After an exciting Week 1, fantasy skippers all around the country should be thrilled with the thought of another 19 weeks of fantasy baseball. The beginning of the year is always the best time to dig up hidden treasures on the waiver wire, so here are a few players we see worthy of a second glance.
Andy Pettitte, SP, New York Yankees – In his first two starts of the season, Pettitte is 2-0 with just two earned runs in 15 innings pitched. In 12 starts last year, he posted a respectful 2.87 ERA, proving that there is still plenty left in the tank for the almost 41–year-old. You probably shouldn’t count on Pettitte to make over 30 starts this season, but fantasy owners can expect at-least one more productive year out of him as long as the Yankees bats don’t struggle. With a career record of 246-142, the lefty has proven year after year that winning ballgames is in his blood.
John Buck, C, New York Mets – John Buck smacked his fourth homer of the season on Tuesday, becoming the first player in Mets history to have 14 RBIs in the team’s first 8 games. He is batting .393 on the season, with at least one hit in all but one game so far. Although the Mets are expecting Travis d’Arnaud to eventually take his job, Buck could be beneficial to any fantasy squad in need of some short-term power.
Vernon Wells, OF, New York Yankees – Highly overpaid and once deemed untradeable, Vernon Wells seems to enjoy batting in the middle of the Yankee lineup. The 34-year-old outfielder is batting .360 on the season with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. The Bombers couldn’t be happier with their new outfielder’s production, and while they deal with their recent injury outbreak, expect Wells to see plenty of playing time. He’s only owned in 24% of ESPN leagues, making him an easy last minute pickup if needed.
Evan Gattis, C, Atlanta Braves – With the way that Evan Gattis is swinging the bat, the Atlanta Braves shouldn’t be too worried about how long it takes Brian McCann to return to the field. Gattis’ rough journey to the big leagues appears to be paying off as the 27-year-old catcher is batting .368 with 2 home runs in his first week of being promoted. Expect Gattis’s value to only going up from here on out, so if you need a solid backup catcher, don’t be afraid to pull the trigger on this risky waiver wire pickup.
