Every season in fantasy baseball, championship caliber teams are drafted. With luck and lack of injury, fantasy baseball managers can put together a team strong enough to carry them to a title. But for most of the time, a solid draft is not enough to win a title. Good in-season management is critical to creating a team that can carry you to glory and bragging rights among your friends. Yet, this is so vastly overlooked by so many fantasy baseball managers.
The irony of that negligence is that baseball is the one fantasy sport where in-season management matters the most. Baseball is such a long season. Players go through incredibly long stretches of hurting your team. That can even be true for some of the game’s elite players.
Every year there are young players that get called into the big leagues and can make a huge difference. There are closers who suddenly are thrust into the job because another’s struggles. There are players that can literally be worth a pick-up for just a couple of weeks, and then dropped. There are so many ways a team can be improved through in-season management.
So, here are your top four waiver wire additions for Week 13 of the fantasy baseball season.
Fantasy Baseball Week 13 Top 3 Waiver Wire Adds
Harold Ramirez – Tampa Bay Rays 1B, OF
One of the bigger surprises this season has been that of Harold Ramirez from the Tampa Bay Rays. Ramirez began the year in the minor leagues but soon got the call up after crushing the ball.
The Rays outfielder/first baseman has been incredibly effective since the call up. He’s hitting .321 with three home runs, three stolen bases, 27 RBI and 25 runs across just 193 at-bats. Obviously, there has not been much power. But that’s about all that has been missing.
He has been ever better of late. Over the last month, he is slashing .394 with a .451 on-base percentage, to go along with 13 RBI. Most players on the Rays are never sexy pick-ups, but Ramirez is here to stay. Somehow, he is still rostered in just five percent of Yahoo fantasy baseball leagues, which is insane.
Harold Ramirez is hitting .327/.375/.449 in 216 PA this year. His 142 wRC+ is the 16th highest mark in the AL.
He was acquired for Esteban Quiroz, a 30-year old prospect who is hitting .163/.300/.245 in AAA this year.
— Rays Metrics (@RaysMetrics) July 3, 2022
If you need a boost in your percentages with decent counting stats, you will find no better option on the waiver wire.
Paul Sewald – Seattle Mariners RP
As I mentioned above, the closer position in fantasy baseball is like playing a game of musical chairs sometimes. That means, there are always opportunities for fantasy baseball managers. The latest one is in Seattle.
Entering this season, it was not known whether Drew Steckenrider, Diego Castillo or Paul Seward would emerge as the closer. Well, that situation has finally resolved itself. Seward is officially the closer and is getting all of the chances to close out games for the Mariners.
He has eight saves thus far this season. Castillo has four, with the rest of the bullpen adding a few. Now, Sewald is not going to suddenly become an elite closer. But when there are only 30 players that can affect a single category, it’s always worth taking notice.
This season, Seward has a 3-2 record to go along with his eight saves, a 2.83 ERA and a dominant 0.73 WHIP. He also has 31 strikeouts across 29 2/3 innings. Seattle is not going to win a ton of games. But that leads to the perception that their closer might not have much value.
To the contrary, it tends to be the opposite. Their offense is so anemic, they do not win many games in blowout fashion. Even the worst baseball teams win 60-80 games per year. Sewald is likely to finish the season with 25 or more saves, to go along with solid peripherals. That is worth taking notice.
The latest updates to bullpens across baseball in today’s Closer Report ⤵️https://t.co/6xCA3ItQjn
— FantasyPros (@FantasyProsMLB) July 3, 2022
Cavan Biggio – Toronto Blue Jays 1B, 2B, 3B, OF
This is a bit of reach, but I believe in the talent of Cavan Biggio. During his rookie season in 2019, Biggio splashed onto the scene and put forth a great year. Since then, he has mostly disappointed.
That led to the Blue Jays demoting him at times. He was not an everyday play for much of this season. But recently, the talented utility man has been reminding everyone what he is capable of.
Biggio is hitting 11 for his last 29 with two home runs, six RBI and six runs scored. Because of his massive eligibility all over the diamond, the Blue Jays always have a place to put him if they want. Right now, he’s earning every day at-bats and making the most of it.
If fantasy baseball managers find themselves in leagues only counting on-base percentage instead of batting average, Biggio gets an even greater bump. Despite his .235 batting average, he has a .358 OBP. He likely will not be a long-lasting help, but while he’s going well, Biggio is a solid pick up.
