Welcome to the first installment of the Waiver Wire Wishlist, fantasy baseball edition. If you follow We Know Fantasy during the Fantasy Football season, you know Nate runs a series called the “B-Team” where he fields a hypothetical lineup with players owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. This season’s fantasy baseball waiver wire articles will run as a combination of both the “B-Team” and the “Waiver Wire Wishlist.”
Each week, Nate will field a hypothetical fantasy baseball lineup consisting of players owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. There will be no goal points to reach as the lineup will not be a complete fantasy baseball lineup as Nate will use and suggest one C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, SP and RP. He will compete with himself week-to-week to see how he performs. You can find the most previous week’s results below in future editions and then previous weeks at the bottom of the article.
As this is the first edition of the series, there are no previous week results. Additionally, although we’re technically starting on Week 3; Week 1 and Week 2 were combined for the first scoring week. Let’s get into things!
Week 3 Lineup
Catcher
Pedro Severino, C, Baltimore Orioles - Owned in 10% of Yahoo and 9.5% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Games: (4) vs. SEA & (3) @TEX
Our weekly suggestion and ultimately play at the catcher position will most likely be a streaming option for the entire season. There is always the chance that someone breaks out and has a permanent spot in a fantasy baseball lineup, but for the most part, streaming the backstop is your best bet. The Orioles play seven games across Week 3 which means Severino should see upwards of five games. He’ll also get the Mariners and Rangers, both of whom have poor rotations. Severino is hitting .304 entering Sunday’s (Apr. 11th) game. He’s putting the ball in play and getting on base and that’s all you are looking for out of a streaming catcher.
First Base
Colin Moran, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates - Owned in 23% of Yahoo and 12.9% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Games: (4) vs. SDP & (3) vs. MIL
When looking for a first baseman, you want to find some homeruns and RBIs. There isn’t much available below the 40-percent owned mark, but Moran does have two homers and five RBIs this far this season. He’s doing this while hitting cleanup for the Pirates and hitting .321 at the same time. Sometimes when you can find the homeruns and RBIs for points or categories, you sacrifice batting average. However, in Moran’s case thus far, that isn’t the case.
Second Base
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Miami Marlins - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 12.8% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Games: (4) @ATL & (3) vs. SFG
We’re looking for some steals here at second base since I’m not in love with much within our guidelines here. Chisholm has two steals to start the season, which isn’t a bad mark to sit at right now. He’s been hitting in the sixth or seventh spot for the Marlins, which too isn’t a bad place to be hitting in terms of at bats. I know he’s hitting .200 right now, but look for that number to climb as his confidence does too. Like I said, I’m looking for some steals in my lineup and Chisholm will get me some.
Third Base
Eduardo Escobar, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks - Owned in 41% of Yahoo and 42.2% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Games: (2) vs. OAK & (4) @WAS
Okay, it’s the first week and I’m already breaking my 40-percent owned rule but it’s close enough. Escobar isn’t seeing the ball well right now but he’s a professional hitter, he’ll get there. He already has three homers and six RBIs on the season and a stolen base. That’s what he does well. He hits the longball but has the speed to swipe a bag once-in-awhile. Once he gets the bat going, look out, because you have a must own third baseman on your hands.
Shortstop
Willi Castro, SS, Detroit Tigers - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 21.% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Games: (3) @HOU & (4) vs. @OAK
This suggestion may be due in part to the fact that I own a short-print, numbered rookie card of Castro. I hope his career takes off for my own sake. Beyond that bit of information, Castro is a great substitute to those who find themselves without Fernando Tatis Jr. Obviously you’re not getting Tatis numbers’ out of the 24-year-old, but you’re getting relevant numbers for an eventual fantasy baseball starting shortstop. We haven’t seen much of Castro to start the season, but let’s not forget that he hit six homeruns last season in just 140 plate appearances.
Outfield
Cedric Mullins, OF, Baltimore Orioles - Owned in 35% of Yahoo and 44.5% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Games: (4) vs. SEA & (3) @TEX
We’ve yet to suggest a lead off hitter in this article but here we are. Due to the number of plate appearances alone, Mullins is worth the add. He’s had one of the hottest starts to the 2021 MLB season. He’s still hitting .455 on the season due in part to a current seven game hitting streak. He also has two stolen bases on the season. If you’re in a categories league, Mullins is a must add right now.
Starting Pitcher
Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers - Owned in 29% of Yahoo and 17.8% of ESPN leagues
Next Start: April 15th @OAK
I do a lot of streaming starting pitchers across all of my leagues daily. That is key to winning leagues. On top of that, having your core of starters that you can leave for the entire season is also key. That’s where Skubal comes into play. He’s been one of the league’s top pitching prospects the last two seasons. Last season, he posted an insane 36.5% strikeout rate. He has allowed eight earned runs over his first two starts, but ignore that. He’s a future ace and it’s a matter of time before he starts to show it.
Relief Pitcher
Corey Knebel, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers - Owned in 32% of Yahoo and 23.2% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Games: (3) vs. COL & (3) vs. SDP
Now, I’m not saying that Kenley Jensen is going to lose his closing job for the league’s best team in entirety, but Knebel is going to get his fair share of chances to close games. He already has two on the season. The Dodgers are obviously going to win a ton of baseball games, giving several opportunities for saves. Jensen can’t pitch every day, that’s where Knebel steps in. He’s going to serve as the primary backup for Jensen and get a good number of saves this season. Finding saves off the waiver wire is one of the most difficult things to do.