2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups: Brandon Drury, Drew Smyly, More!
As the 2023 MLB season enters its fifth week, fantasy baseball owners are getting comfortable scouting the waiver wire for the best waiver wire pickups to enhance their squads. In a long season, it is crucial to get into the swing of things early and make it a habit of constantly improving one’s team. In this article, we will take a look at the top fantasy baseball pickups heading into Week 5 of the 2023 season.
Top Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Mauricio Dubon – INF-OF- Houston Astros – 43% Owned
The highly coveted versatile infielder and outfielder is enjoying his coming out party in 2023. Ever since Jose Altuve has gone down to injury, he has taken up leadoff spot duties and is batting .329 with four RBI. More importantly, this season he has already had a 20-game hitting streak and has been a catalyst for the Houston Astros this season. Considering the element that he can line up as a second baseman and Shortstop in the infield as well as play the outfield, certainly makes him a must-own in most leagues.
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Joey Gallo – OF – Minnesota Twins – 48% Rostered
Gallo is quickly making amends and making people forget about his horrible stint with the New York Yankees. That appears to be the case, as he is using his solid awareness at the plate along with his ability to swing for contact which is paying off dividends early this season. For instance, due to his improved mechanics, he now has an average of .296 and has 7 home runs. More importantly, he has greatly reduced his strikeout rate and is swinging for contact and elevating the ball more. Considering he has improved his approach at the plate along with his ability to swing for the fences, makes him a must-play in most leagues on an everyday basis.
Brandon Drury – INF – Los Angeles Angels – 73% Rostered
Dury has been a tenacious player by improving his pitch selection and patience when hitting. He has been improving his pitch recognition which is allowing to make powerful swings and has shown his opposite field power. While he didn’t start the season strong, he has since then turned things around. He is now hitting .256 on the year courtesy of his solid games against the Athletics. In the series against the Athletics, he hit four home runs and 12 RBIs to bring his season average up to decency. While he is sound offensively, he should also be able to provide some much-needed help defensively as he has good hands with the glove and is versatile in terms of position in the infield.
Drew Smyly – P – Chicago Cubs- 45% owned
Drew Smyly has been an ace for the Chicago Cubs this season. The tall left-hander has been using his nice combination of pitches and making better use of the strike zone with his pitch selection and location. That appears to be the case since he has been locating his sinker and his curve ball along the corners of the strike zone which is making him difficult to hit. Moreover, by mixing in the cutter by changing velocity he has been getting a ton of flyouts as hitters are not able to time their swings well. Smyly has been pitching well for the Cubs this season, as early in April , he came to within 6 outs of pitching a perfect game. Currently this season he has an ERA of .327 with 21 strikeouts.
Yusei Kikuchi – P – Toronto Blue Jays – 55% owned
The left-hander for the Jays seems to have carved a nice spot for him in the rotation. This season he has been doing a good job of not walking hitters. That appears to be the case, as he has been more selective with his pitches. For instance, he has relied heavily on his four-seam fastball, slider, and change. Also, his ability to greatly change velocities on those three pitches along with decent pitch location is keeping his pitches well within the strike zone. As a matter of fact, he has allowed 6 home runs in about 27 innings of work and is currently undefeated on the season with a record of 4-0 and an ERA of 3.
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