Fantasy Baseball Week 18 Mid-Week Waiver Wire Pickups: Jeimer Candelario, Adbert Alzolay, and More!
There’s a lot that goes on between our weekly Monday Waiver column and the end of the week, so we thought we should probably do a quick pass through the waiver wire later in the week and make sure we’re not missing anyone important.
With that, let’s dive in and see who’s popped up as a mid-week waiver add for Week 18!
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 Mid-Week Waiver Wire Adds
(ownership percentages are based on ESPN leagues)
Jeimer Candelario, 3B, Chicago Cubs (25.1%)
Candelario has been having a very good under-the-radar season and will now see a bit of a bigger stage in Chicago as the Cubs' big deadline acquisition. The 29-year-old is well on his way to putting up a career year and is currently hitting .273 with 63 runs scored, 16 home runs, 53 RBI, and six steals. He's off to an en fuego start with the Cubs and is 8-for-9 in his first two games for the Cubbies. He's obviously not going to hit .888 for the rest of the season, but Candelario could very well finish the year with 25 home runs, 80-90 RBI, and 10 steals. He's currently the ninth-best third baseman on the ESPN Player Rater and should be on way more fantasy rosters.
Adbert Alzolay, P, Chicago Cubs (19.9%)
I'm skipping ahead to Friday's Closert Chart here, but Alzolay has been so good that he warrants a blurb here. The 28-year-old is thriving as a closer and now has 12 saves on the year to go with a 2.33 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 52 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. Alzolay has always struggled with injuries, but has some of the best stuff in baseball and may have finally found the role he's cut out for. Over the past month, he's racked up 12 saves and, dare I say, may have cemented himself as a top-tier fantasy closers. Go grab him!
Riley Greene, OF, Detroit Tigers (19.1%)
A non-Cub! Through 278 at-bats this season, Greene has sneakily put up good numbers and should be rostered on way more than 19.1 percent of fantasy baseball teams. The 22-year-old is hitting .306 on the year with 42 runs scored, nine home runs, 25 RBI, and six steals. More importantly for our purposes, he's coming off a great July during which he hit .343 with 12 runs scored, three home runs, and six RBI. He's also registered at least one hit in 12 of his last 13 games! While there's always the chance that the youngster falls off, he's very much worth a speculative add right now.
Jameson Taillon, P, Chicago Cubs (17.1%)
Another Cub?! Yup, another Cub. Once a top prospect, the 31-year-old is having the worst season of his career ERA-wise at 5.46. However, he's been really good lately and is worth an add in most leagues. Over his past four starts, Taillon has only allowed four total earned runs in 23.1 combined innings. He's struck out 18 batters in those four starts and hasn't allowed a run in his last two starts. While I'm not sure I fully trust him, Taillon is worth an add for anyone looking for a pitching boost.
Steven Matz, P, St. Louis Cardinals (8.9%)
Not quite a Cub, but we're staying in the National Leage Central with the Cardinals and Matz here. The former Mets prospect is putting together a solid(ish) season and has looked really good since being moved into the Cardinals' rotation. Over his past five starts, Matz has only allowed five total runs -- and three of those starts (including his last two) have been shutouts. Has Matz finally figured things out at 32 years old? Probably not. But I still think he's worth an add as long as he's rolling like he is right now. With a Saturday home start coming up against the Rockies, Matz is at least worth a spot-start in most fantasy leagues.
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