Baseball has reached the four-week mark on the season. Trends, either good or bad, are becoming apparent in fantasy. Several players have seen themselves placed on injured reserve and even more simply aren’t producing on the field. Managers throughout the land are looking to the waiver wire to help heal their rosters. Which players are worthy of a fantasy home, though? Doubtless, this fantasy baseball player pickups week four edition will help solve any roster issue. For everyone’s information, the ownership percentages are taken from ESPN. Without wasting another moment, let’s get right to it!

Top Week Four Position Player Pickups

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS, New York Yankees, 15% Owned

Without question, there are much more notable players on the Yankees roster than Isiah Kiner-Falefa. However, there aren’t many that are swinging as hot a bat as he is at the moment. Since April 14, Kiner-Falefa has hits in 11 of his last 12 starts. Coming into Saturday’s play, he had hits in nine straight games. He is hitting .303 on the season, .313 in the last seven games. His 20 hits rank sixth for shortstops.

The only stat in which he lacks is home runs, as he hasn’t hit any just yet. Even so, Kiner-Falefa isn’t strictly a singles hitter, as he has five doubles. In addition, he has scored 14 runs. Only three shortstops in the league have scored more. Further, he has 11 strikeouts on the season. There are 18 of his peers at the position who have struck out more.

Keeping the Ks low in points leagues is important, as each one is a negative point. The Yankees are surging and Kiner-Falefa will be in the lineup on a regular basis. If a manager has issues at the shortstop position, Kiner-Falefa can definitely help solve them.

Santiago Espinal, 2B/3B, Toronto Blue Jays, 10.9% Owned

Without cheating, raise your hand if you expected that Santiago Espinal would be one of Toronto’s best hitters in the early going. It’s not surprising that there aren’t many hands in the air. However, that is exactly the position that Espinal finds himself in. Entering Saturday’s action, there aren’t many players swinging a hotter bat in all of baseball, let alone Toronto. In his last seven games, he is hitting a robust .375, with nine hits, a homer, four RBIs and three runs scored.

It isn’t just in the last week that Espinal has been special at the plate, though. He began the season with hits in three of his first four games. Wherever one looks at the league leaderboard, Espinal is in view. His 18 hits are in the top three for second basemen. His OBP and slugging are ranked fourth and his 10 RBIs sixth. He has been a mainstay in the Blue Jays’ lineup. There is no more talk of him being in a platoon, as Espinal leads the Majors in games played with 21.

Further, Espinal ranks third on the team leaderboard in exit velocity and barrel rate. He qualifies at both second and third, which only enhances his value. Picking up Espinal can’t be recommended highly enough on this fantasy baseball player pickups week four edition.

Cesar Hernandez, 2B, Washington Nationals, 8.5% Owned

Earlier in the season, Cesar Hernandez was in the Nationals’ leadoff position. While doing so, he produced some unspectacular stats. Last weekend, Washington moved him to the middle of their lineup and Hernandez hasn’t looked back since. Over the past seven games, he is hitting an incredible .423, with 11 hits, three runs, two RBIs and a stolen base. In the last two games, Hernandez has five hits., with two runs and two RBIs.

Since April 23, he has had four multi-hit games. His OBP, slugging and OPS have all surged since the batting order shift. As long as the Nationals keep him in the middle of the lineup, Hernandez will provide worthy stats for his managers.

His hard-hit rate has risen to fourth on the team. Fortunately, his ownership percentage is low at the moment. It may not stay that way for long. If 2B is in a crisis on the roster, Hernandez can provide the necessary first aid.

Daniel Vogelbach, 1B/DH, Pittsburgh Pirates, 7.7% Owned

While the Pittsburgh Pirates started the season well, they have collapsed of late. Fortunately, for Daniel Vogelbach and his owners, his bat hasn’t followed suit. In fact, few hitters are as locked in at the plate right now than he is. Entering play on Saturday, Vogelbach has hits in nine of his last ten games. He has been incredibly consistent so far this season, hitting .311 for the year and .316 in his last seven. Further, he has two hit games in two of his last four.

Vogelbach hasn’t left out the other stats, either. He has three homers and three doubles among his 19 hits and has scored 10 runs. His OBP of .373, slugging percentage of .508 and OPS of .841 are among the best at the first base position. Vogelbach is in the lineup on a regular basis, having played in 11 of the last 12 Pittsburgh games. There are 16 first sackers who have more strikeouts. His barrel rate is first on the team and his exit velocity second.

The first base position isn’t particularly deep this season. If a manager is having an issue at 1B, Vogelbach can step in and provide healing. He certainly gets a high recommendation on this fantasy baseball player pickups edition.

Brandon Marsh, OF, Los Angeles Angels, 32% Owned

It is a fact that Brandon Marsh may not be available in a lot of leagues at the moment. However, all managers would do themselves a disservice to not at least check if he is on their league’s waiver wire. Even after a hitless Friday, Marsh been on absolute fire. The White Sox held Marsh without a knock for the first time in his last 10 starts. Cleveland didn’t have the same luck, however. Marsh had a hit in all three games he played against them, including three on Thursday.

Even though Marsh only has two homers on the year, he has driven in 15 runs. That total leads a team that includes such names as Trout, Ohtani and Ward. It should give managers confidence that he will have some outstanding overall stats when all is said and done hitting in a lineup like that. As if all of the above wasn’t enough, Marsh also stole a base in two consecutive games this week.

His hard hit and barrel rates aren’t yet where his teammates are just yet, but that will come. Once that happens, there is no chance Marsh will be available. It is best to act today and bring him home.

