MLB

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Week 24

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Sep 10th, 2018
Super-prospect Francisco Mejia bashed two homers in his call-up from the minors, and he's likely to see the lion's share of playing time as the San Diego backstop. What other adds should we consider for this week?

The waiver wire has plenty of goodies available for the taking, so let's try to get a leg up on our fellow league members and make some moves where needed.

The four players below are all owned in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues and could give your squad a shot in the arm as we enter the fantasy baseball playoffs.

Jake Junis - Kansas City Royals (SP)

ESPN Ownership: 31.5%

It's been a disaster of a 2018 season for the Kansas City Royals, but one guy who's been pretty boss? Jake Junis, who's been fantastic in the starting rotation.

Over 154 innings pitched, the right-hander has followed up an impressive rookie season with a 3.99 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), 22.0% strikeout rate, and 6.1% walk rate. And while the first half got a bit bumpy, Junis has really stepped up his game in the second half, with a .294 weighted on-base average (wOBA), 2.75 ERA, and 24.3% strikeout rate in 52 1/3 innings pitched.

In the playoffs, there's also an element of managing two-start weeks, and Junis should get the ball in a couple of those situations, making him an even more valuable fantasy commodity.

Francisco Mejia - San Diego Padres (C)

ESPN Ownership: 13.3%

About two weeks before the trade deadline, the Cleveland Indians made a major move to shore up their bullpen, trading for San Diego Padres lefty stud Brad Hand. To gain his services, though, they had to give up monster catching prospect Francisco Mejia, and after his call-up, he's starting to flex those power muscles.

Mejia swatted 14 homers in each of his last 2 minor league seasons, and then he did this last Thursday:


The Padres should give Mejia a long look down the stretch, so if your fantasy offense needs some help, especially at a tough-to-fill spot like catcher, peep Mejia.

Luke Voit - New York Yankees (1B)

ESPN Ownership: 35.1%

While Aaron Judge is still working his way back from injury, the New York Yankees were likely worried as they tried to fill his pop in the lineup. There's really no replacing a player of Judge's caliber, but Luke Voit has certainly done his best impersonation.

Coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals in a mid-summer trade, Voit has showcased that power ability. In his three previous minor league seasons, Voit ripped double-digit long balls in each year. So how'd he start as a Yankee? By popping 8 dongs in his first 90 plate appearances, good for a .296 isolated power (ISO).

To make Voit even more valuable, he's put up a 10.0% walk rate in the majors, and that's no fluke, as he's consistently shown a keen batting eye in the minors. If your lineup is still trying to overcome the loss of a player like Judge, check out Voit.

Wade LeBlanc - Seattle Mariners (SP/RP)

ESPN Ownership: 37.2%

While the Seattle Mariners have a major uphill climb to make the playoffs, Wade LeBlanc certainly is not to blame for his performance over the last month.

In six starts dating back to August 6th, covering 34 2/3 innings, the southpaw has recorded a sparkling 2.34 ERA, 20.0% strikeout rate, and 27.8% hard-hit rate. He's also gone six or more innings in four of those starts, making those numbers an even bigger plus for pitching staffs.

LeBlanc also makes for a sneaky add since he qualifies both as a starter and reliever, so if that's an advantage you can exploit, see if LeBlanc is available on your waiver wire.