serve as the closer until Vizcaino is ready to return, but he is a candidate to be traded prior to the August 1 deadline while playing for a Braves team that is well out of the playoff race.
Johnson walked one in 0.2 innings Sunday to pick up the win in a 1-0 victory over the Rockies.
Chase d'Arnaud's walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Johnson his second win of the season. The fact that he was used to close out the top of the ninth is another strong indicator that he'll be used as the Braves' closer while Arodys Vizcaino (oblique) is out of action, as the team would not have been able to give him a lead to protect had the game gone into extra innings.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +656.83%
Vargas went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and three walks in Sunday's 15-5 victory over the Rangers.
The 25-year-old continued his hot streak since being called up from Triple-A, reaching safely for the sixth time in six games. Vargas was a constant presence on the basepaths Sunday, and is now 8-for-17 with five doubles, three homers, four RBI, nine runs and six walks in his 2016 major league tenure.Vargas started at DH and went 2-for-5 with a double in Saturday's win over Cleveland.
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Vargas went 2-for-4 with two doubles in Saturday's win over the Rangers. He's 5-for-11 with two home runs and three doubles in four game since being recalled from Triple-A.
It was thought initially that Vargas may only be in the majors for a few days, but his hot bat could keep him in the lineup and force the Twins to juggle their roster.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +1090.91%
In case you didn't notice, it's All Star week. The MLB Futures Game was played on Sunday and featured some spectacular moments. For this week's Dynasty Review, let's talk about some of the players who made noise on the big stage. Alex Bregman and Yoan Moncada stood out at the plate, but they're both already among the most... Read MoreWhatta day, here's how it started. I woke up around 5 am, drank lots of coffee, did work stuff, got word around 8:15 that Alex Bregman would get the call this weekend and was set to join the surging Astros in Seattle. I then proceeded to pat myself on the back, throw a finger to the haters, and all the people who lived in the buildings I was prospecting in front of that called the cops on me when I was trying to make some money to feed my daughter. It was show and prove time for mi numero uno perspectiva fantasia. No longer would readers lament my existence while they starred down a dead spot on their rosters. For it was Bregman day and it was glorious. Then POOF it wasn't, as A.J. Hinch decided to open his fat mouth and tell everyone that numero uno perspectiva fantasia Alex Bregman , would NOT be joining the team in Seattle. He did offer one assurance, Bregman could help the team down the stretch. Ahhhhh, hi A.J., my name's Ralph, NO SH**. I've only been saying that forever. Doesn't matter, he's coming up. Maybe not this weekend, but maybe next week. Hell, maybe Monday! I'm the captain of the SS prospector, and I will sink this ship before I change course! Knowing I was writing this post for today, I thought "how appropriate everything is coming together for Ralph, The Summer of Ralph!!!". Meh, enough of that let's talk about the rookies that will give your redraft team a boost in the second half.
Yulieski Gurriel and Alex Bregman, whenever they arrive in Houston, will give manager A.J. Hinch myriad options with the Astros lineup.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +57.41%
Imagine this outfield: Andrew Benintendi in left, Jackie Bradley Jr. in center and Mookie Betts in right.The Red Sox could have one of the best young outfields in recent memory with three above-average defensive players, 25 or under, who can be impactful both in the lineup and on the bases.It’s only a matter of a time. But how much time?With a hamstring injury to Chris Young and severe ankle sprain hindering Blake Swihart, the Red Sox could find themselves using Benintendi in left field sooner than expected. Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski hinted that OF prospect Andrew Benintendi could be close to making his big league debut.
Benintendi has had success at every minor league stop, hitting .312 with 18 HR, 91 RBI and 24 steals in 135 games since arriving as a first-round pick in 2015. Left field has been a revolving door for Boston this year and Dombrowski seems tempted to give Benintendi a shot even though he's never played a game above Double-A. "He’s played very well," said Dombrowski. "There’s some benefits to going to Triple-A. I don’t mean to downplay it. But I’ve had a lot of success throughout my career with guys going from Double-A to the big leagues." The 22-year-old was ranked 21st in MLB.com's latest prospect rankings.
Red Sox prospect Andrew Benintendi, in San Diego for the Futures Game, talks about his adjustment to Double A ball. Video by Jerry Crasnick
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +146.95%
Luis Valbuena drove in four runs, highlighted by a three-run homer with one out in the ninth, to lift the Houston Astros to a wild 10-9 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.HOUSTON (AP) - The Oakland Athletics made a big comeback in the ninth inning on Friday night, only to end up losing when the Houston Astros did the same in the bottom of the inning. Luis Valbuena drove in four runs, highlighted by a three-run homer with one out in ...
Valbuena went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the A's.
The veteran infielder made things interesting in the ninth by plating Jose Altuve with his run-scoring hit, but A's reliever Ryan Dull was able to get Marwin Gonzalez on strikes to end the game. Valbuena has started July off wielding a hot bat, as he now has a six-game hitting streak and is slashing .345/.412/.690 over his first 29 at-bats of the month.
Own Percentage Change Compared to Last Week: +90.59%
These are just some of the trends over the past week. We have plenty more real-time Waiver Trends for you to check out.
