So far, I have been awfully impressed with the recommendations that my colleagues have been making in this space since we debuted it last week. Now it’s my chance to step up to the plate and try to help you uncover a couple of gems that are still widely available on the waiver wire in your leagues.
As a reminder, our brand-new Pickups of the Day column is designed to help fantasy managers find a handful of widely-available targets. It could be a prospect stash, an injury replacement, a pitcher with a favorable matchup or week, a player who is due some better luck, or any other number of scenarios. If there’s value to be found on the waiver wire, we will uncover it and bring it your way.
Here’s a trio of players who have been fantasy stalwarts for years, have lost the trust of the fantasy community in recent seasons, and are now poised for major bounce-back efforts in 2023.
Could they be the type of impact additions that will put your fantasy squad over the top in 2023? Or at the very least, deliver solid production for a couple of weeks? I believe that they can.
PICKUPS OF THE DAY
Joey Gallo, OF, Twins
Available in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues
Joey Gallo, masher of baseballs extraordinaire, was an afterthought in fantasy drafts in March, most likely due to the fact that he has hit under the Mendoza line in each of the past three seasons. With the ban on infield shifts now in place though, perhaps we see an uptick in his batting average in 2023. Even if it’s just on the mental side, it has to help Gallo’s psyche that he no longer sees a stacked, overshifted infield on each and every plate appearance.
Still just 29-years-old, Gallo already has three big league seasons under his belt where he has clubbed 38 or more home runs. That’s elite power production, which can be an incredible addition to teams that have fallen behind in the home runs and RBI categories early in the season. So far, he has taken beautifully to his new surroundings in Minnesota – hitting .308 (4-for-13) with an American League leading three home runs and seven RBI through his first four contests.
He has always been a player that can hit long balls in bunches, so you definitely want to get in now and ride the wave for as long as you can.
Will Smith, RP, Rangers
Available in 73 percent of Yahoo leagues
Speaking of returns to fantasy relevancy, how about a round of applause for Will Smith (the 33-year-old southpaw, not to be confused with the Dodgers’ catcher). Smith inked a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Rangers early in March – reuniting him with former manager Bruce Bochy.
If you’ll recall, the two were together back in San Francisco during the 2018 and 2019 seasons where Smith racked up 48 saves for the Giants. So what happened the first time that the Rangers had a save opportunity during the 2023 season? Bochy turned to his reliable left-hander instead of presumed closer José Leclerc with a one-run lead to protect against the Phillies on Sunday night.
Smith passed the test too – sending down Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott and Darick Hall in order to convert his first save of the season. It’s possible that Leclerc could still be in the mix here, but the way that things went down on Sunday really seems to point to Smith as the preferred option in the ninth inning. Given that he can be scooped up for free in more than 70 percent of Yahoo leagues at the moment, now is the time to strike.
Germán Márquez, SP, Rockies
Available in 72 percent of Yahoo leagues
Rather than just giving you two names to chew on for today, I’ll throw in a third one as well in Germán Márquez. Yes, trying to roster any starting pitcher for the Rockies has proven to be exceptionally difficult since their franchise debuted in 1995. Fair point. Marquez has defied that trend before though. Remember back in 2018, he registered a 3.77 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a ridiculous 230 strikeouts over 196 innings. For his career, he owns a palatable 4.39 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 1002 innings – that’s all innings, including those at Coors. And we’re not looking to use him there.
He has already gotten off to a nice start to the 2023 season. Marquez picked up a victory over the Padres in his season debut, allowing just two runs over six innings while striking out five. He then delivered a decent start in a difficult matchup against the Dodgers on Tuesday night – giving up four runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. His next start will come against the Cardinals at Coors Field on Monday, but after that he’ll take on the Mariners in Seattle, the Phillies in Philadelphia and the Guardians in Cleveland in his next three starts. That makes him a worthwhile gamble in deeper leagues.
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