Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Red-hot Ryan McMahon among key hitter pickups for Week 12
The Boston Red Sox traded the only remaining member of their 2018 World Series team, Rafael Devers, to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night. That's a serious move for the Giants, who have the fifth-best record in the National League. If you're like the Giants and want to bolster your squad, here are five hitters to pick up in fantasy baseball in Week 12.
Ryan McMahon - 3B, Colorado Rockies (29% rostered)
Adding McMahon is more of a matchup and schedule play in the latter part of the week, with Colorado hosting the Diamondbacks over the weekend. McMahon is feasting at home, slashing .291/.426/.544 in 32 games this season. He was a top-30 player in Week 11 after hitting .316 and belting three homers with five runs and five RBI. If you want to wait to pick him up for the Rockies' homestand, that makes sense. However, don't sleep on the fact that he's swinging a hot bat right now.
Sal Frelick - OF, Milwaukee Brewers (30% rostered)
Frelick is putting together a strong campaign with his high contact rate and speed on the bags. I'd add him immediately if you are looking for an outfielder who is batting near .300 and well on track to shatter his previous high of 18 stolen bases in a season. Over the past month, Frelick has been a top 50 player in fantasy, collecting 13 runs, two dingers, 16 RBI, six stolen bases and batting .327. With matchups against the Cubs and Twins this week, he should see plenty of ABs with no lefties scheduled to take the mound.
Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays (39% rostered)
The catcher market is bleak, with Cal Raleigh as the only catcher ranking in the top 100 in fantasy through Monday. Kirk is performing like a top-10 catcher however, which means he should be rostered as such. Over the past two weeks, he's batting .370, amassing six runs, two homers and eight RBI. His Baseball Savant page is a sea of red, and with Kirk hitting so well, it's no surprise he's bouncing between the three and five spots in the batting order. As long as he's on a heater, fantasy managers need to take notice and pick him up.
J.P. Crawford - SS, Seattle Mariners (20% rostered)
The leadoff man for the Mariners crushed the fifth grand slam of his career on Sunday, and what better time than celebrating his first Father's Day? It wasn't just yesterday's performance, though, as Crawford's been consistently hitting all season, slashing .296/.411/.413 through 68 games. Sure, the grand salami fueled his jump to a top 30 player in Week 10, closing out the week with a homer, five RBI, two runs and two stolen bases. Outlier week or not, his plate discipline has been exceptional, pacing over the 90th percentile for chase and walk rates. So, if you're looking to improve your batting average or on-base percentage, Crawford is worth adding.
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Max Muncy - 2B/3B/SS, Athletics (8% rostered)
Being at the bottom tier of the MLB standings has its perks when it comes to developing young players. Despite the bad record, the Athletics are producing a top-10 offense in June. Muncy, the Athletics' seventh-ranked prospect, is maturing quickly since being called up and is thriving in the fifth spot in the order. The underlying metrics aren't favorable, but he's been producing at the dish, ranking 84th over the past two weeks. The recent power surge is driving his rise up the ranks, slashing .244/.262/.537 over the past 10 games. He has four homers and 11 RBI in that span, and while his sprint speed is pacing well above league average, more steals would elevate his appeal beyond a short-term steamer. Muncy's positional versatility also enables you to plug him into three spots in your lineup.
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