The Wire Troll: Wil Myers Turning Things Around
Matt Bush is the clear next-in-line for saves in Texas. (KeithAllisonPhoto.com)
Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. May is nearly done now, so it may be time to cut bait on some early season disappointments and find replacements on the wire.
This week, Trevor Story snapped a season-long slump and became the first second baseman ever to homer three times and swipe a bag in the same game; Max Scherzer (oblique) will be out 6-to-8 weeks (see below for an opportunity this presents); and Jose Ramirez dodged a bullet after fouling a ball off his shin on Thursday, returning the next day with a homer and triple.
And now, let’s get to this week’s…
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks
Wil Myers, OF, San Diego Padres (ESPN: 8.4 per cent; CBS: 29 per cent): While we recommended downgrading him, we were still bullish enough in our Wil Myers 2022 season preview to suggest he was capable of .250-20-10 this season. But less than a month ago, his OPS was just 464, and then just as he started showing signs of life, he hit the IL with a thumb woe and wound up missing two weeks. Since returning, Myers has been much better, finally showing a bit of pop and hitting safely in six of nine games. This may be a perfect time to pounce on a hitter who’s capable of really great power, much more production and some speed (although we’re still waiting on that this season).
Matt Bush, RP, Texas Rangers (ESPN: 0.2 per cent; CBS: 2 per cent): The last time Bush was a closing option, he struggled with the opportunity and he hadn’t recorded another save until this season. But with Joe Barlow (blister) now out day-to-day, Bush has another shot to be a ninth inning dude, and while things didn’t go well in his first chance on Wednesday, he’s been better this month, proving a bit harder to hit. Bush doesn’t have much long-term upside and things haven’t always gone well this season (see video below), but he’s pitched better than his ERA would indicate, and he’s racking up the Ks and holds, so should have some value in deeper AL-only leagues regardless of whether he’s getting saves or not.
Trevor Williams, RP/SP, New York Mets (ESPN: 0.3 per cent; CBS: 1 per cent): It’s been over four years since we last pimped Williams, and that pick turned out great as he enjoyed a career year in 2018 before regressing badly the following season. And really, he’s never come close to that level again, but with Jacob deGrom and Tylor Megill already out, and Scherzer joining that pair on the IL, Williams has some job security in the rotation (unless the Mets decide that Williams is better suited to relieve and bring up prospect Thomas Szapucki). Williams was very sharp in his start Tuesday, but bear in mind that wins may be tough to come by here given that he’s not fully stretched out to pitch deep into games. As a result, consider him simply a deep NL-only league option for the time being.
Quick Hits
- Acquired from San Francisco in the Kris Bryant trade, Cubs minor league righty Caleb Kilian needs to be grabbed now as it’s just a matter of time until he gets the call to the bigs. Kilian has dominated Triple-A (1.31 ERA, 40 Ks in 34 1/3 IP) and just looks stronger each time out.
- Ageless starter Adam Wainwright had a couple of substandard outings to end April, but he’s been lights out so far this month, going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA. He’ll be 41 in August, yet remains a must-own Fantasy asset, one that has somehow managed to improve his ERA for five straight years at this stage of his career.
- Mike Trout continues to mash this month, hitting safely in six straight games with homers in back-to-back outings before he only managed a measly double on Friday. It’s great to see him healthy and back to being an on-base machine (he already has 10 walks this month) and he’s now matched the total number of games he played during last season’s injury-riddled campaign. Oh, and Trout’s next run will be the 1,000th of his career, a mark just 343 players have achieved in the history of the game.
- Ozzie Albies got off to a torrid start from a power perspective, but has slowed in recent weeks. The good news is that the pop seems to be returning as he drilled three doubles over five games before delivering a two-hit performance on Wednesday then adding a hit, run and ribbie on Friday. Still, Albies is struggling to get on base in May, and has seen a steady decline in his BA since batting a career-best .295 in 2019. Now may be a good time to try to buy low.
- Marlin starter Trevor Rogers had looked much sharper in his two starts before Friday’s outing as he tries to shake off a tough beginning to the season in the wake of 2021’s breakout effort. He’s back to averaging over a K per frame in May, and while his ERA is still on the ugly side, given his 4.10 xFIP, you may want to reach out to his owner with a speculative offer.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American songwriter Bobby Womack was originally the lead singer of his family’s group, the Valentinos, but the blaxploitation soundtrack album Across 110th Street is his masterpiece. From this album comes “Quicksand.”
