Belly Up Sports wishes all a happy Fourth of July! Have a great weekend and take in some ball games and help celebrate America’s pastime. Baseball will reach the midpoint of the season this week. There have been some notable surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant, on the diamond in the first half. Without question, the multitude of player injuries and under performances have plenty of fantasy rosters in need of first aid. Fortunately, there are players on the waiver wire that will help. Join the adventure as we check out this fantasy baseball pickups late June edition.

Chris Flexen, SP, Seattle Mariners, 22.4% Owned

Last week, Chris Flexen was featured as a waiver pickup against the Rockies. His performance strongly suggests he shouldn’t be a streaming option and instead should have a permanent spot on fantasy rosters. Against Colorado, Flexen pitched 6.2 innings and allowed only one run on four hits. Additionally, Flexen struck out six and issued two walks. That is now five straight starts that Flexen has pitched six or more innings. He has two starts of seven innings or later in that stretch.

The Mariners as a team have righted the ship in recent days, especially in their offense. Better bats will mean more chances at a victory for all of Seattle’s pitchers, including Flexen. In fact, Flexen has done well in that category already, with a 6-3 record so far. His ERA is also solid at 3.87. His 50 strikeouts to 14 walks is excellent. He does face the Blue Jays next week, which undoubtedly is a tougher assignment than Colorado at home. However, Flexen has earned his place on a fantasy roster until further notice.

Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers, 39% Owned

Anyone reading these articles on a regular basis will see that Tarik Skubal has been featured in several of these waiver pickup writeups. That will continue to be the case until Skubal gets the attention he should. Any pitcher that takes on the blazing hot Houston Astros and holds them to just on hit in seven innings demands an ownership rate well north of 50 percent. That is exactly what Skubal did Sunday as he allowed a single earned run to Houston while striking out nine. The fact that Skubal didn’t come away with a victory was certainly out of his control.

Skubal has now pitched into the sixth inning or later in three of his last four starts. In addition, Skubal has allowed more than three runs in just two of his last 10 starts. For the season, Skubal is 4-7 with a 4.06 ERA. His record is a little misleading as Skubal lost his first six decisions, but has won four of his last five since. Most impressive, however, is his 94 strikeouts in 77.2 innings. Coming off of that start against Houston is sure to get Skubal noticed by fantasy managers. Make sure to get to the head of the line before the rush begins.

Matt Manning, SP, Detroit Tigers, 11.2% Owned

Without question, this recommendation is not a season long one. At least not yet. As streaming options go, however, Matt Manning lines up as a solid play this week. That is especially true if Skubal above is off the board. As indicated by his ownership percentage, Manning is much more readily available than either Flexen or Skubal. He clearly doesn’t have the name recognition just yet with only two big league starts under his belt. However, those starts demonstrate what kind of pitcher Manning can be.

In those games, Manning has pitched 10.2 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. He earned his first major league win against the Cardinals on Wednesday. He lines up to start against Cleveland this week and the Indians are not firing on all cylinders at the moment. Manning is not a strikeout pitcher with only four so far, but he meets all other criteria for inclusion on a fantasy staff. Detroit’s pitching staff is full of injuries and Manning will be on the roster for the foreseeable future. His availability clinches his place on this baseball pickups late June edition.

Chad Green, RP, New York Yankees, 14.5% Owned

The Yankees have been inconsistent this season, and that is putting it mildly. However, their bullpen has been one of the best in the majors. In fact, New York leads all of baseball in relief war at 3.8 so far in 2021. One of the biggest reasons for that has been the work of Chad Green. Unfortunately for Green and the other Yankee relievers, Boston swept them this weekend. There wasn’t much work for the pen. However, that doesn’t detract from the kind of season that Green has had to this point.

Green hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last six appearances. In fact, Green has allowed a runner to score in only one of his last ten trips to the mound. For the season, Green is 2-4 with a tidy 2.39 ERA and an even better 0.80 WHIP. He has two saves and 10 holds and averages a strikeout per inning. In leagues that count holds, Green would be extremely valuable. New York is sure to get their act together at some point and the stats for their relievers will surely climb. If relief help is needed on the roster, Green fits the bill.

Josh Harrison, 2B/3B, Washington Nationals, 23.1% Owned

It is certainly come to the notice of everyone in baseball that the Washington Nationals have played extremely well of late. Their offense has come alive and one of the reasons for that is Josh Harrison. While not getting the press that Kyle Schwarber has gotten, Harrison’s bat has been pretty hot as well. In fact, Harrison is currently on a seven game hitting streak. He has had two hits in each of his last two games. Harrison doesn’t hit many home runs, but he keeps the hits coming.

