2018 Fantasy Baseball Week 21 Waiver Wire: Little League World Series Edition

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This Thursday in a small town in central Pennsylvania is where a group of 10 to 13 year-old dreams are coming true. This small town being Williamsport, Pennsylvania and these boys come from all over the world to play for the ultimate prize of being a Little League World Series Champion. I am familiar with this routine every year, as I went to undergrad in Williamsport at small liberal arts school called Lycoming College.

I love the way that the MLB and Little League have teamed up these past few years to allow the little leaguers to watch a major league game on the Phillies Single-A (Crosscutters) team’s field (Historic Bowman Field). This Sunday the two teams playing will be the Mets vs. the Phillies at 7 pm on ESPN. All the little leaguers from around the world will be in attendance.

A couple major leaguers (Todd Frazier and Michael Conforto) playing on Sunday were in those little leaguers shoes not too long ago. Many little leaguers have dreams and aspirations of playing in the majors one day. You as a fantasy owner probably have dreams and aspirations of winning a fantasy championship. As the regular fantasy season is coming to an end, here are a few more players that can help you achieve this dream.

2018 Fantasy Baseball Week 21 Waiver Wire

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Hitters

Willy Adames, 2B/SS, Tampa Bay Rays (31% owned in Yahoo)

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Adames is one of the Rays top prospects and he is acting like one. First of all his versatility is a key of mine when looking at players to get off of the waiver wire. According to Yahoo, he qualifies as both a second baseman and a shortstop.

Adames is offering the Rays production towards the end of their lineup. In the last two weeks, his production has been through the roof. His average has been .410 with an OBP of .442 while scoring nine runs, hitting three home runs, having eight RBI and stealing four bases. It is great to see a young kid be so successful this early in his career.

Since the Rays really don’t have a lot to play for at this point in the season, I am sure you are going to see a lot of Adames in their lineup. I like him as a mixed league type of player the rest of the way.

Pitching

Edwin Jackson, SP, Oakland Athletics (25% owned)

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Don’t look now, but here come the Oakland Athletics and surprisingly it is the way their pitching is coming together. One of the starters that I am pointing out this week is Edwin Jackson. He is definitely a journeyman of the majors and has been having a decent season. Normally, Jackson can be inconsistent at best, but these few weeks are showing otherwise.

Since July 25^th when he had a horrible start against the Rangers, Jackson’s next three starts have been stellar. He pitched against the Blue Jays, Tigers, and Angels, won all three and had two quality starts. Jackson went at least 5.2 innings and did not allow a run in all three starts.

Jackson currently holds a 2.48 ERA and a WHIP of 1.03. He is on pace to have one of the best seasons of his career. Jackson will have a bit of a tester in his next start against the Houston Astros on Friday, but then again the Astros lineup is not doing well lately. I would start him.

Anthony DeSclafani, SP, Cincinnati Reds (10% owned)

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I know this may be a little of a reach, but please hear me out. In the last two weeks, DeSclafani has secured two wins to go along with two quality starts, an ERA of 0.64, and a WHIP of 0.71. He has gone at least seven innings in both starts. There is a lot worse on the waiver wire.

For a guy still not owned in 90% of Yahoo leagues, I believe he is worth a chance. The 28-year-old has looked very good since coming off of Tommy John surgery. I think he can make an impact on many teams in the last two months of fantasy. DeSclafani will look to continue his awesome start against the Giants on Friday night.

Deep Dives

These are players who are better suited to be owned in 14-plus team leagues or deeper roster leagues.

Freddy Galvis, SS, San Diego Padres (6% owned)

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I have always liked the grittiness of Freddy Galvis and now his offense is picking it up. The San Diego lineup as a whole is not that bad and Galvis is one of the reasons why it isn’t. He can contribute to all of the major hitting categories and does pack a little punch for a little guy. In the last 14 days, he has contributed to the Padres offense by hitting .261 with an OBP of .320. During this time, he scored 11 runs, hit five home runs, collected nine RBI, and had two stolen bases.

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