Fantasy Baseball Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups: Leody Tavares, Brayan Bello, and More!
Happy Monday! Welcome to Week 12.
As I mentioned last week, the middle(ish) of the season is a great time to take stock of your team and see what you need to add in order to make an impact. With midseason call-ups, break-out players, and injury fill-ins, there is no shortage of players to add in leagues of all sizes.
Let’s dive in and take a look at the top fantasy baseball pickups heading into Week 12 of the 2023 season.
As always, check out the fantasy assistant for personalized waiver wire recommendations and team analysis. Make moves based on projections, strengths and weaknesses, waiver alerts, and lots more.
Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds
(ownership percentages are based on ESPN leagues)
Leody Tavares, OF, Texas Rangers (16.2%)
If I told you a 24-year-old was hitting .302 with 35 runs, eight home runs, 32 RBI, and seven steals, you’d tell me they were on every single fantasy baseball roster, right? I sure would. Somehow, Tavares is still widely available. He’s already surpassed his career home run best and is on track to set career highs across the board. I’d expect his ownership percentage to jump over the next few weeks so get in on Tavares before the train fully leaves the station.
Nolan Jones, OF, Colorado Rockies (20.6%)
Jones was on this list last week, but I’m leaving him on because he’s still available in a lot of leagues. While his strikeouts have ticked up more than I’d like lately, he’s been a beast since getting called up and is currently hitting .320 with 10 runs, four home runs, 12 RBI, and four steals in 75 at-bats this season. Jones solidified a role in the Rockies' lineup (both at outfield and at first base) and should continue to see regular playing time for the rest of the season. There’s really no downside to taking a flier on the youngster.
Bryson Stott, 2B/SS, Philadelphia Phillies (44.4%)
Somehow, Stott is still available in quite a few leagues, despite his current numbers of 30 runs, seven home runs, 29 RBI, and 10 steals while hitting .296. AND he can slot in at both second base and shortstop. Stotts hits in the bottom third of a good Phillies lineup and should continue to see plenty of opportunity to both score and knock in runs. If Stott is available in your league, and you need middle infield help, run (don’t walk) to go scoop him up.
Brayan Bello, P, Boston Red Sox (16.0%)
Bello has been one of the Red Sox’ most highly-touted prospects and for good reason. The 24-year-old has absolutely filthy stuff and is finally starting to show why he was so highly touted for the last few years. Through 59.1 innings, Bello sits at 4-4 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts. Even more promising, however, is the fact that his May ERA was 2.67 and his June ERA sits at 2.70. His strikeout percentages have been going up each month while his batting average allowed has gone down each month. He also hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since mid-April.
Braxton Garrett, P, Miami Marlins (24.0%)
I don’t love picking up pitchers on bad teams as their win totals get capped a bit, but Garrett has been good enough to warrant an add. He’s 3-2 on the season with a 3.88 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. He had one rough start in May and one rough start in June, but his June ERA is down to 2.76 and he’s allowed two or less runs in six of his last seven starts. While you may not get the wins you’d like out of Garrett due to the team behind him, he provides enough elsewhere to provide some usefulness to fantasy managers.
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