Both fantasy and real life baseball has reached the middle of May. There have been a ton of developments that managers need to know. Baseball has seen multiple no hitters and huge displays of hitting. Unfortunately, we have also witnessed plenty of injuries and players not coming close to their preseason expectations. Managers have to make roster moves to stay competitive. Where can one turn for help at times like this? Never fear! This fantasy baseball waiver claims week seven edition is here!

Marwin Gonzalez, 1B/SS/OF, Boston Red Sox, 7.6% Owned

There are simply not many players that offer the versatility that Marwin Gonzalez does. He qualifies at first, shortstop and the outfield and that is a nice combination to have on a fantasy roster. Of course, a player has to hit to make being multi position eligible have any meaning. After a slow start, Gonzalez has done just that, even going so far as taking over the leadoff spot in Boston’s lineup.

Looking at his current stats won’t get anyone excited as Gonzalez is only hitting .218-1-9 with 15 runs scored. After going hitless in four games earlier in the season, however, Gonzalez had a six game hitting streak. When that was broken, he responded with two hits against Oakland. In the last 10 days, Gonzalez has had two or more hits three times. After the weekend, he has hits in three of his last four games. Gonzalez has the leadoff spot to himself and the Red Sox have a potent lineup. He should generate quite a few hits and runs for fantasy managers. He needs a fantasy home. Today.

Niko Goodrum, SS/2B, Detroit Tigers, 11.8% Owned

Without question, there hasn’t been much, if anything, to get excited about this season regarding the Detroit Tigers. Nico Goodrum, however, has stood out so far this season. Even after getting no hits this weekend, Goodrum has a nice combination of four homers and six steals. He is hitting .230 with a .318 OBP and has scored 18 runs. It is his latest work that really shines a bright light on Goodrum, however.

Wednesday saw Goodrum go hitless. That broke a six game hitting streak. That didn’t bother Goodrum, though, as he responded the next day with two hits. To be truly valuable, Goodrum needs to get his strikeouts under control, but that is all the negatives there are to his game. He plays every day and qualifies at both second and short. He can help managers having middle infield problems.

Harrison Bader, OF, St. Louis Cardinals, 19.1% Owned

Since making his season debut on April 30 against Pittsburgh, Harrison Bader has appeared in 16 games to this point. He has hits in 13 of them. Bader has had a four game hitting streak and a five game streak. He had a hit in all three games against San Diego this weekend. Bader is swinging the bat well with only eight strikeouts in 61 plate appearances. For the season, Bader is hitting .283-4-9 with a .361 OBP and an .889 OPS.

Best of all, Bader has started every game for St. Louis since his arrival. His place in the lineup is something that managers can rely on. Any fantasy team that has a hole in their outfield can turn to adding Bader and capably filling it. Being widely available is always a plus and Bader certainly has that. Get to the wire and pick him up today as his inclusion on this fantasy baseball waiver claims edition will surely spike his ownership percentage.

Mike Tauchman, OF, SF Giants, 4% Owned

Since getting traded from the Yankees to the Giants, Mike Tauchman has been a new player. Since arriving in the Bay Area April 28, Tauchman has been a fixture in the Giants’ outfield. He has played 16 games thus far for San Francisco and has hits in ten of them. He announced himself in a big way in his first game with three hits. In addition, Tauchman has scored 12 runs.

An absolutely miserable start in New York has torpedoed his season stats to this point. Nothing about .208-2-7 will get fantasy managers running to the wire, to be sure. It would be wise to ignore what Tauchman did in a Yankee uniform, however, and focus on what has happened the past two weeks or so. That is especially true if another owner has already claimed Bader. Tauchman is extremely available and it would be a solid move to claim him before the stampede begins.

Cole Irvin, SP, Oakland A’s, 34.7% Owned

Pop quiz time- who here can claim they were familiar with Cole Irvin before the season began? How about a month ago? No hands are showing. It is very clear that managers have heard of him now, however. His ownership percentage is shooting to the moon and anyone with pitching woes would do well to pick him up immediately. For the season, Irvin is 3-4 with a 3.02 ERA and a terrific 1.073 WHIP. He also has 39 strikeouts in 47.2 IP.

