Fantasy Baseball Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups: Spencer Torkelson, Logan Allen, and More!
Happy Monday!
It’s Week 21 of the fantasy baseball season. Time is getting short. That means it’s also no time to be too sentimental, hopeful, or patient with players who may be struggling on your roster (more on that in tomorrow’s Waiver Droppables). And it’s also no time to get picky about a player on waivers because he had a bad month of April or May (or even June or July). There are less than two months to go in the MLB season, so we’re really just looking to string together some good weeks at this point.
With that, let’s look at the Week 21 Fantasy Baseball Waivers and see if we can solidify our rosters before the home stretch of the season.
As always, check out the fantasy assistant for personalized waiver wire recommendations and team analysis. Make moves based on projections, strengths and weaknesses, waiver alerts, and lots more.
Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds
(ownership percentages are based on ESPN leagues)
Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Detroit Tigers (21.6%)
The Tigers have had some surprisingly good waiver adds lately, and Torkelson is the newest one to keep an eye on. The 23-year-old is hitting just .233 on the season, but he's also hit a very quiet 22 home runs to go along with 64 runs scored, 68 RBI, and three steals. And over the past week, he's hit .333 with four home runs and a steal. While Torkelson had an abysmal June where he hit .196 during the month, he hit .247 in July and is at .254 through the first three weeks of August. He's never going to challenge for a batting crown, but Torkelson is a great add right now.
Logan Allen, P, Cleveland Guardians (25.0%)
Allen's season-long stats (6-6, 3.31 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 100 strikeouts in 103.1 innings) are good, but they aren't anything that will win your fantasy league. So why am I recommending him as a waiver add? He's been REALLY good lately. Over his past four starts, Allen has pitched 23.0 innings and has gone 2-2 with a 1.96 ERA, and 20 striekouts while allowing just a .203 batting average to opposing hitters. While I'd love to see him cut down on walks (he's already at 12 during the month of August), Allen has been one of the better fantasy pitchers as of late and should be added in most leagues.
Hyun Jin Ryu, P, Toronto Blue Jays (16.5%)
Ryu hasn't been quite as good as Allen, but he's another great pitching waiver add. The 36-year-old has started four games since returning from Tommy John surgery, and he's pitched a shutout in THREE of those games. He hasn't worked past the fifth inning in any of his starts and the Blue Jays work him back slowly, but Ryu's season-long numbers are now 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts in 19.0 innings. While I'm not sure I fully trust him, he's definitely worth an add in most leagues to see if he can keep this up.
Javier Assad, P, Chicago Cubs (8.3%)
Assad has had a nice run in the Cubs' rotation since Marcus Stroman hit the Injured List and has allowed just three total runs in his two starts (13.0 innings). The 26-year-old has worked well as a reliever this year (3.11 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), but he's been even better in his two starts. With Stroman experiencing a setback, it looks like Assad will at least get another turn in the rotation against the Tigers on Monday. He's worth the stream on Monday and he might even pitch his way into a spot in the Cubs rotation.
Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Los Angeles Angels (4.8%)
The Angels have already dipped into their 2023 draft class by calling up Schanuel, and he's rewarded the bold move thus far. The 21-year-old has a hit in each of his first three Major League games and has scored four runs. Perhaps more importantly, he's only struck out once in 12 at-bats so he's shown that he isn't overmatched by Big League pitchers. It wouldn't be surprising to see the rookie stay in the Majors for the rest of the season, and he's worth adding in almost all leagues at this point due to his talent and upside.
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