Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Peering into the Crystal Ball – Waiver Wire Adds for the 4/16- 4/22 Week


One of the keys to being a successful fantasy sports manager is to be active in monitoring your league’s waiver wire to see if you can make improvements to your team. You don’t want to drop players in haste, but you don’t also want to wait too long to scoop up a hot free agent who may bust out for a big year.

Below are some of the most added players in 10-14 team baseball leagues so far this week. (This is assuming you are in a mixed league). I’ve indicated their current ownership percentage next to their name, depending on the provider for your league.

  1. Santiago Casilla, RP Giants (36% CBS, 4.4% ESPN)- Initially after Brian Wilson was diagnosed with structural damage in his throwing shoulder which required Tommy John surgery, Bruce Bochy thought that he was going with the dreaded “closer by committee”. Since then he’s backed off from that stance and handed the closer job to Casilla and kept Sergio Romo in the 8th inning role. Casilla took over for Wilson late last year when he was also dealing with shoulder problems and converted 6/7 opportunities. With a mid 90’s fastball, filthy slider and above-average changeup, Casilla is a must-add for teams who have faced closer issues so far this year.
  2. Jordan Schafer, OF Astros (53% CBS, 43.5% ESPN)- A post-hype sleeper candidate lands at the #2 spot. Schafer has had a host of off-field problems but finally landed in a spot willing to give him a starting gig in Houston. So far he’s rewarded owners with 5 stolen bases and a decent amount of runs scored. He’s leading off for a fairly thin lineup and needs to improve his batting average and on-base percentage to increase his stolen base opportunities, but the upside is here.
  3. J.D. Martinez, OF Astros (91% CBS, 88.2% ESPN) – Martinez burst onto the scene late last year and hit well at the end of the season with a cup of coffee in the big leagues. He has the potential to hit 20-25 HRs and will really benefit from the short porch in left field at Minute Maid Park. Mostly targeted in drafts as a late-round flyer, he has performed very well so far and has hit safely in all of Houston’s games this season. Owners should look to keep him active during his hot streak.
  4. Lance Lynn, SP Cardinals (70% CBS, 28.3% ESPN) – Lynn is attempting to transition from a RP to a SP with the Cardinals. He has started the season off with two relatively successful outings, allowing only 1 ER in both of his starts. He hasn’t made it past the 6th inning yet, but he’ll work deeper in games as his control improves and he gets a feel for the starting role. He’s boasted a 13-3 K:BB ratio so far, and at only age 24 he has a very live arm. Intriguing flier.
  5. Danny Duffy, SP Royals (46% CBS, 5.1% ESPN) – Duffy has opened the season with two quality starts against Detroit and at Oakland. Through 12.2 innings he’s tallied 15Ks and has a 2.13 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Prior to the start of the season his ADP was around 260 or so, but Duffy will provide a substantial bargain at a discounted price. Expect a high amount of strikeouts from this flamethrower and continue to monitor his progress, as he’s still just 23 years old.
  6.  Nolan Reimold, OF Orioles (47% CBS, 16.6% ESPN) - Reimold has been absolutely on fire so far this week, hitting in eight straight games and homering for the fourth game in a row on Tuesday night. He also has multiple hits three of his last four games. While I wouldn't expect the power surge to continue like this, Reimold could reach the 20HR mark this season, and provide as a valuable backup OF or 4th-5th OF for leagues with 3+ slots.
Best of luck to all the teams out there this week,

~ The Roto Wizard

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