Irvin has really come on since early April. In his first two starts of the season, Irvin allowed four runs in each of them. Since then, however, he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any appearance and that was in only one start. In his other starts, Irvin has surrendered only five earned in 32 innings. He has also pitched into the sixth inning or later in every start except his first. It is safe to say that Irvin has become a fixture in the Oakland rotation. There is no question he would look great on any manager’s roster and the leading pitcher on this fantasy baseball waiver claims edition.

Yusei Kikuchi, SP, Seattle Mariners, 34% Owned

Any discussion regarding pitchers that have come into their own in recent weeks must include Yusei Kikuchi. There were two starts last month in which Kikuchi gave up five earned runs in each. Since then, however, he has allowed six earned total. After getting knocked around by the Astros April 23, Kikuchi limited Houston to just one hit in seven innings in his next start. Even more impressive is Kikuchi did it on the road. Additionally, he struck out seven and walked two in the best start of his major league career.

Pitching well has become the norm for Kikuchi. He has pitched into the seventh inning in four of his last five starts. In only one game has he failed to pitch at least six innings. In his last start, Kikuchi limited the defending champion Dodgers to three runs on six hits while striking out 11 in 6.1 innings. Best of all, he only walked one batter. He was in line for the win until the bullpen collapsed behind him. Kikuchi’s ownership percentage is on the rise. A fantasy manager would do well to get a claim in before there is nothing left to select.

Ryan Weathers, RP/SP, San Diego Padres, 29.1% Owned

Any fantasy manager out there looking for a pitcher that can rotate between starting and relieving? If so, check out Ryan Weathers. After his Sunday start against the Cardinals, Weathers has appeared in nine games for the Padres, starting four. He is 2-1 with a miniscule 1.37 ERA and an even smaller 0.76 WHIP. He can strikeout hitters with the best of them as evidenced by his 20 in 26.1 innings. Weathers has even closed for San Diego and has a save on the season.

Weathers’ April 22 start against the Dodgers shows just what he is capable of. In that game, Weathers pitched 5.2 innings and limited Los Angeles to just one hit and one walk while striking out six. In just one game has Weathers only pitched a single inning. That gives managers added opportunities to pick up more fantasy points without having to use additional pitchers. There can be no question that his ownership will go through the roof if he continues to pitch well. It is time to get in on the ground floor.

Casey Mize, SP, Detroit Tigers, 18.5% Owned

Another unlikely surprise coming to fantasy managers this season is pitcher Casey Mize. After his April 23 start against Kansas City, there was no one that could have predicted the turn around that Mize has put together since then. In his last three starts, Mize has pitched six innings in each of them. He has given up only three runs total in his last two starts. For the season, Mize is 2-3 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.

There is no question that his WHIP would come down further if Mize didn’t walk so many hitters. He has issued 12 free passes in his last four starts. That is the only negative that can be assigned to Mize, however. He pitches further into games than most starters and that will rack up the fantasy points. If Irvin and Kikuchi are both gone, Mize is a nice fall back option. All managers need to get to the wire soon, however, or there will be nothing left to choose. Mize is highly recommended on this fantasy baseball waiver claims edition.

Pedro Severino, C, Baltimore Orioles, 5.5% Owned

It seems pretty safe to say that the catcher position in fantasy has been a mine field, as usual. There just aren’t many worth owning on a fantasy roster. Most leagues require that each team have at least one, as they should, so what is a manager to do when faced with an injured or slumping player? It would certainly be worth it to see just what Pedro Severino has been up to with Baltimore. His .240-1-4 stats wouldn’t seem to indicate much is happening.

However, that masks the level that Severino has been playing up to the last week. After a terrible slump in which he went 0-15, Severino has broken out in a big way with hits in four of his last five games. Included in that is a three hit game against Boston. Severino is the starting catcher for the Orioles and if an owner has any issues with the position on their roster, Severino can help. He couldn’t be more available than he is right now, so act today.

Other Players to Watch:

Brandon Crawford, SS, S.F. Giants Bobby Dalbac, 1B, Boston Red Sox Adam Duvall, OF Miami Marlins

Thanks all for joining me for this fantasy baseball waiver claims week six edition! As always, I welcome suggestions from all 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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