This hasn't been the best week to have a high priority waiver-wire pick. That happens sometimes, and there will probably be some hotshot prospect to run out and grab next week, if you want to hold on to your top priority and wait.
However, that doesn't mean there isn't anyone out there for you to pick up. Rosters are still churning, potential breakouts are still happening, and injured difference makers are still working their way back. Let's head into the weekend with a look at some of the names you want to be adding from the waiver wire:
Aaron Nola
Philadelphia SP
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| I have never known quite to make of Aaron Nola. He doesn't throw the kind of gas we typically expect from aces, but he's certainly flashed ace potential. We saw the best of him Thursday as he outdueled Carlos Martinez, limiting the Cardinals to one run on four hits over 7 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts. In typical Nola fashion, he didn't do it with a ton of swings and misses, picking up just nine on 107 pitches. However, when he's on, he befuddles hitters in his own way, mixing in three pitches with movement, while painting the corners as well as anyone. Consistency has been an issue for Nola, who has a 4.32 ERA and last followed up eight strong innings earlier in June by allowing eight runs over his next 11. However, this was a good reminder of how good Nola can be when he's on, and a reminder that even when he struggles, he's too talented not to be owned in 100 percent of leagues. |
Carlos Gomez
Texas CF
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| All of a sudden, Carlos Gomez kind of looks like the old Carlos Gomez again. A recent homer binge, with five in six games since returning from the DL on June 16, has helped, but this isn't necessarily all some small-sample size fluke. Since joining the Rangers late last August, Gomez has hit .274/.352/.527, with 17 homers and 10 steals in 77 games. Stretch that out over a 150-game pace, and that's 30-plus homers and 20 steals, with a line that looks an awful lot like the 2013-2014 version of Gomez who was an All-Star and an elite Fantasy option. I don't know if it will last, but this is more than just a hot week at this point, and it's hard to ignore what he's done. |
Andrew Moore
Seattle SP
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| Andrew Moore came pretty much as advertised in his major-league debut Thursday. He mostly worked in the low-90's with his fastball, averaging 91.1 mph, while relying on a slider and curveball as his main secondary pitches. He didn't overpower the Tigers – he has seven swinging strikes on 100 pitches – but he pounded the strike zone and got the job done. Moore pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits with no walks, and he struck out four. Moore isn't a star, but he could pitch like one next week with a matchup against the Phillies on the way, and that makes him a viable short-term option, if nothing else. |
Homer Bailey
Cincinnati SP
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| It's been a while since Homer Bailey was a useful Fantasy option. He pitched just 11 1/3 innings in 2015, and only managed 23 more in 2016, as Tommy John surgery and then bone spurs surgery have derailed a once-promising career. However, he has allowed just two earned runs while striking out 17 and walking just three in 17 2/3 innings during his minor-league rehab assignment, and will make his return to the rotation for the Reds on Saturday. Bailey is a bit of a long shot to make a difference given his injury history, but he posted a 3.61 ERA in 562 2/3 innings, with a 1.19 WHIP and 7.9 K/9 from 2012 through 2014, and is widely available, so don't be afraid to snatch him up. Especially if he looks good in his first outing. |
Arodys Vizcaino
Atlanta RP
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| I don't love the prospect of speculating on future closer changes. There is too much uncertainty involved in that; you have to predict not only who will be the best pitcher, but also have to try to get into the mind of the manager. It's tricky business. However, if you were going to do it, identifying a mediocre reliever on a bad team with a potentially elite reliever behind him is the way to go. And if that incumbent closer happens to be on the wrong side of 30, with an understudy nearly a decade younger, well, that seems like the best possible scenario. What I'm saying is, Jim Johnson may not be long for the role in Atlanta, with a 3.98 ERA and six runs allowed over his past 10 games. Whether he loses the job outright or is traded, Arodys Vizcaino and his 2.05 ERA have to be a pretty good candidate to take over, especially since he has cut his walk rate from 6.1 to 2.6 per nine since last season. |
