Baseball has passed the opening stages of the season and week two has arrived. Even with the year just beginning, several players have landed on the injured list or are simply not performing. Perhaps a dip into the waiver pool is advisable. However, the question of who to pick up most be evaluated. No need to fear as this fantasy baseball top pickups week two is here to help fantasy managers do just that! Let’s crack open the waiver pin and see what delights await. For clarity, all ownership percentages are taken from the ESPN fantasy site.

Top Week Two Position Player Waiver Pickups

Elias Diaz, C, Colorado Rockies, 15% Owned

When it comes to the catching position, the pickings are shallow in fantasy baseball. Fortunately, Elias Diaz is a big fish in the pond. So far in 2022, Diaz has started seven games. He has hits in all of them, including three two hit games. His 10 hits in 29 at bats comes out to a .345 batting average. He also has three doubles, a homer and has driven in four runs.

Of course, a manager wants to have all the Rockies hitters possible when they are playing in Denver on the roster. Thankfully for those owners, Colorado has three home games this week against Philadelphia before hitting the road in Detroit. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of worries on the road for Diaz, however. It’s a small sample size, but Diaz swung the bat well in Texas, going three for eight. As stated, there simply aren’t many quality catchers to be found in fantasy baseball. For the time being, Diaz is one that is widely available. Pick him up and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Ji-Man Choi, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays, 19.2% Owned

When the subject turns to hot hitters, Ji-Man Choi has to go to the top of the list. Despite going 0-3 Sunday against the White Sox, Choi enters play this week with an incredible .455 batting average. He had a six-game hit streak snapped on Easter. Best of all, the hits haven’t all been singles, either, as Choi has three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs.

He began the week with three straight games with at least two hits, with a three-hit game at the end. Like Diaz above, Choi begins the week in a hitter’s heaven, with three games in Wrigley. Of course, Choi won’t hit .455 forever. He will slow down. However, now is the time to get on the express while he is swinging such a hot bat. Choi went from six percent owned to almost 20 percent in just days.

It stands to reason that rate will increase quickly if more base hits keep coming from Choi’s bat. If first base is any kind of a need for a manager, it is of the highest recommendation to pick him up immediately on this fantasy baseball top pickups week two edition.

Seth Beer, DH, Arizona Diamondbacks, 4% Owned

Few, if any, players will ever have an Opening Day performance to remember. Certainly, that is not the case with Seth Beer. With Arizona down to their final inning against San Diego, on beer night no less, Beer blasted a game winning three-run homer. While he hasn’t hit a home run since that night, Beer had a four-game hitting streak last week before going 0-1 Sunday.

Over the past seven days, Beer is hitting exactly .500. He also has driven in two runs and scored twice. With the National League adding the DH as a full time position this season, many fantasy leagues have done the same. Arizona begins the week with four games against the struggling pitching staff of the Washington Nationals. Beer should be in the lineup in all of those games. Managers would certainly do well to add Beer to their lineups for that four-game series, at the very least.

Owen Miller, 1B/2B, Cleveland Guardians, 32.3% Owned

Speaking of hot hitters, it would be unwise to overlook Owen Miller, or just about any hitter on the Cleveland roster right now. It would be equally unwise to wait too much longer for a manager to attempt to pick Miller up off waivers. Miller went from under ten percent owned to over 30 in a manner of days, perhaps hours. That is what happens after a hitter finishes a week with a .500 batting average, two homers, three RBIs and seven runs scored.

Miller went 0-3 Sunday, snapping a six-game hitting streak. In four of those games, Miller had three hits, with two hits coming in the other game. That is as white hot as a hitter can possibly be. Miller didn’t slow down after those four games, either, going three for four in his next two. Add in the multi positional eligibility that Miller has, and it is clear he needs a fantasy home immediately. Don’t waste time debating the issue, check his availability this minute and react accordingly if Miller if he is on the waiver shelf.

Hunter Dozier, 1B/3B/OF/DH, Kansas City Royals, 6.2% Owned

When discussing Hunter Dozier, fantasy managers don’t know exactly what kind of hitter they are going to get if he is claimed. After hitting 26 homers with a league leading 10 triples, in 2019, Dozier has disappeared almost entirely from the planet. He did hit 16 homers a year ago, but only batting .216. However, it looks like Dozier has figured out some things in the early going this season.

Over the past two games, Dozier has five hits, including a home run. Over a seven-game period, Dozier had at least two hits in three of them. He enters the second week hitting .296. After taking Monday off, Kansas City plays in six straight games. Dozier should receive plenty of at-bats in those games. The fact that there aren’t any other players that can match Dozier’s positional eligibility is simply gravy for his fantasy manager.

That in and of itself is enough for him to receive a recommendation on this fantasy baseball top pickups week two edition. It is a given that he is a risky add, but it will be worth it if he swings the bat like he did in 2019. If in a smaller fantasy league, just cut bait if the move doesn’t work out.

