The 2022 Fantasy Baseball season has been a crazy one thus far. Some of the earliest drafted players like Vlad Guerrerro Jr. and Nick Castellanos have failed to provide the production fantasy managers expected. Meanwhile, players like Paul Goldschmidt, CJ Cron and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have far exceeded expectations. We have also seen a shocking change among the league's top pitchers in fantasy baseball. Joe Musgrove, Shane McClanahan, Sandy Alcantara and Alex Manoah are currently the four highest ranked starters this season.
Whether you are one of the fantasy managers lucky enough to have struck gold with one of the over-performers, or are saddled with under-performing superstars, activity in free agency is crucial in positioning yourself to win a fantasy baseball championship.
So, let's get into it as I reveal the top four waiver wire adds for Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.
Top 4 Waiver Wire Adds for Week 10 of the Fantasy Baseball season
1. Jurickson Profar – San Diego Padres 1B, 2B, OF
After struggling for any form of consistency over the first six weeks of the season, Padres utility man Jurickson Profar has quietly been lighting it up the last few weeks. Fantasy baseball managers have noticed, as his ownership has picked up almost 20 percent since last weekend. But that's not enough.
Jurickson Profar since May 10th (30 games):
.323 BA
.391 OBP
8 doubles
2 triples
2 HR
17 RBI— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) June 12, 2022
Over the last month, Profar is hitting .313 with two home runs, three stolen bases, 22 runs scored and 17 RBI. Now, don't get me wrong. There is almost a zero percent chance that Profar hits over .300 the rest of the season. However, even before his recent hot streak, his counting stats were still solid.
Now that he is actually hitting at a good clip, he has scored 37 runs and driven in 33. He hits atop the Padres lineup, which is one of the better ones in the league. So, the runs scored are not likely to slow down. For those in leagues that only take into account on-base percentage instead of batting average, he's even more valuable. Typically every year his OBP is 100 points higher than his batting average.
2. Santiago Espinal – Toronto Blue Jays 2B, 3B
The Blue Jays young infielder Santiago Espinal is showing that what he accomplished in 2021 was no fluke. After hitting .311 over 222 at-bats last year, he is hitting .288 over 205 at-bats this season. The rest of his production is even more impressive. Yet, the middle infielder is owned in just 51 percent of Yahoo fantasy baseball leagues.
His power is up this year, having hit five home runs already. He only hit two all of last year. He also has three stolen bases to his credit. So, it's very possible a 15-10 season is in the cards for the 27-year-old. He boasts an impressive 16.8 percent strikeout rate, exemplifying his solid eye at the plate. He's not a league-winner by any means, but he can easily be a helpful piece to the middle infield of a fantasy baseball championship roster.
3. Ji-Man Choi – Tampa Bay Rays 1B
Ji-Man Choi is so easily overlooked. But his production is relatively steady at a position that was once the deepest in fantasy baseball, but has since had a precipitous drop off. It's become harder and harder to find a first baseman who doesn't kill your batting average. They are still guys with power, that a lot of times that comes with a .220 average.
Choi is not that guy. People often forget that the last full season he played in 2019, he hit .261 with a very favorable .363 on-base percentage. The season before that he hit .269 with a .370 OBP. So, he has shown that he can hit consistently against Major League pitching. I believe last year was more of an aberration than anything.
This year, he's hitting a career best .284 across 41 games. He's on pace for around 20 home runs, 90 RBI and 70 runs scored. Similar to Espinal, he is not going to win you the league. But he can be very productive, especially if you are lacking in the percentage categories.
He's been particularly hot over the last two weeks. Choi is 12 for his last 37 (.324) with two home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored. Even you just ride him while he's hot, he's likely worth a pickup for those in need of help where he excels.
4. Christian Bethancourt – Oakland Athletics C, 1B
The last player on my list is Athletics catcher Christian Bethancourt. Unlike the others who have potential staying power, this is more of a timely pick up for fantasy baseball managers.
Obviously, the catcher position is once again a barren wasteland. That's especially true this year as the few premier hitters at the position, Salvador Perez, Will Smith, JT Realmuto, have woefully underperformed this year. That's part of the reason I will rarely ever draft a catcher early.
Considering how hard it is to find help at the position, I offer Bethancourt. He is playing for his third team during his six-year big league career. Bethancourt is a career .229 and I would not be surprised if that's where he finishes again this season. However, right now, he is seeing the ball extremely well.
All four of his home runs this season have come since June 1st. Over the last four games, he is 9-for-17 with three home runs, three doubles, five RBI and five runs scored. If you find yourself streaming catchers, trying to find the hot one for the week, Bethancourt is your man.
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