MLB FAAB Factor: Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

I think it's time we give the Brewers their flowers. Two weeks into August, they own the best record in baseball by 6.5 games and have begun the month with a 12-game winning streak – their second streak of at least 11 wins since the start of July. I don't bring this up just to gloat as a Brewers fan. Okay, maybe a little bit... but I think anybody who frequents these articles can appreciate how they've managed to outperform everybody's expectations this season. Milwaukee, being the smallest MLB market, operates on a pretty tight budget year after year and always has a payroll below the league average. This limits what the Brewers are able to do in free agency, forcing them to rely on their scouting department to scour the market for players who are being passed on by other teams and value them based on their upside/potential rather than pure star power. Sound familiar? A few smart pickups, a bit of luck and maybe a pocket pancake or two, and suddenly you're sitting pretty in first place, whether it be in the National League or your fantasy league. With that, I leave you with a handful of players who could be the ones who will lead you to similar success. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some free burgers to enjoy.

The number in parentheses represents the player's rostership rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

Nolan McLean, New York Mets (10%)

The Mets are set to call up McLean from Triple-A Syracuse to make his MLB debut Saturday against Seattle. He's certainly done more than enough in the minors to earn the call, posting a 2.61 ERA and 1.13 WHIP alongside a 10.1 K/9 over 21 appearances (18 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A this season. With Frankie Montas permanently moving to the bullpen, McLean should be able to make a few starts in the Mets' rotation, and his first trial run will come against a Mariners squad that carries just a .698 OPS since the start of August. FAAB: $2

 Cristian Javier, Houston Astros (24%)

Javier seemed like he was going to have a rough return from Tommy John surgery during his season debut Monday after coughing up a two-run blast in the first inning, but he quickly settled in and kept Boston off the board for the rest of his five-inning start, picking up a win in the process. Of course, predicting how a pitcher will bounce back after TJ surgery isn't an exact science, but between his strong recent showing and his upcoming matchup against a scuffling Orioles offense, Javier's stock is certainly trending upward. FAAB: $2

 Brad Lord, Washington Nationals (3%)

Lord has been extremely effective since moving back into the Nationals' rotation following the All-Star break, turning in a 2.70 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 20 innings across his last four starts. With a 7.4 K/9 on the season, the 25-year-old rookie may not be the answer if you're searching for strikeouts down the stretch. However, he's proven to be very effective when it comes to limiting runs, and his value could increase significantly if he's able to stifle the Phillies' offense Thursday. FAAB: $1

 Nestor Cortes, San Diego Padres (22%)

An early-April elbow strain kept Cortes on the injured list for four months, during which time he was traded from Milwaukee to San Diego. His 5.71 ERA and 1.56 WHIP for the year is still very sore on the eyes, but his two outings as a Padre have gone much better than the pair of starts he made as a Brewer, as he's given up just three runs and struck out nine batters in 9.1 innings since returning from his injury. He's in line to make his next appearance early next week against the Giants (.672 OPS since Aug. 1), which elevates his chances of continuing his upward trend for at least one more start. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros (43%)

The Astros are going to be without star closer Josh Hader for at least the next two weeks while he nurses a shoulder injury, leaving Abreu as the favorite to close games for Houston in the short-term future. The 28-year-old has proven to be more than reliable in high-leverage situations, posting a 1.64 ERA and 1.05 WHIP to go with an 81:25 K:BB through 55 innings while tallying 25 holds. He also registered his first save of the season Wednesday, further strengthening his claim to the interim closer job in H-Town. FAAB: $5

Catcher

 Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets (16%)

Something clicked in Alvarez's mind in June after he was optioned to Triple-A, where he belted 11 homers in a 19-game span to earn a spot back on the active roster to begin the second half. His bat hasn't cooled down much since his return to MLB, as he's slashed .280/.390/.580 with three homers, eight RBI and 10 runs scored over 59 plate appearances in his last 17 games. He's uprooted Luis Torrens as the primary catcher in Queens, and if he continues to mash at his current rate, it'll become hard to believe there was ever a time Alvarez was available in more than 80 percent of leagues. FAAB: $4

 Ben Rice, New York Yankees (31%)

Although Rice hasn't been nearly as productive at the plate as he was when he owned an OPS north of 1.000 in late April, he's also managed to avoid the extreme regression he experienced last season. In his last 13 games, Rice carries a respectable .818 OPS with two home runs, six RBI and two runs scored over 48 plate appearances. This has been good enough for him to establish himself as a regular member of the Yankees' starting lineup and cut into Austin Wells' playing time behind the plate. A recent knee injury to Paul Goldschmidt could force Rice to revert to playing at first base regularly, but now that he's picked up fantasy eligibility at catcher in most leagues, his offensive output just became that much more valuable. FAAB: $2

