I've used the word "attrition" a lot in the first 13 days of the season, because that's been the defining characteristic of the 2024 MLB season so far. But on Tuesday, it didn't apply. Because on Tuesday, we got an overdue injection of young talent, with the Orioles finally announcing the promotion of Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in baseball.
I say "finally" because it was long overdue, even if Holliday only ended up spending about two weeks down in the minors. Ostensibly sent down to work on second base defense and to prove himself against lefties, I don't actually buy the company line that he had anything he actually needed to work on down at Triple-A. But, if there were any lingering questions, the 20-year-old answered them emphatically by hitting .342/.490/.605 in his first nine games of the season, with 11 walks and only nine strikeouts.
He's going to play second base everyday for the Orioles, and if you play in one of the 10% of CBS Fantasy leagues where he isn't already rostered, Holliday becomes the obvious, no-doubt-about-it waiver-wire target of the day and/or week. Holliday shot through the Orioles minor-league system, playing 154 games total since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, hitting .321/.452/.497 with 15 homers and 29 steals. I think there might be an adjustment period for Holliday when it comes to hitting for power, though even that might already be developing – he sported a 93 mph average exit velocity in Triple-A this season, up from 90.6 mph when tracked last season.
Which is to say, Holliday might just be the kind of preternaturally gifted young player who can make an immediate impact for Fantasy. His progression from scrawny, high-schooler to where he is now has been incredibly rapid, and while I wouldn't be surprised if there were some growing pains, I also can't say I'm betting against him, either. He's going to be the 20th player in the past decade to debut before his 21st birthday, and just the seventh to debut before the end of April of their age-20 season.
Of course, it's not all good news, as we had another couple of pitchers placed on the IL with elbow injuries: Nick Pivetta, Framber Valdez, and Josiah Gray. The hope right now is neither Pivetta nor Valdez's injury is going to be a serious long-term issue, but they'll be out at least the next two weeks – and the way this season has gone, we can't just assume they'll be back in the minimum time either.
Which means we're still on the hunt for more pitching replacements, as we have been seemingly everyday so far this season. We'll have some in the waiver-wire portion of today's newsletter, and we've got the rest of the standouts and news from Tuesday's MLB action. But before we get to all of that, make sure you check out Scott White's IL stash rankings piece here, because you might have some tough decisions to make about your rosters at this point – in one league, I've got eight guys on the IL, with only five IL spots to play with. It's tough out there.
Tuesday's top waiver targets
Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics (22%) – Langeliers had done almost nothing in his first nine games of the season, but he made up for lost time in a huge way Tuesday, with three homers against the Rangers. And they weren't cheapies, either, as all three came off the bat at 102.6 mph or harder and traveled at least 400 feet. It's worth keeping in mind that, though he was largely a Fantasy afterthought in the preseason (250.9 ADP as the No. 21 catcher), Langeliers did hit 22 homers in 490 plate appearances last year, so there's legit pop here. He needs to strike out less than his 29% rate last season and he's cut that to 25% here in the early going, which is nice to see. He's just a No. 2 catcher, but one with a path to a top-12 finish if he can keep that strikeout rate down.
Michael Kopech, RP, White Sox (36%) – Saves are going to be relatively hard to come by in Chicago's bullpen, but I really, really like what we've seen from Kopech so far in his high-leverage relief role. He struck out four over two perfect innings Tuesday against the Guardians, racking up seven whiffs while throwing his fastball on 23 of 24 pitches. His velocity is way up – to 100.4 mph Tuesday – and I legitimately think there might be 100-strikeout upside, which can help cover up for where the saves might be lacking.
Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Astros (2%) – With Framber Valdez placed on the IL with elbow inflammation, the Astros are calling up their top pitching prospect from Triple-A. Arrighetti had an ERA north of 4.00 in both Double-A and Triple-A last season, with his strikeout rate collapsing once he got to the higher level, which is a bit of a concern. But he had pretty consistently posted strikeout rates in the 30% or higher range prior to that, thanks in large part to a fastball with good movement profiles and a very good sweeper. He also has a curveball, cutter and a changeup in his arsenal, so while there has always been some relief risk in the profile, he does have a starter's repertoire, at least. I'm taking a wait-and-see approach in most mixed leagues, but I'm very interested to see what the rookie can do when he makes his debut Wednesday against the Royals, and I don't mind throwing a low-dollar bid out there in daily FAB leagues just in case he shines.
Oscar Colas, OF, White Sox (3%) – Colas had a ton of hype when he made his MLB debut last season, and he was just terrible – .216/.257/.314 in 75 games with just five homers and a 27% strikeout rate. But the thing is, he still hit pretty well at Triple-A, and he's getting the call back to the White Sox with a career .290/.356/.489 line at that level. The White Sox are desperate for offensive help having now lost Luis Robert (hip), Eloy Jimenez (adductor), and Yoan Moncada (adductor), and Colas might be the only hope they've got. I'm not sure he'll play everyday, but it would be a little surprising if he didn't, and in deeper leagues, he's worth a look, just in case.
Martin Perez, SP, Pirates (33%) – Yesterday, I wrote about how Tyler Anderson is turning back the clocks to his very successful 2022 campaign, and Perez is doing something similar in the early going here. I have even less faith in Perez keeping it up than Anderson, but he does have a 1.89 ERA through three starts after giving up just one earned run in 8 innings to the Tigers Tuesday. He's still throwing a bunch of sinkers, complemented by a bevy of secondaries of varying quality, and relies on good results on balls in play and a lot of called strikes to succeed. But right now, it's working for him, and you might be desperate enough to need Perez as a short-term fill-in. As long as those are your expectations, you should be fine.
Edward Olivares, OF, Pirates (9%) – I'll admit, I've always liked Olivares more than I can honestly say is rational. He's always hit in the minors, and has been productive enough when given a chance in the majors that I've always been confused by why he hasn't gotten more opportunities – he's a career .262/.312/.427 hitter in the majors, with a 162-game average of 17 homers and 10 steals. He's getting a chance to play pretty consistently with the Pirates so far, and after his two-homer game Tuesday is hitting .321/.367/.679 in eight games. Olivares has pretty good contact skills and pretty good pop, and might just be a pretty good player on a team that is finally letting him play. I like him in deeper categories leagues.
Colton Cowser, OF, Orioles (32%) – For the sake of Fantasy players everywhere, I hope the Orioles make a consolidation trade at some point, because they simply have too many good players and not nearly enough lineup spots for them. Cowser is a top-50 prospect who posted a .909 OPS in his minor-league career, but Tuesday was just the third start of the season for him. Of course, he went 2 for 4 with two doubles and four RBI, and might be a must-start Fantasy option if he got an everyday job. He might be able to force the team's hand in that regard if he keeps hitting like this, and if you have a roster spot to play with, you can do worse than stashing a high-upside bat like Cowser.
