Albert Pujols hit his 600th-career home run in style on Saturday night when he delivered a grand slam to help propel the Los Angeles Angels to a victory over the Minnesota Twins. It was a special moment for Pujols and his family under the bright lights in Anaheim and it definitely provided a spark for fantasy owners that were relying on him for another strong performance this past week. Meanwhile, it isn’t just the big names that are coming off strong weeks with a number of names that have been good enough of late to make them worth adding in fantasy baseball leagues. Here is a look at the best MLB fantasy waiver wire picks for this week.
1B: Lucas Duda, New York Mets
Duda has been absolutely on fire over the past couple of weeks and there is no reason to expect him to slow down. Duda has hit .353 with a 1.215 OPS over the last 14 days. He has hit six home runs with 14 RBI and nine runs over that span. This isn’t the first time that the veteran slugger has flashed his power ability. While there might be a window for him to continue to produce at a high level the reality is that there are a number of quality first basemen that have surprised with their consistently high level of play all season including Ryan Zimmerman and Mark Reynolds. Duda might not be in the same category as those two sluggers but he is absolutely on fire right now and he is definitely worth owning. Duda is ranked fourth among all fantasy hitters over the last two weeks.
1B, OF: Gerardo Parra, Colorado Rockies
Speaking of hitters that have been absolutely on fire over the past couple of weeks, Parra has been a top-20 hitter over that span. The veteran outfielder has hit .457 with two home runs, 14 RBI and eight runs over the last 14 days. His 1.218 OPS is just slightly higher than Duda’s over that span. The Rockies offense is absolutely loaded and as long as Parra continues to hold his own he should register solid peripherals. His dual-position eligibility in fantasy baseball leagues could make him even more valuable as a waiver wire addition.
SP: C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees
Miami Marlins starter Edinson Volquez was a popular waiver wire option following his no-hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. However, Sabathia might actually be the better option. Sabathia is scheduled for a tough start against the Boston Red Sox this week so you might not want to pick him up for that start. However, Sabathia has been awesome over the last month. He has posted a 2.67 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and an 8.31 K/9 over that span while earning a win in four straight starts. Sabathia will still have his good and bad starts over the course of the entire season but his consistency over the last 30 days makes him an intriguing option on the waiver wire right now.
1B, 3B, OF: Danny Valencia, Seattle Mariners
Valencia has been on an absolute tear over the past week with a .519 average and a 1.274 OPS over the last seven days of action. Valencia has just one home run over that span so it’s not like he offers much in terms of power. However, Valencia has hit 10 RBI and scored eight runs over his last five games alone. That includes a pair of three-run games over which he went 7-for-7 against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. Valencia is now hitting .283 on the season. With Jean Segura and Nelson Cruz out of the lineup, the Mariners could definitely use his sustained high level of production at the plate.
OF: Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels
Pujols isn’t the only hitter in the heart of the Angels lineup that has picked up his production. With Mike Trout on the DL, Calhoun really stepped up this past week with some solid production. Calhoun hit .360 with three home runs and five RBI. The lack of talent around him won’t help some of Calhoun’s peripherals but he might be worth grabbing in the short term for as long as he continues to perform at a high level.
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