Top Week Two Pitcher Waiver Pickups

Hector Neris, RP, Houston Astros, 8.1% Owned

Through his first five appearances of the season, Hector Neris showed he left his old self back in Philadelphia. Neris joined Houston during the offseason and has resurrected himself. In his first five Astros games, Neris came away with two holds and a victory. In addition, Neris struck out four hitters in his last two games. With many fantasy leagues providing points for holds (as they should), as well as saves, Neris is suddenly a valuable commodity.

In his final season with the Phillies, Neris pitched to a 3.63 ERA. For a starter, that stat would work quite well. It doesn’t quite hold up for a reliever, though. Neither does having seven losses or posting just 12 saves on the season. The Astros have shown they know how to get the best out of their pitchers and this marriage looks like a match made in heaven. If relief pitching is a need, Neris goes to the top of this fantasy baseball top pickups week two edition.

Matt Brash, SP, Seattle Mariners, 24.4% Owned

Without doubt, there were plenty of fantasy managers holding their breath last Tuesday. Many picked up Matt Brash off his talent alone. However, with no experience above Double-A to go on, it was clearly a risky move. Brash made his Major League debut against the White Sox and showed that everyone can breathe easy for the time being. Even though he was charged with the loss, Brash pitched extremely well against a lineup that can really swing the bat.

Pitching into the sixth inning in your first start is always a good sign. Brash did exactly that, going 5.1 innings. He allowed two earned runs on four hits while striking out six and walking just one. Any fantasy manager in the world would take a start like that. For certain, they would take Brash’s second start, as well. Pitching against the defending league champion Astros, Brash again went 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on just two hits, while striking out five.

No question, the six walks is worrisome. However, that is the only blemish on Brash’s resume through his first two Major League appearances. Young pitchers are sure to have their ups and downs, but it looks like Brash can keep his time on the downward slope to a minimum. Until he turns in a negative start, fantasy managers are urged to first, add him to the roster, and then continue placing him into the starting lineup.

Merrill Kelly, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks, 26.6% Owned

After seemingly disappearing from the solar system, Merrill Kelly’s whereabouts are no longer a mystery. His first two 2022 starts have announced Kelly’s presence known in a big way. Facing pretty good offensive teams in San Diego and Houston in his first two starts, Kelly didn’t allow a run. In 9.1 innings, Kelly allowed seven hits and four walks. The base on balls were more than you would like to see, but Kelly more than evened that out with 13 strikeouts.

Kelly came into this season not known as a strikeout pitcher. However, he has shown he can punch hitters out this year, as he also had 13 in seven spring innings. The only negative was that Kelly didn’t win either of those first two starts. That is a reflection of the team he is on, not Kelly’ ability.

More than likely, he won’t have the highest of win totals this year. Even so, his other stats should carry his managers to very positive results this summer. No question, Kelly has come out of the shadows to land on this fantasy baseball top pickups week two edition.

Corey Kluber, Tampa Bay Rays, 31.6% Owned

After being nominated as an Opening Day Injury replacement, Corey Kluber has made a certain fantasy contributor look pretty darn good so far in 2022. In his first start against Baltimore, Kluber did not allow an earned run in 4.1 innings, while striking out five. The four walks he issued need to be addressed, but everything else came up roses for the right hander.

His second start was a much tougher assignment, going up against the White Sox. Even so, Kluber pitched well, allowing two earned on four hits in five innings. He did address the walks issue this time around, as he didn’t allow a free pass and added four punchouts.

Certainly, Kluber is the highest owned player, percentagewise on this list. Obviously, he won’t be on the wire for long if he continues to pitch like he as he has. Coming off a 3.83 ERA over 80 innings last season with the Yankees, Kluber looks all the way back from the many injuries he has dealt with in the past. Pitching for a quality team like the Rays certainly helps, too. After pitching well against Chicago, expect big things from Kluber this season.

Jameson Taillon, SP, New York Yankees, 22.8% Owned

Kluber’s former Yankee teammate, Jameson Taillon, also makes an appearance on this fantasy baseball top pickups week two edition. Tallion clearly deserved a better fate than the loss he took against Toronto in his first start. Of course, everyone knows that the Blue Jays can hit a ton. However, Taillon kept New York in the game with an efficient outing, allowing just two runs on three hits and one walk in five innings. The Yankee bats were asleep in that game, though, and New York wound up losing 3-0.

Going up against Baltimore in his second start Saturday didn’t provide Tallion a victory, either. However, that can be blamed on a rain delay earlier in the game. Needing just one more out to qualify for a win, his manager decided to pull Tallion from the game. He wound up going 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with a single walk. It figures that the Yankee bats will get things going sooner rather than later, giving Tallion good chances for a win each time out. He is definitely a pitcher to consider adding from the wire.

Another pitcher to consider:

It is quite possible that Carlos Carrasco isn’t available in most leagues. After his first two starts, though, managers need to check his status and react if he is on the wire. In his start against Washington, Carrasco allowed 1 earned on just two hits, striking out five and walking no one. After his last start against the light hitting Diamondbacks, Carrasco has pitched 10.2 innings, allowing just one earned run, with 13 strikeouts and only two walks. He is a must add if on waivers.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball top pickups week two 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!