Week 14 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: New York Yankees Surging
As we approach mid-July, two Yankees have made enough noise this season to truly consider picking up off the waiver wire. Fantasy baseball waiver wires are becoming more and more shallow as the season progresses. However, at the moment, both 2B Matt Carpenter and OF Aaron Hicks are available in more than 50% of leagues. Let’s examine how these two members of the New York Yankees (as well as a few other players across Major League Baseball) can help your fantasy baseball squad.
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Top Week 14 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
2B Matt Carpenter, New York Yankees (49.21% Owned)
Matt Carpenter is having a superb season in his debut with the Yankees. With a batting average of .344, he’s already smashed 10 homers and 22 RBIs in only 64 at-bats. Carpenter has only played in 26 of the Yankees' regular-season games thus far. Carpenter was signed by the Yankees on May 26. Within just a few weeks, he became the first Yankee in history to record six or more homeruns in his first 10 games in pinstripes.
Carpenter has truly impressed Yankee fans this season, but now its time to seriously consider him as a starting fantasy baseball infielder in 2022. He’s still producing at a high level. Just over the last three games, he’s recorded seven hits, four RBIs, and two home runs. There is no reason Matt Carpenter should be sitting on fantasy baseball waiver wires at the moment.
OF Aaron Hicks, New York Yankees (26.97% Owned)
Heading into this season, Aaron Hicks lost significant weight after taking on a new diet this offseason. At 32 years old, Hicks has remained healthy all season and has suited up for 75 games. Between 2019 and 2021, Hicks was limited due to injuries which can be attributed to his weight at the time. Now that he is much more healthy, you can see his performance vastly improve. This season, he’s recorded 53 hits for 26 RBIs with an average of .238. Hicks hadn’t hit above .235 since the 2018 season when he hit 27 homers and finished the season with a .248 batting average.
SP Jordan Lyles, Baltimore Orioles (17.37% Owned)
In his last two starts, Jordan Lyles has struck out a combined 11 batters. In each of these two games, first against the Minnesota Twins on July 2 and then against the Los Angeles Angels on July 7, Lyles produced at least 19 FPTS. Though he went through a rough month of June where his numbers were clearly surging in the wrong direction, Lyles has thrown at least 100 pitches through a minimum of six innings in each of his last three starts. The Baltimore Orioles, who have a rough pitching staff, will continue to lean on Lyles throughout the season. He is available in more than 80% of fantasy baseball leagues right now.
SP Chris Flexen, Seattle Mariners (45.26% Owned)
Despite a rough start to the season and pitching for an offensively challenged ballclub, Flexen has now win three starts in a row, including two consecutive quality stars. Although he is 5-7 on the season, Flexen has a solid 3.67 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. On the season, he’s averaging 6.6 Ks/9 and has struck out 59 batters while issuing just 27 free passes. If Flexen can get some more run support in the future, he could be a decent source of wins, quality starts, strikeouts, and solid pitching ratios. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in an outing since May 9 against the Philadelphia Phillies when his ERA was well above 4.00. Add him before the rest of your league catches on to Flexen’s recent rise in production.
OF Josh Naylor, Cleveland Guardians (52.46% Owned)
Josh Naylor is having a career season with the Celveland Guardians in 2022. Although he’s only played in 57 games, he’s already recorded 11 home runs, three more than his regular-season record. He’s hitting a career-high .279 from the plate with a .841 OPS. Over the last 15 games, Naylor has recorded 16 hits, eight RBIs, and four homeruns. Since he is so young and only into his fifth MLB season, its even more likely that he continues to develop into a consistent starter for the team. Naylor is available in approximately half of fantasy baseball leagues and is certainly worth considering adding off the waiver wire in Week 14.
3B Josh Rojas, Arizona Diamondbacks (72.25% Owned)
In 202 at-bats this regular season, 3B Josh Rojas has recorded 57 hits for 26 RBIs and a .282 batting average. He’s also put together an OBP of .348 meaning that he gets on base virtually 35% of the time this season. He’s actually hitting better over his last 15 games than he has throughout the season. In this stretch, he’s tallied 20 hits in 55 plate appearances for nine RBIs, a .364 BA, and a .417 OBP. Over his last seven games, Rojas has had a whopping OBP of .481. Rojas is clearly a guy who can produce consistently. He’s available in just a little less than 30% of fantasy baseball leagues as of today. It doesn’t hurt that he’s eligible at three positions: second base, shortstop, and third base. He will help your fantasy squad in at least four of the major hitting categories. Add Rojas before it’s too late.
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