Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Week 21: Kerry Carpenter
Options are becoming limited in fantasy baseball at this stage of the season, but there are still some quality players left on the waiver wire.
We are officially in the dog days of summer. Some of you are probably eliminated from the playoffs, with others making your final push. If you have a postseason spot locked in, you can afford to maybe take a risk on one of these pickups and see if it can propel you to the favorite in your league.
Check out the Just Fantasy Baseball Podcast on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform for a more in-depth look at other waiver wire options.
Kerry Carpenter – OF – Detroit Tigers (5.7%)
2023 Stats: .281/.341/.510, 15 HR, 41 RBI, 134 wRC+
Carpenter has made this list before, but apparently not enough people are taking notice. Being owned in less than 10% of leagues is criminal. The 25 year-old outfielder has shown power to all fields proving his minor league home run numbers were not a fluke.
The Tigers have played him against lefties a bit more and it’s paying off. He’s hit a respectable .250 off southpaws and now is looking more and more like an everyday option. The wire is thin, pick up this power bat before someone beats you to it.
Zack Gelof – 2B – Oakland Athletics (6.5%)
2023 Stats: .253/.320/.560, 6 HR, 11 RBI, 6 SB, 141 wRC+
Not many people are watching the Athletics, which makes picking up their players that much easier. Gelof has been a fringe top 100 prospect coming up and has shown more power than anyone expected. Second is always a tough spot to roster, especially if you have dealt with injuries, and Gelof is worth a flier.
He’s been striking out close to 30% of the time and I do expect his numbers to tick down a touch but you never really know with rookies. I say ride the hot hand while you can.
Brandon Williamson – SP – Cincinnati Reds (11.2%)
2023 Stats: 4-2, 4.54 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 75.1 IP, 64 K
Williamson has had his ups and downs throughout his rookie year and recently has been pitching well. He did have a poor start in Chicago, but besides that, it was six starts with two or fewer runs. His velocity is back up where it needs to be, and considering how weak pitching options are he’s a fine pick up.
I’d say add in deeper leagues if you can, and use him as a streamer in smaller leagues. His past two outings he set career-highs in strikeouts with seven and nine.
Emerson Hancock – SP – Seattle Mariners (3.3%)
2023 Stats: 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 5 IP, 3 K
Here’s a roll of the dice. Hancock has one game under his belt, but I like Seattle’s ability to develop and get the most out of pitchers. He has a four-pitch mix that should help him work through lineups and has a two-start week. His next start is at Kansas City, and I would stream him there and probably bench him at Houston later in the week.
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