Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Gerardo Parra the latest outfielder to emerge, but he's still no Tommy Pham

Gerardo Parra has become a fixture in the Rockies lineup, but does he belong in yours? Is Brett Cecil now the closer in St. Louis? Scott White looks at the top options on the waiver wire.

Carlos Gonzalez returned from the DL July 3, but he's still trying to return to everyday duty.

That's how far the Fantasy stalwart has fallen: A team with legitimate playoff aspirations doesn't care to find him at-bats anymore.

Those at-bats have instead gone to Gerardo Parra. Lefties, righties -- it hasn't mattered. And I mean that from his perspective, too: It hasn't mattered. He has hit everything in sight.

His two-hit game Monday was his fifth multi-hit game in seven, and his home run was his eighth in just 176 at-bats. Project his numbers over a 550-at-bat season, and he's a .341 hitter with 25 home runs and a .888 OPS.

Maybe those numbers are a little too good to be true -- his .361 BABIP, while not too outlandish, would suggest as much -- but this is the Parra I hoped to see when he signed with the Rockies prior to the 2016 season, figuring his high-contact gap-to-gap approach would make him something like a poor man's A.J. Pollock at Coors Field.

Turns out he's not running at all, so it's still an unfair comparison. And even his role isn't completely assured. The Rockies have been linked to J.D. Martinez in trade talks, still have David Dahl and Raimel Tapia waiting in the wings, and I'm betting we haven't heard the last of Gonzalez.

But you should know that what we're seeing from Parra now isn't so far-fetched given the venue he calls home.

2017 season
Gerardo Parra COL LF	.341 BA	8 HR	.888 OPS	176 AB

Thanks in part to his recent hot streak, Parra has averaged 3.34 Head-to-Head points per game as a starter this year, which is on par with Jay Bruce. And he could be more than just a points-league darling given that batting average help is a rare find on the waiver wire in category-based formats.

2017 season
Tommy Pham STL LF	.311 BA	12 HR	12 SB	.927 OPS

Of course, Parra's Fantasy appeal pales in comparison to Tommy Pham's, whose continued oversight among Fantasy owners is nothing short of irresponsible. He reached base four times again Monday, hitting his 12th homer, and has averaged 3.76 points per game as a starter, which is about the same as Cody Bellinger. His strikeout rate isn't prohibitive anymore, his power is special even by today's standards, and he walks and runs to boot. What more do you want?

2017 season
Brett Cecil STL RP	3.55 ERA	1.29 WHIP	2.8 BB/9	8.3 K/9

In Monday's Bullpen Report, I pegged Brett Cecil as only the third-most rosterable reliever in the Cardinals bullpen, behind Seung-Hwan Oh and Trevor Rosenthal, but there he was getting the save Monday night after Sunday's blown attempt. That failure aside, he has been reliable of late, giving up just two earned runs over his last 17 appearances, and was a force at the back of the Blue Jays bullpen two years ago. I still wouldn't rule out Rosenthal, who was presumably unavailable Monday, but Cecil has all the momentum now. 

2017 season
Paul DeJong STL 2B	.299 BA	10 HR	4 BB	45 K

The best thing DeJong has going for him is that he's a shortstop, which is the one position aside from catcher (which hardly counts as a position) with an honest-to-goodness scarcity. It makes his horrific plate discipline excusable if he continues to provide plus power, and his power wasn't in question during his short time in the minors. He has a combined 23 between the majors and minors this year, which would lead all shortstops.

2017 season
Luis Castillo CIN SP	3.41 ERA	1.35 WHIP	4.3 BB/9	11.2 K/9

Chris Towers described his enthusiasm for Luis Castillo in great detail Monday, but he's not the only one touting the 24-year-old with the 100-mph fastball. Castillo's walks have been his biggest downfall so far, but they're not a long-term concern. He averaged less than 2.0 per nine over his last two years in the minors, which is incredible for a pitcher with his stuff. And when you consider his matchups to this point (at Washington, vs. Milwaukee, at Colorado, at Arizona and vs. Washington), it's amazing the success he has had.

2017 minors
Reynaldo Lopez CHW SP	3.78 ERA	1.27 WHIP	3.5 BB/9	9.1 K/9

The White Sox have yet to fill Jose Quintana's rotation spot and won't need to for another week, but Reynaldo Lopez is emerging as the obvious front-runner. He allowed one run on two hits with 12 strikeouts in seven innings Sunday, giving him four straight starts in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer, including two with double-digit strikeouts. I wouldn't call him a must-stash -- he struggled in a brief look for the Nationals last year, remember -- but if you're desperate for pitching help, he has definite upside.