Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Week 11
The calendar has turned to June, and fantasy rosters are starting to take shape. There are some contenders, some pretenders, and some that we are still unsure about.
That not only goes for teams, but for players. And if your fantasy rosters are anything like mine, there are some gaps that need to be filled.
Here are five players who sit unowned in greater than 50% of ESPN.com leagues. Get 'em while you can.
Jeff Hoffman - Colorado Rockies (SP)
ESPN Percentage Owned: 39.6%
Jeff Hoffman is part of a Colorado Rockies staff that's been brilliant in 2017.
In his four starts, he's been absolutely nasty, recording a 2.66 SIERA. Here are some other numbers that jump off the page: 33.3% strikeout rate, 2.9% walk rate, and a 13.0% swinging-strike rate.
It's not often we give props to the Colorado pitching staff, but it's definitely warranted this season. Rockies starters rank 10th in ERA (4.16), and Hoffman has been a big part of that.
Felipe Rivero - Pittsburgh Pirates (RP)
ESPN Percentage Owned: 32.8%
Do you think that Felipe Rivero, a former Washington Nationals reliever, could be of some use out of the 'pen?
Thanks to a combination of his own dominance and the struggles of incumbent closer Tony Watson, the Pittsburgh Pirates relief stud has recently been thrust into the closer's role.
And why not? Over 33 2/3 innings pitched, Rivero's allowed only two earned runs this season. TWO.
While neither side of the plate has hit Rivero hard, if you're a lefty, good luck. Over 47 total batters faced, he's allowed only a .161 wOBA to left-handed batters, including a paltry .116 batting average.
If you need a few more saves, check if Rivero's still out there. Now.
Chris Taylor - Los Angeles Dodgers (3B)
ESPN Percentage Owned: 45.0%
Justin Turner returned from the disabled list and Chris Taylor was going to be out of a job, right? Maybe not.
We only have a small set of games with both Turner and Taylor in the mix, but Taylor's been manning center field for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and, regardless of where he he's found himself in the order, continues to rake.
Over 175 plate appearances this season, the super-utility player has racked up a .378 wOBA. He's also walked 12.6% of the time this season, fueling an extremely healthy .383 OBP.
With Joc Pederson out on a rehab assignment and struggling to a .200 batting average so far this season, Taylor should still find his way into the lineup if he can continue to perform.
Cameron Maybin - Los Angeles Angels (OF)
ESPN Percentage Owned: 27.2%
When your team loses arguably the best baseball player on the planet, there's no way to overcome that, right?
Admittedly, the answer is no. But Cameron Maybin is doing his best to at least ease the pain of the Los Angeles Angels losing Mike Trout for an extended period of time.
Maybin's suffered a myriad of injuries throughout his career, and without a truly defined role coming over to the Angels, he wasn't high on the fantasy radar for too many folks.
But so far, Maybin's been an absolute stud. He's racked up a .343 wOBA, and his biggest asset, his speed, has been on display. In 198 plate appearances, Maybin's swiped 19 bags.
While Trout has been out over the last two weeks, Maybin's batted .400 and stole seven bases. The Angels and your fantasy squads certainly can't replace Trout with Maybin, but he has definitely been an adequate sub.
Mallex Smith - Tampa Bay Rays (OF)
ESPN Percentage Owned: 13.2%
In case you missed out on Maybin, Mallex Smith was called back up, thanks to a back injury suffered by Kevin Kiermaier.
If you aren't familiar with Smith, know that he possesses insane speed, the kind of speed that -- should be batting leadoff and given a green light -- could win you the stolen bases category.
From 2013-2015, which were Smith's last full healthy campaigns, he swiped a combined 209 bags. That's some legit 80-grade speed.
So far in Triple-A this year, Smith was mashing to the tune of a .361 wOBA, and he'll join a fantastic Tampa Bay Rays offense that ranks fourth in wRC+ (106).
Smith could be a massive boost to fantasy lineups. If you need some cheap speed, Smith is your man.
