Stone Garrett, OF, Nationals
Available in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues
With the Nationals out of the playoff picture, they seem to be relishing the spoiler role in the season’s final months. They are 12-6 in August. During that time, they swept the Reds and Athletics and won a series over the Phillies and Red Sox. Why have they been so successful? Stone Garrett’s breakout season.
Garrett signed a one-year contract with the Nationals this winter and has been white-hot at the plate lately. Over his last 30 games, he is hitting .300/.379/.563 with four homers and 17 RBI across 96 plate appearances. At the beginning of the season, Garrett was platooning with veteran outfielder Corey Dickerson but moved into a full-time role after Washington cut ties with Dickerson on August 4. Garrett has an intriguing skill set. He brings power (112.5 MPH Max EV) with speed (90-foot sprint times in the 81st percentile). While he has only swiped three bags this season, there is a possibility he will take advantage of opposing batteries down the stretch. Very few players have this amount of potential left on the waiver wire this time of year.
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Ji Hwan Bae, 2B, OF, Pirates
Available in 88 percent of Yahoo leagues
Bae returned to the Pirates’ active roster over the weekend after spending a month and a half on the injured list with a left ankle sprain. While he doesn’t have much in the way of power, he does bring plenty of stolen bases to the table. He has swiped 20 bags this season, and his 20 percent stolen base attempt rate (stolen bases/stolen base opportunities) is far and away above the league average of six percent.
In the four games the Pirates have played since his return, he has led off in three of them and against both lefties and righties. With Henry Davis landing on the injured list with a right-hand strain on Monday, Bae has even more opportunities to play. The Pirates have one of the busiest schedules for the next few weeks, with 19 games over the next 21 days. They face the Cubs, Royals, and the Cardinals twice over that stretch. Outside of lefty Justin Steele, there is no pitcher you fear in those starting rotations. It is rare to find a reliable leadoff hitter on the waiver wire. Sure, he plays for the Pirates, and their offense ranks 21st in wRC+ over the last 30 days, but Bae is an excellent player to take a flyer on if you are looking for a player to stream for the next couple of weeks.
