Rotoworld’s brand-new Pickups of the Day column is designed to help fantasy managers uncover a handful of widely-available targets over the course of the season. It could be a breakout candidate, 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 find it and bring it your way.
In today’s column, we’re going to look at a crafty right-hander that has worked his way back into mixed-league viability and a recent top prospect that was called up without the pomp and circumstance over the weekend.
PICKUPS OF THE DAY
Kyle Hendricks, SP, Cubs
Available in 67 percent of Yahoo leagues
Don’t look now folks, but it appears that Kyle Hendricks is back to being a mixed-league relevant starting pitcher. No one was really expecting much when the 33-year-old hurler returned from the injured list on May 25, but he has been nothing short of outstanding through his first six starts. He has compiled a stellar 2.60 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and an 18/9 K/BB ratio across 34 2/3 innings of work.
We all know that strikeouts have never been his thing, and he shouldn’t be counted on to be a factor in that category this time around either. But when Hendricks has been at his best in the past, he has been a reliable source of terrific ratios with the ability to rack up wins. Even without the strikeouts, that still has value in today’s game – especially for someone who’s readily available on most waiver wires as a streaming option.
Hendricks draws a solid matchup against the Phillies at home on Thursday before finishing his first half of the season with a two-start week at the Brewers and at the Yankees next Sunday. He’s someone who is worth paying attention to.
Nick Gonzales, 2B, Pirates
Available in 99 percent of Yahoo leagues
We’re really digging deep on this one, with a player that is rostered in only one percent of all Yahoo leagues at the moment – Pirates’ rookie infielder Nick Gonzales.
The 24-year-old – who got the surprise call-up to the big leagues over the weekend – was the seventh overall selection from the 2020 draft class. He didn’t exactly light the world on fire at Triple-A Indianapolis this season, but he did slash a respectable .257/.370/.450 with six homers and 27 RBI – and a 75/35 K/BB ratio – over 262 plate appearances.
He entered the 2022 season as a consensus top-50 prospect in all of baseball, but fell out of the top-100 heading into 2023 after a down year at Double-A Altoona in 2022. The talent is there though, and perhaps it will shine through on the game’s biggest stage.
After going hitless in each of his first two big league contests, Gonzales got off the schneid on Tuesday night – going 2-for-4 and crushing his first big league home run in a victory over the Padres. He then collected another hit and scored his fourth run on Wednesday evening.
He’s not going to be the game-changing type of addition that is going to win you a fantasy league, but in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats, Gonzales will absolutely have value. The Pirates have no reason to not play him everyday to see what he can do, and it shouldn’t take him long to land a spot in the middle of the lineup. Combine that with second base – and likely soon-to-be shortstop eligibility as well – and you have the makings of a nice depth piece at the end of your roster that’s capable of filling in and adding value. And that’s the low-end of his possible outcomes. There’s also a small chance that everything clicks for him at the big league level and he just takes off from here – in which case you get to sit back and enjoy the ride.
