Week 21 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Add Albert Pujols!
With just seven weeks to go this fantasy baseball season, Week 21 is one of your last chances to cash in on some free-agent talent. 42-year-old first baseman Albert Pujols has been hitting better than everyone else in the majors over the last week or two. Over his last seven games, Pujols has recorded six home runs and has brought his career home run total to 693.
SS Kyle Farmer and OF Jake Fraley of the Reds are both playing well at the moment and are available in 70% of leagues or more at the moment. Elsewhere, rookie catcher Shea Langeliers of the Oakland Athletics made his debut on August 16. Through the first five games of his major league career, Langeliers has been phenomenal. Let’s take a look at the best free agents to target from waiver wires as Week 21 of the 2022 fantasy baseball season gets into full swing.
Week 21 Fantasy Baseball Top Waiver Wire Pickups
1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (19.73% Owned)
Albert Pujols is chasing 700 career homers after achieving 693 last night. At 42 years old, Pujols announced before the 2022 regular season that it would be his last. While many would have thought that Pujols couldn’t finish his career with 700 or more home runs, his performance over the last few weeks has made this a real possibility. Over the last seven games, Pujols has smashed six homers and tallied 12 RBIs. He’s batted a whopping .571 over this stretch for a .609 OBP and a 1.429 SLG%. Though he is old and retiring after this season, Pujols has picked up the pace with just a few more months of baseball left in his career. He is clearly putting out everything that he has left in the tank knowing that his time in the majors is coming to an end. The pace at which he is hitting right now is almost unfathomable, especially for a veteran his age. Pujols is available in approximately 80% of fantasy baseball leagues at the moment and has been the best first baseman in baseball over the last few weeks. Over the last seven games, Pujols has likely performed the best of any player in the MLB. The magic he is carrying with him during his “last dance” should push all fantasy owners to target him from waivers this week. Pujols is going to leave baseball with a boom, and as a result, is defying all the odds at age 42 with less than two months of regular-season baseball remaining in his first-ballot HOF career.
C Shea Langeliers, Oakland Athletics (46.14% Owned)
Rookie catcher Shea Langeliers has played just five games for the Athletics in 2022. He just had his major league debut on August 16 and has played superbly since then. In 22 total ABs since his debut, Langeliers has batted .273 for six hits, one homer, and four RBIs. Through the first five games of his MLB career, he’s generated an outstanding .928 OPS. While these numbers are sure to drop as he plays the remainder of the season for the Athletics, Langelier’s first few games in the majors have been impressive. He is available in more than half of fantasy baseball leagues at the moment. As a young talent who clearly wants to prove himself, Langeliers is perhaps the best catcher to pick up from waivers in Week 21.
3B Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays (53.90% Owned)
Over the last seven games, Rays’ third-baseman Yandy Diaz has performed much better than his 2022 regular season averages indicate. He’s hit .333 for a .357 OBP in his last seven starts. Much of his success through this stretch came at the hands of the tanking New York Yankees who were embarrassed by Tampa Bay in a three-game series last week. While Diaz is an average third-baseman, he’s pulled his weight this season for the Rays batting .275 for seven homers, and 45 RBIs. The market for third-baseman is quite shallow at the moment, which is why Diaz is only available in just about 45% of leagues at the moment.
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SS Kyle Farmer, Cincinnati Reds (30.61% Owned)
Kyle Farmer is a solid shortstop who remains widely available in most fantasy baseball leagues at the moment. This season, Farmer has batted .269 for 98 hits and 55 RBIs. Over the last 15 games, he’s been smoking hot for a .356 BA, a .406 OBP, 21 hits, and five RBIs. Over the last seven games, he’s batted an even .400 for 12 hits and four RBIs. The Reds’ shortstop is heating up right at the end of the season. His pace has progressively increased over the last few weeks, which further suggests that he could keep hitting above his regular-season averages for the remainder of the season. At the moment, he is available in approximately 70% of fantasy baseball leagues.
OF Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds (23.33% Owned)
Jake Fraley has only played in 33 games for the Reds so far this season. Nonetheless, he’s recorded 25 hits for seven home runs and 17 RBIs for a career-high OPS of .821. Though he’s batting .243 this season, he’s had a .292 BA over his last 15 games for 14 hits, five home runs, and 11 RBIs. Fraley is available in more than 75% of fantasy baseball leagues at the moment and is one of the best hitting available free agents at the moment despite having played only 34 games this season. The Reds will continue to use him in the outfield consistently for the rest of the regular season.
SP Ross Stripling, Toronto Blue Jays (49.49% Owned)
In two of his last four starts at the mound for the Blue Jays, Ross Stripling has produced at least 22 FPTS. In his last start on August 17 against the Orioles, Stripling threw 72 pitches in just 6.3 innings to strike out seven hitters and allow no runs. He finished the night with an average of 27 FPTS produced. Though inconsistent at times, Stripling has averaged a solid 7.4 Ks per nine innings pitched (7.4 K/9). He also has a strong 2.89 ERA and a record of 5-3 as a starter this season. He is available in approximately 50% of fantasy baseball leagues at the moment and is one of the best available free-agent starting pitchers.
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