As the last days of June fly bye, the half way mark of the baseball season is swiftly approaching. Every fantasy manager, in contention of not, have had multiple players on the injured list or are falling way short of expectations. Without question, there are both pitchers and hitters that have to be replaced. Of course, this is where the waiver wire comes in. The mystery of who managers should pick up can be solved with this fantasy baseball must adds week twelve edition. Let’s take a look!

Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers, 35% Owned

Last week, Tarik Skubal was the first player listed for pickup off waivers. His last start demonstrated that he needs to be at the top of the list again and his ownership percentage is way too low. Facing the Royals on the road, Skubal pitched his third quality start in his last four. He gave up three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Skubal allowed two home runs, which equaled his total from his four previous starts. This means the long ball is not a problem for him if that was a concern. Additionally, he won his third straight decision.

The hesitancy on the part of fantasy managers to add Skubal is hard to understand. While it is true the Tigers are one of the worst teams in baseball, that has not affected Skubal in the last month. He has clearly shown that he can stare down the top offenses in the American League, having faced the White Sox twice in his previous starts.

Perhaps it is his 4-7 record. That is largely due to Skubal losing the first six decisions this season. To his credit, Skubal put that disastrous stretch behind him. He is scheduled to face the Royals again this week. Kansas City is not playing well right now and Skubal needs to be on rosters throughout the land. Fantasy managers, make it happen.

Jonathan Loaisiga, SP/RP, New York Yankees, 17.6% Owned

Like Skubal above, Jonathan Loaisiga was featured in last week’s edition. And like Skubal, Loaisiga has done nothing to shake the confidence that was placed in him. In fact, his performance has been nothing short of spectacular for over a month now. In his last 15 appearances spanning 20 innings, Loaisiga has allowed a grand total of a single run, which was unearned. He pitches more than an inning half the time, which he did Sunday. Most importantly. he provides all the relief stats a fantasy manager could possibly look for.

Loaisiga provides victories with seven. In leagues that has holds as a category, he is even more valuable as he has nine. Additionally, he has two saves. His ERA on the season is 1.63. However, as indicated above, his ERA since May 7 is 0.00. He has 31 strikeouts in 38.2 innings and his WHIP is an excellent 0.96. All managers looking for relief help need to rush to the wire and pick up Loaisiga without delay.

Chris Flexen, SP, Seattle Mariners, 11.3% Owned

The Seattle Mariners haven’t been hitting the ball well this season, but their pitchers have been decent. After this weekend’s play, Seattle is ninth in the American League in ERA. One of their pitchers that is trying to bring that lower is Chris Flexen. His last start on June 15 shows what Flexen is capable of. Against Minnesota, Flexen pitched eight shut out innings, allowing just four hits while striking out eight without a walk.

Managers looking for consistency get it with Flexen, as he has gone six innings or longer in his last four starts. Ever since the Padres lit him up for eight runs on ten hits, Flexen has turned his season around. In his last four appearances, eight runs total is what Flexen has allowed. For the season, Flexen is 6-3 with a 4.12 ERA. He will face the Rockies at home this week. Colorado loses all of its hitting mojo while on the road, making this a plus matchup for Flexen.

Adam Duvall, OF, Miami Marlins, 34% Owned

Even after going 0-4 Sunday, the only hitter in the majors hotter than Adam Duvall right now is Rhys Hoskins. Since Hoskins is not available in any league in the land, Duvall provides a nice fall back position. The excitement began Friday when Duvall homered twice. However, he wasn’t any where near finished. Saturday was more of the same with two more home runs. In those two games, Duvall was 5-8 with the homers, 10 RBIs and six runs scored. Not a bad output, yes?

Those two games were not an outlier, either. Duvall came into that weekend series against the Cubs with hits in seven of his previous nine games. Everyone is well aware of how streaky Duvall can be. His .216 batting average attests to that. However, he can and does streak in the other direction just as easily. Owner needing outfield help should jump on the Duvall express while it is at super speed. Duvall has definitely earned his place on this fantasy baseball must adds week twelve edition.

Jake Odorizzi, SP, Houston Astros, 19.9% Owned

Adding a starting pitcher from the Astros can be tricky business as they have more candidates than rotation slots. That should not deter owners from adding Jake Odorizzi, at least for tonight’s start. Odorizzi will be taking on Baltimore on the road and the Orioles are one of baseball’s worst teams. After coming out of the bullpen in his last appearance against Texas, Odorizzi gets the start here.