First Baseman

 Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians (17%)

Manzardo captured a lot of attention after slugging three homers in two games earlier this week, but he's been putting up impressive numbers ever since the second half began. Through 20 games since the break, the 25-year-old slugger has slashed .344/.434/.672 with six homers, 16 RBI and nine runs scored. A bat that hot is likely to continue putting up impressive RBI totals while batting cleanup behind Jose Ramirez, and it helps Manzardo's case that the Guardians are due to face Atlanta (23rd in team ERA) and Arizona (25th) during the upcoming week. FAAB: $3

Second Baseman

 Blaze Alexander, Arizona Diamondbacks (20%)

The month of August has been very kind to Alexander, who has recorded a base hit in 10 of his last 12 contests while slashing .341/.460/.683 with four homers, nine RBI and eight runs scored in 50 plate appearances. The 26-year-old has been starting regularly at third base since the departure of Eugenio Suarez, but he remains stuck batting near the bottom of the D-backs' order despite his recent run. Fortunately, Arizona's offense has remained extremely high-scoring after unloading Suarez and Josh Naylor at the trade deadline, so Alexander's placement in the lineup shouldn't be too much of a hindrance to his counting stats. FAAB: $3

Third Baseman

 Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs (38%)

Shaw started the year as the biggest hole in an otherwise potent Cubs offense. Since the start of the second half, things have flipped completely on their head, and he's become the biggest bright spot on an otherwise miserable Cubs offense. With four home runs in his last six games and eight total since the All-Star break, the 23-year-old infielder now boasts a 1.147 OPS with 16 RBI, 14 runs scored and four steals across his last 22 contests. Shaw's torrid stretch has allowed him to fight off trade deadline acquisition Willi Castro for playing time at third base, and it will be hard for the Cubs to take the former out of the lineup considering how much he's had to carry the team's offense lately. FAAB: $2

 Miguel Andujar, Cincinnati Reds (7%)

Andujar has settled in nicely as Cincinnati's designated hitter since being traded from the Athletics at the trade deadline. The 30-year-old has gone 10-for-27 (.370) through his first 10 games as a Red and has three homers in his last four games, including a grand slam he swatted during Wednesday's 8-0 blowout over Philadelphia. Andujar has only eclipsed the double-digit HR checkpoint once in his career, so he shouldn't be viewed as a power source. His .306 batting average, on the other hand, is much more likely to hold up for the rest of the year, and his RBI totals should get a nice boost from the fact that he's begun batting cleanup regularly for the Reds. FAAB: $1

Shortstop

 Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers (7%)

Ortiz had been struggling to keep his OPS above .500 for the vast majority of the season, but ever since the Brewers began their 12-game winning streak on Aug. 1, the 27-year-old infielder has slashed .391/.440/.543 across 50 plate appearances while driving in 11 RBI, scoring 12 runs himself and swiping two bases. Ortiz still carries just a .617 OPS for the year, but with how dynamic the Brewers' offense has been this month, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up every player you possibly can from this team. FAAB: $1

Outfielder

 Isaac Collins, Milwaukee Brewers (43%)

I suppose you could say Collins has cooled off since I covered him last week, but the fact that a six-game stretch of batting .250 with a walk-off homer off Edwin Diaz, four RBI and six runs scored would be considered "cooling off" just tells you what kind of run the 28-year-old has been on during the second half. Collins' success has jettisoned him into the two-hole of Milwaukee's batting order, which is a great place to be positioned with the Brewers averaging 8.5 runs per game since the beginning of August. FAAB: $5

 Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers (32%)

That's right, another Brewer. This time, one who is batting .360 (9-for-25) since the start of August with a home run (against Paul Skenes), six RBI, nine RBI, a steal and five walks to just three strikeouts. Knee and hamstring issues have kept Frelick on the bench at times during the second half, but when healthy, he's been just as dangerous as any other hitter on Milwaukee's roster. The 25-year-old has also been batting leadoff for the Brew Crew as of late, so he should be the player you go after if you're specifically in need of runs. FAAB: $3

 Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays (14%)

Varsho has been determined to make up for the time he lost while on the injured list in June and July with a hamstring injury. Through nine games in August, he's gone 10-for-31 (.323) with four dingers, 11 ribbies and an additional run scored. With 12 home runs in just 123 at-bats this season, Varsho is one of the premier waiver-wire power options out there, and his 31 RBI aren't too bad either for someone who's been limited to only 33 games. FAAB: $2

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!