Did you know that the Houston Astros lead baseball with an 88.2 Offensive WAR? Did you also know that the next closest team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have an Offensive WAR of 36.3? Trash cans or not the Astros are hitting again and have been nothing short of a force.
The recent placement of Alex Bregman on the 10-day IL is going to have its effect on the offense, but it also does not hurt when backup Abraham Toro gets a home run and five RBI’s in three games heading into the weekend.
Pick Them Up
OF Adam Duvall, Miami Marlins
Yahoo: 52% •ESPN: 44%
The veteran’s 16 home runs are tied for 16th-most in baseball, while his 52 RBIs are tied for sixth. Duvall's batting average and walks are duds, but it is difficult to find this much production on the waiver wire.
OF Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels
Yahoo: 56% •ESPN: 58%
After getting past Tampa Bay and New York this weekend / early next week, Upton draws a home matchup against the Baltimore Orioles.
SS J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners
Yahoo: 26% •ESPN: 29%
The 2021 season has been Crawford's best by far. The 26-year old was a heralded prospect that was moved to Seattle. Since then, he has increased his batting average and on-base percentage each of the past two seasons. Crawford is also two hits away from tying his career-high of 78 set in 2019.
SS/OF Amed Rosario, Cleveland Indians
Yahoo: 45% •ESPN: 46%
Rosario is in the midst of an "O"-fer week, something that has not happened to him in 2021. He should get a hit off the Twins this weekend to end the streak and is still a must-add despite his short-term slump.
Worth A Look
OF Hunter Renfroe, Boston Red Sox
Yahoo: 20% •ESPN: 31%
He looks good after I recommended picking him up in last week's waiver wire column. Renfroe has logged four hits, one home run, and only two strikeouts in 13 at-bats this week.
OF Steven Duggar, San Francisco Giants
Yahoo: 21% •ESPN: 14%
The speedy outfielder only played in one of two Giants games this week, but he collected three hits, three RBIs and one stolen base. Duggar finished last week with nine hits, two homers, nine RBIs and two stolen bases.
OF Akil Baddoo, Detroit Tigers
Yahoo: 15% •ESPN: 19%
Late April into early May was a disastrous stretch for the rookie. He has already equaled his total plate appearances in May in three fewer games in the month of June.
Baddoo has a .380 June batting average and monthly highs of 19 hits and nine runs scored. His early-season home run and RBI production were fluky at best. Nonetheless, Baddoo has remained productive and fantasy-relevant as a scoring threat and on-base presence despite playing for a poor team.
1B/3B Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins
Yahoo: 49% •ESPN: 50%
Like Duvall, Sano’s home run production is worthy of roster consideration. He had four hits in two games against Cincinnati and hit his 14th home run this week. Sano faces a Cleveland pitching staff this weekend that is missing its top-three pitchers; then a struggling White Sox team to start next week.
Short-Term Solutions
OF Chas McCormick, Houston Astros
Yahoo: 3% •ESPN: 2%
Houston’s offense is clicking despite a revolving door of outfielders. McCormick is on a five-game hitting and a four-game RBI streak. He faces the Tigers this weekend, then the Orioles to start next week.
1B Josh Bell, Washington Nationals
Yahoo: 51% •ESPN: 58%
Kyle Schwarber is deservedly getting the praise as Washington’s unsung offensive hero, but Josh Bell has had two strong weeks. Bell has a three-game RBI streak and has recorded eight RBI during his last six games.
2B/OF Tony Kemp, Oakland Athletics
Yahoo: 13% •ESPN: 17%
The utilityman has scored runs in 13-of-19 June games and has a 8/13 strikeout-to-walk (K/BB) ratio.
OF Yonathan Daza, Colorado Rockies
Yahoo: 7% •ESPN: 10%
The 27-year old hit his first home run of the season on June 20 and has hits in 17-of-21 June starts (.321 season average).
1B Nate Lowe, Texas Rangers
Yahoo: 47% •ESPN: 45%
Lowe hit his first home run in 11 days on June 23. He is also on a six-game hitting streak and has an .352 OBP — 100 points above his batting average.
I Am Skeptical
OF Myles Straw, Houston Astros
Yahoo: 19% •ESPN: 14%
He is currently in the midst of his second hitting streak in June and is hitting .329 for the month. He still strikes out a lot and does not hit higher in the Astros batting order, which is a concern given that Straw thrives as a baserunner (11 stolen bases).
1B/3B Patrick Wisdom, Chicago Cubs
Yahoo: 34% •ESPN: 36%
A scorching May bled into June, but the past two weeks have brought Wisdom back to earth. He is hitting .237 this month and has 27 strikeouts in 59 at-bats.
2B/3B Christian Arroyo, Boston Red Sox
Yahoo: 3% •ESPN: 2%
Arroyo was a nice surprise for Boston. However, he had not achieved a multi-hit game since June 7 and is now on the Injured List (IL). That may be on me for writing about him previously.