In that game against the Rangers, Odorizzi pitched four shutout innings, allowing just two hits. He also struck out three and didn’t issue a walk. For the season, Odorizzi is an unimpressive 1-3 with an equally ugly 5.68 ERA, although his WHIP is a decent 1.18. Managers looking at this recommendation should be aware this isn’t meant to be a season long add. At least not yet.

He will have to demonstrate he can pitch well enough and has earned a permanent spot in the rotation before that happens. However, pitching against Baltimore is reason enough for him having a roster spot in the short term.

J. P. Crawford, SS, Seattle Mariners, 26.1% Owned

Unquestionably, J. P. Crawford is swinging a monster bat, equal to any of his contemporaries at the shortstop position. Crawford left the weekend with an eight game hitting streak. Included in that total were three games with two or more hits. He has hit three of his five home runs in the month of June. Saturday was Crawford’s highlight day of the season as he hit a grand slam that got things off and running against Tampa Bay.

Being in the lead off spot for the Mariners suits Crawford just fine. Entering that Saturday game, he was hitting .346 at the top of the lineup this season. The month of June has certainly agreed with Crawford, as he is hitting .364 since leaving May behind. For the season, Crawford is hitting .281-5-29. If his fellow Mariner teammates can finally start hitting, the sky is the limit for Crawford. His ownership percentage won’t be 26% for long, especially now that he has been featured in this fantasy baseball must adds edition.

Steven Duggar, OF, San Francisco Giants, 6.9% Owned

An example of how the San Francisco Giants are doing everything right this season is Steven Duggar. He is as consistent as any hitter in the majors, having compiled a .322 average in May and .327 in June. In addition, he has hits in five of his last seven games. For the season, Duggar is hitting .316-6-19. He can flash speed as well with four steals and hasn’t been caught once.

The most important stat of all, though, is that Duggar has an ownership rate of only around seven percent. Managers in large leagues having outfield issues would do well to check on Duggar sooner rather than later. As with Brandon Belt below, the Giants hit the road this week and any park is a hitting upgrade for San Francisco. Get to the wire today before the pickings are slim once again.

Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants, 17.8% Owned

On the morning of June 14, Brandon Belt simply looked lost at the plate. Belt was in a full scale slump as he had no hits in his previous 16 at bats. Fantasy managers throughout the land were rushing to drop him to waivers, and with good reason. Those who held onto him were rewarded, however. Belt is currently on a seven game hitting streak, resulting in a robust .429 average last week.

Included in that span are the eye popping totals of three homers, three doubles and two triples. Additionally, Belt drove in six runs and scored eight. For the year, Belt is hitting .253-11-27 with a healthy .368 OBP. His home park is not known as a hitter’s paradise, but that didn’t slow down Belt. The Giants hit the road this week, which should make hitting easier for them. Belt’s availability won’t be this low forever. Managers need to act today before he is gone.

Bobby Bradley, DH/1B, Cleveland Indians, 15.7% Owned

One of the best bits of news to come out of the weekend was that Bobby Bradley earned first base eligibility. He had only been eligible at DH before that. Of course, such a designation severely limits his availability to only the utility role. With the designation, however, that is no longer a concern. His bat had earned him a roster spot even before managers could place him at first. Bradley’s ownership rate is sure to soar and managers will want to get in front of the line.

That statement is true even after Pittsburgh kept Bradley off base all weekend. Before that, Bradley had hits in eight of ten games. In just 43 at bats, Bradley has four homers, 11 RBIs and nine runs scored. As a young player, he will surely have his ups and downs. However, there simply aren’t many quality first basemen that are available in many leagues. If Belt above is available, make that move. If he isn’t, managers can take a chance on Bradley if there is a need at first and move on if the move doesn’t pan out.

Other Players Worth a Look:

Hunter Renfroe of the Red Sox has hits in four of his last five games, including two hits in a game twice. He is hitting .300 in his last seven contests.

Ty France may not be available and has a potential wrist problem, but if he cleared to play, he needs a look. France is hitting a blistering .433 over his last eight games.

James Kaprielian may likewise be unavailable in most leagues, but his performance demands managers check the wire. He has won his last two starts and had a 2.84 ERA on the season for Oakland.

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball must adds week twelve 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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