As we come down to the last week of the regular season in Major League Baseball and fantasy leagues, hopefully you are in a position to win or place in your league or you might be looking for a keeper to pick up for next year. This week’s waiver wire recommendations has a little of both to help those in contention and those who might be looking to bolster their roster for seasons in the future. All players on this list are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues with stats as of September 22.
Justin Bour, 1B, Miami Marlins
Bour spent a lengthy stretch on the DL before returning earlier this month. Even though the long-term oblique injury derailed a breakout season, Bour has still taken a step forward by hitting .297 with 24 homers and 74 RBI across 345 at-bats. He has set career bests in home runs and RBI. He has continued to hit will after his DL stint and should be a strong fantasy asset over the season’s final week.
CRUSHED IT!@bour41's career-high 24th dinger brings home three, and we're back to a tie!#LetsGoFish pic.twitter.com/Xa7CHQqMdC
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 23, 2017
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, New York Yankees
In the month of September, Ellsbury owns a slash line of .429/.543/.625 in his first 72 plate appearances with seven doubles, two triples, 13 walks, 17 runs, five stolen bases, and six RBI. While he is hitting this well the Yankees have no choice but to consider him as an everyday lineup fixture so playing time should not be an issue in the crowded New York outfield.
Jeimer Candelario, 3B, Detroit Tigers
When he was traded by the Cubs to the Tigers a couple of months ago, Candelario was rated by MLB.com as the Cubs’ best prospect and entered the Tigers’ system at No. 3. Even though the Tigers have not been playing well as of late, Candelario has been producing, as he’s now got a .294/.385/.471 slash line. Candelario could be valuable for fantasy owners down the stretch, owners should pay extra attention in keeper and dynasty formats, as the top prospect looks to be settling in nicely in Detroit’s lineup.
https://twitter.com/HookSlide23/status/911285451943809025
Jake Odorizzi, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Odorizzi has now allowed just three earned runs in 16.1 innings in his last three starts. He has recorded 17 strikeouts over those last three games and 114 on the year with a 1.18 WHIP. He is scheduled to face the Orioles in his last two starts with the latter at home likely slated for Friday.
Mike Leake, SP, Seattle Mariners
It would be easy to forget about Leake after the Cardinals traded him out west to the Seattle Mariners. That might not be a good idea. Leake is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts since arriving Aug. 30 from St. Louis. And for Leake’s sake, we won’t post his numbers while a Cardinal and focus just on what he has done as a Mariner in the month of September. In addition to the ERA, he has posted a 1.07 WHIP and 22:2 K:BB in 25.3 September innings. He is scheduled to start Sunday and could pitch again either next Saturday or Sunday.
Mike Leake's night is done and he delivered another strong outing for the Mariners. #BringIt #GoMariners
⚾ | 6.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. pic.twitter.com/9v18pyLcgg
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 20, 2017
Robert Gsellman, SP, New York Mets
Unfortunately, Gsellman has not been the same pitcher this season that many saw the last month and a half of 2016 when he turned heads and helped lead the Mets to the Wild Card. Before his less than impressive recent outing against the Nationals, Gsellman surrendered only an unearned run on three hits in his best performance of the season on September 17. If he can return to 2016 form, he would be an intriguing pickup in keeper and dynasty leagues as he continues in trying to impress manager Terry Collins and the Mets front office and earn a rotation spot for 2018.