In life, usually when things lack drama that is generally seen as a good thing. The majority of playoff races in baseball took this advice way too literally this season.
The only hope for a race to the finish in baseball this season comes from the AL Wild Card race where the Astros are holding on for dear life against the Angels & Twins. Also, with this being the last week of the regular season, this also coincides with the end of the fantasy playoffs for those in head to head leagues and the last opportunity to get over the top in roto leagues.
Today, we will spotlight individual players from each of these teams that have been receiving more attention from fantasy players lately and discuss whether they can help win you a title at the last moment. With that in mind, here is the 9-29-15 Waiver Wire Report.
Jake Marisnick, OF, Houston Astros
Currently, Marisnick is only owned in 6.4% of ESPN Leagues (as of Monday Morning). While his 2015 numbers aren’t great (.238 AVG, nine HR, 80 wRC+), it is still possible that he can help you in the short-term. While his hitting numbers aren’t great, he has a solid chance of helping you in the stolen base department as he has 22 steals this season.
While his offensive numbers were abysmal from May through August, it appears that Marisnick has figured things out lately as he is hitting .300 with three HR in September. Depending on how deep your league is, Marisnick is worth a look due to his speed and his recent performance improvement this month.
Trevor Gott, RP, Los Angeles Angels
With the Angles ½ game out of the second wild card spot, they lost their Closer Huston Street to a groin injury at the worst possible time. This also represents an opportunity for other players to step in this role down the stretch. While the Angels appear to be headed towards a temporary closer by committee, Gott appears to be one of the first choices to have closing opportunities.
Currently, Gott is owned in 4.9% of ESPN Leagues (as of Monday Morning). This raises the question of assuming Gott gets his opportunities, what are the odds he succeeds and is he worth picking up.
Personally, I would be looking for other opportunities. While his ERA is decent (3.07), he has been more lucky than good this season. If the Angels do go with Gott as the closer, this could be one of those moves that turns out to be a disaster. His ERA is only that low due to good fortune (.255 opposing BABIP) and his FIP of 3.83 is closer to mediocre middle-reliever territory than it is to viable closing candidate. If that isn’t enough his 5.11 K/9 rate shouldn’t exactly strike fear into the heart of opposing batters.
Eddie Rosario, 2B, OF, Minnesota Twins
Rosario is owned in 17.2% of ESPN leagues as of midday Monday. Whether Rosario would be a solid last week of the season pickup would depend on your particular needs. If you need a last minute batting average boost, it would be advisable to look elsewhere as his .265 average is primarily propped up by a .331 BABIP. Also his BB%/K% (3.1% & 25.1%) does not lend to short-term success in this area.
However, if you are looking for a power and/or speed upgrade (especially with the 2B eligibility) Rosario could be a very good last-minute fill in as he has reached double digits in both HR & SB. His minor league track record indicates that both of these areas are sustainable. Also, Rosario has managed to hit 12 HR despite a very modest HR/FB rate of 9.3%, indicating this power total is not just a product of good fortune.
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