For the year, Harrison is hitting .275 with an excellent .352 on base percentage. He has 11 doubles, which shows he does have some power. Except for a two game stretch over a week ago, Harrison keeps the strikeouts to a minimum. That is important in points leagues. Any fantasy manager with needs at the infield position would do well to give Harrison a thorough look over. Undoubtedly, he can help a team.

Luis Arraez, 2B/3B/OF, Minnesota Twins, 19.6% Owned

There aren’t many players that have the versatility that Luis Arraez has. There are even fewer that have the availability he does. That quality is always well and good, but what of the bat? Arraez checks that box, as well. He did not have a hit on Sunday, but still managed to drive in a run. Even though he was kept off the bases by the Indians, Arraez has hits in eight of his last ten games. Over the past week, Arraez is hitting .333 with two doubles, two triples, six RBIs and four runs scored.

That stat line qualifies Arraez as hot, no? If that isn’t convincing enough, how about that Arraez has had two or more hits three times in his last six games, including Friday? The Twins have been one of the biggest disappointments of the first half, but it looks like they might turn things around. Entering Monday’s play, Minnesota has won seven of their last ten.

Further, their offense has scored seven or more runs in four of their last five games. Without question, Arraez has been a big part of that. He is widely available and has the versatility many managers are looking for. Arraez is one of the biggest recommendations on this fantasy baseball pickups mid June edition.

Luis Urias, 2B/3B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers, 21.2% Owned

Lo and behold, there is another player that has versatility, availability and a solid bat in the world. He happens to have the same first name as the player above. Of course, that would be Luis Urias. Entering Monday’s play, Urias has a 10 game hitting streak. He recently had a stretch of two hits in three straight games. On Saturday, Urias had two RBIs and a run scored against Colorado.

His power has gone out a bit with only one homer in his last 14 games. However, he is playing every day and does a bit of everything for the Brewers. For the season, Urias is hitting .236-8-34. The eight homers shows he does have some power, even if he hasn’t flashed it recently. In addition, Urias has 12 doubles and a triple. He can help a team in many different areas and is almost guaranteed to have a spot on a fantasy roster every day. His versatility and availability make Urias a big time add this week.

Steven Duggar, OF, San Francisco Giants, 16.2% Owned

Last week, Steven Duggar was featured as an excellent option to managers needing outfield help. On Wednesday against the Angels, Duggar demonstrated exactly why that is true. In that game, Duggar had three hits, three RBIs, scored a run and stole a base. That kind of all around performance could be used on anyone’s roster. Entering the weekend series against Oakland, Duggar had two or more hits in four of the last seven Giant games.

The A’s didn’t do much to slow Duggar down, either. After a day off Friday, Duggar had a hit each on Saturday and Sunday. He also drove in two runs, scored twice and stole a base. For the season, Duggar is hitting a robust .326 with six homers and 24 RBIs. He has an OBP of .400 and a slugging percentage of .574. Over the past seven days, Duggar is hitting a blistering .417 with a sky high .564 OBP.

Everything has gone the Giants’ way so far in 2021 and Duggar has been a big part of their success. There is no reason to believe that will change anytime soon. Any manager having outfield issues should run, not walk, to the waiver wire and select Duggar before he is gone.

Johnny Cueto, SP, San Francisco Giants, 35% Owned

Perhaps adding someone from the Giants’ offense isn’t a priority. If that is the case, one of their pitchers will fill the need. Many fantasy managers have forgotten just how good a pitcher Johnny Cueto can be. That should no longer be the case after his start against Oakland on Friday. In that game, Cueto pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits. He also struck out six and walked only one. That was the second straight start that Cueto has gone at least six innings.

In addition, Cueto has won his last two starts during which his WHIP has been 1.00 or better. He is 6-3 on the season with an excellent 3.63 ERA. Cueto is not a strikeout pitcher, but he checks all the other boxes that a manager is looking for. At the very least, Cueto makes for an outstanding streaming option this week. The reason is his opponent is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Everyone is aware of the free fall that team has been in for the last month. Cueto lines up for a great chance at pitching late into the game and coming away with a win. If not for the season, Cueto lines up as a must add this week at the very least.

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball pickups late June edition! As always, input and suggestions are welcome from all of my readers. Have other players to include? Disagree with the selections? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Picks for all the latest MLB and sports news!

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