The baseball season is chugging right along. The New York Yankees continue to cruise, with walk-off and comeback wins seemingly happening every other day. Quietly, the Boston Red Sox have won 28 of their last 37 to close that gap. Both rosters are chalk full of fantasy baseball studs this year. There are so many players having outstanding years, but injuries once again have marred this fantasy baseball season. It's because of that the in-season management for fantasy baseball owners is critical.
There are now only 10 weeks left in the regular season of fantasy baseball head to head leagues. We are just past the halfway point of the fantasy season. So, it is time to hone in on potential impact players left on the waiver wire. Here are our four waiver wire adds for Week 12 of the fantasy baseball season.
Fantasy Baseball Week 12 Top 4 Waiver Wire Adds
1. Jorge Alfaro – San Diego Padres C, OF
We previously listed Jorge Alfaro on this list a couple of weeks ago. But his rostered percentage did not jump nearly significantly enough. So, I am back beating the drum again this week. The Padres catcher currently ranks 12th among backstops in 12-team mixed leagues. But he has done that by earning 100 less at-bats compared to the rest of the list.
Austin Nola was the starting catcher in San Diego this year but struggled mightily. It took manager Bob Melvin a while to make the change, but since he did, Alfaro has done nothing make his boss look good. This season, Alfaro is hitting .287 with six home runs and 21 RBI across just 136 at-bats. But over the last month, he's been even better, slashing .338. If you are one of the fantasy baseball owners who streams catchers and simply is playing a Gary Sanchez or Sean Murphy at the position, this is a no-brainer.
There is also the added bonus that the Padres catcher qualifies in the outfield. Not because you would play him there, but Melvin does. Since he was given the starting catcher job, on what would normally be his day off from catching, he's still playing and has been hitting in the middle of the order consistently.
He has also become a fan favorite in San Diego.
Jorge Alfaro just said the new slogan of the 2022 Padres.
“Let’s F*ing Go San Diego” pic.twitter.com/puMFfeJUcq
— Devine Sports Gospel (@DevineGospel) June 22, 2022
2. Nico Hoerner – Chicago Cubs 2B, SS
Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner is available in almost 90 percent of fantasy baseball leagues on Yahoo. But with his skill set and how well he is playing right now, that number needs to be higher.
Gone are the days where second baseman and especially shortstops are a barren wasteland for fantasy baseball managers. So, most teams are not desperate at the middle infield positions. But that doesn't mean there aren't still some opportunities. Hoerner has been seeing the ball very well of late. Over the last two weeks, he's hitting .313 with a solid .358 on-base percentage. He also has nine hits in his last 16 at-bats, with a home run, four runs and four RBI.
He doesn't possess much power, but the 25-year-old has shown before that the averages are legit. Hoerner hit .302 last year with a .382 OBP. His .291 this year is not a mirage. For those dealing with injuries in the middle infield, he's a good stop-gap option.
3. Jon Gray – Texas Rangers SP
Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray entered 2022 with a lot of upside. Mostly, he was finally getting away from Coors Field for half of his games. That blew up in his, and fantasy baseball managers' faces early on to the tune of a 5.56 ERA through May. But in June, he quietly posted excellent numbers.
Jon Gray in June:
-2.52 era
-31k
-0.193 Batting average against
– Only 1 home run allowed
-1.04 whip #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/rKIXAvrH7O— Rangers Muse (@MuseRangers) June 22, 2022
Gray allowed a total of nine runs on five starts so far this month. He is 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and batters are hitting a paltry .193 off of him. He's always been a solid strikeout pitcher and that has shown itself again with 68 K's across 64 2/3 innings. Up next for the veteran righty is a road date with the Kansas City Royals. He's certainly worth a pick-up this week and see how long you can ride this.
4. Alex Kirilloff – Minnesota Twins 1B, OF
The last player on the list this week could be someone you ride to a championship. Minnesota Twins' Alex Kirilloff is a former top prospect across all of baseball. He's shown to have all of the tools to make a large impact for fantasy baseball managers. Last season was marred by injury, and he re-injured his wrist early on this year.
But since his return, Kirilloff was crushing it at Triple-A, hitting .359 with 10 home runs in just 35 games. He has struggled to find that same consistency since getting called up to the Twins. But he still hits either fifth or sixth in an above average lineup, providing run-scoring opportunities. Kirilloff has nine RBI in his first eight games since rejoining Minnesota. It's only a matter of time before the talented first baseman starts to produce in other areas and could be a catalyst for any team down the stretch.
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