Sports
Fantasy Baseball 2020: Waiver-Wire Players to Pick Up for Week 4
Frank Franklin II/Associated PressThe time is now to take advantage of Clint Frazier’s wave of success after his call-up to the New York Yankees.In the past two games, the 25-year-old outfielder has torched Boston Red Sox’s pitching staff and helped the Yankees earn a pair of wins over their biggest rival.Although Frazier and the new…
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
The time is now to take advantage of Clint Frazier's wave of success after his call-up to the New York Yankees.
In the past two games, the 25-year-old outfielder has torched Boston Red Sox's pitching staff and helped the Yankees earn a pair of wins over their biggest rival.
Although Frazier and the new faces in New York's lineup will not make up for the loss of power from the injuries to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, they should keep the offense in a steady rhythm.
Frazier, Mike Tauchman and others are not the only American League players finding success in place of injured veterans.
The Houston Astros received strong outings from Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier in back-to-back days to continue to bolster a rotation missing Justin Verlander.
Those young players' performances should make them some of the most coveted free agents on the fantasy baseball waiver wire going into Week 4 of the MLB season.
Top Waiver-Wire Pick Ups
Clint Frazier, OF, New York Yankees
Kathy Willens/Associated Press
Frazier clobbered the Boston pitching staff Saturday by going 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBI. That performance followed up a two RBI outing Friday at Yankee Stadium.
In three appearances in 2020, Frazier has seven hits, two home runs, eight RBI and a .636 batting average.
With Judge and Stanton both on the injured list, Frazier should receive the chance to start almost every day in the outfield. When he was given the opportunity in 2019, Frazier put up 12 home runs, 38 RBI and an .806 OPS over 69 games.
Frazier and the Yankees have a favorable week ahead with two more home games against Boston and a weekend series against the New York Mets. The Yankees reached the double-digit run mark in the first two games of their series with Boston and scored 15 runs in two warm-up contests with the Mets in July.
If Frazier is unavailable in your leagues, keep an eye on Tauchman, who has four hits against the Red Sox and recently strung together a five-game hitting streak.
Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier, SP, Houston
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Valdez and Javier delivered back-to-back gems in Houston's Friday and Saturday wins over the Seattle Mariners.
The former allowed a single earned run in six innings while striking out five Mariners, which was a low total by the standard he has set. The 26-year-old southpaw struck out 17 batters from the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics in his previous two starts.
Javier also fanned five Seattle hitters in his most recent start, but July 29 he produced a high volume of strikeouts with nine against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In two of his past three appearances, Javier has lasted six innings. He had a three-inning outing against Oakland mixed between them.
An upcoming two-game set at Coors Field could turn some prospective owners away, but the Texas Rangers proved Friday and Saturday that the production of the Colorado Rockies lineup can be tempered.
Colorado, which will come to Houston for a two-game set starting Monday, managed six runs in the past two games inside its ballpark. The Rockies' recent lack of production, combined with the recent form of the two young Houston pitchers, should make them intriguing additions for the coming weeks.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from MLB.com.
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