Top Week Four Pitcher Pickups

Michael Wacha, SP, Boston Red Sox, 18.2% Owned

Whenever a pitcher goes up against the Blue Jays and pitches well, the world needs to take notice. Such is the case with Michael Wacha. However, that one game isn’t Wacha’s only calling card this season. He has made four starts in 2022 and has allowed a grand total of four earned runs. He has won his last two decisions, one each against Tampa and Toronto. The six innings he went on Wednesday was the first time he has gone beyond five this season. There is every reason to believe that he can keep that up.

Take a look at the stat arrows for Wacha and it is clear they are pointing up. His 1.77 ERA and 0.93 WHIP are among the best in the league. He has walked at least two batters in each of his starts and will need to bring that under control. If he does so, it is clearly possible that Wacha could turn into one of 2022’s best pitchers. His 17 strikeouts in 20.1 innings show he can throw it by a batter when he needs to and is right in line with last year’s ratio.

Wacha has the Angels up next on Tuesday. If he pitches well against Trout and company, his ownership percentage will shoot through the roof. Being ready to make a move to get him before that happens is a clear recommendation on this fantasy baseball player pickups edition.

Cole Irvin, SP, Oakland A’s, 15.7% Owned

There are few pitchers who have been as consistent in the early going as Cole Irvin. Coming out of Saturday’s start, Irvin has pitched a minimum of five innings in every outing. After giving up seven runs in his first two starts, Irvin has allowed only two earned in his last three. Truthfully, facing Baltimore and Texas is nothing to write home about. However, he faced Cleveland his last time out, and they have been one of the better hitting teams in baseball.

There are no concerns to report for Irvin, however, as he pitched six innings, allowed one run on six hits. The Oakland offense was missing Saturday, and Irvin didn’t come away with the victory. He does have two wins on the season, though, and his quality pitching has provided his managers with plenty of fantasy points. In fact, Irvin has provided double digits in points in every start since his first.

The only possible negative in his game is that he isn’t a strikeout pitcher, having only 18 in 27.2 innings. That is offset by the fact that he has not walked more than two batters in any start, the biggest reason for his excellent 1.16 WHIP. In addition, Irvin has an outstanding 49.4 percent ground ball rate, meaning he keeps the ball in the park. No question, Irvin is a quality, available pitcher and managers should have no issue with adding him to their rosters.

Adrian Houser, SP, Milwaukee Brewers, 10.3% Owned

When looking over the Milwaukee Brewers’ roster, Adrian Houser is not the star of their pitching staff. If Houser continues to pitch as well as he has, however, that will have to change, and soon. His last three starts have seen him pitch into the sixth inning. That alone is enough to get fantasy manager’s mouths watering. That’s not all, however. Coming out of his Friday start against the Cubs, Houser has a 2.53 ERA to go with an excellent 1.17 WHIP.

His WHIP would be much better if he didn’t have ten walks in his 21.1 innings pitched. Clearly, he will have to get that under control to truly be an above average pitcher. Every other stat, though, shows that Houser has arrived. After starting the season 0-2, he has won his last two games. Both of those were quality starts. Any fantasy league that uses that stat will love a pitcher like Houser. He has yet to give up a long ball and keeps the hits to a minimum.

The biggest reason for recommending Houser on this fantasy baseball player pickups hasn’t even been discussed, though. He faces the Cincinnati Reds at home on Thursday, The Reds are the worst team in the Majors in the early going and they won’t be at home. Houser and the lucky manager that grabs him will be quite pleased as midnight approaches Friday. One of the top recommendations on this fantasy baseball player pickups is don’t be left behind and get on the Houser train today.

Brad Keller, SP, Kansas City Royals, 22.5% Owned

Admittedly, finding a pitcher that can longer in a game than five innings in today’s game is a difficult task. Fortunately, there is a readily available pitcher on the market that has pitched seven innings in two of his last three starts. Surprisingly, that pitcher is Brad Keller. He did it against the Tigers and White Sox, allowing three earned on six hits, striking out eight and walking two. Keller has pitched at least six innings in three of his four starts this season.

Anyone looking at his win-loss record wouldn’t figure he has pitched all that well, as he is 0-2. His other stats, though, line up with the best, pitching to a 2.77 ERA and a microscopic 0.77 WHIP. That last stat happens to be sixth in baseball. The fact that he has walked all of two hitters in those four starts is no doubt the power behind that sterling statistic. Further, Keller’s batting average against, (.165), is seventh best.

The really good news is that Keller is owned in less than 25 percent of leagues. He pitches Tuesday against the Cardinals. If he continues to pitch this well, the wins will come, and his ownership percentage will rise. Don’t get left out in the cold. Add Keller today.

Madison Bumgarner, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks, 23% Owned

Newcomers are all the rage in baseball at the moment. Don’t lose sight of one of the best veteran pitchers around, however. Of course, that pitcher is Madison Bumgarner. In his last four starts, Bumgarner has gone five innings in each. While that is nothing to get too excited about, it is the current standard in today’s game. In fact, his 23 innings are right in line with some of the best pitchers, such as Lopez, Rodon and Cease. In those starts, Bumgarner has allowed just two earned runs on 14 hits.

Even better, he has walked just one in his last two trips to the mound. For the season, Bumgarner is 1-1 with an exquisite 1.17 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. His ERA is fourth in all of baseball. Pitching for the Diamondbacks may make getting wins a challenge, but consistency does count for a lot. Bumgarner delivers that in spades, as he has delivered 15 or more fantasy points in his last two starts. If there aren’t many options on the wire, Bumgarner can help a manager get through the tough times. Make the move!

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball player pickups week four edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Agree or disagree with any of the selections? Have players to add? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and all the latest sports news!