Fantasy Baseball 2021: Notable Pickups to Target on Waiver Wire for Week 19

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The Milwaukee Brewers uncovered two gems on the trade market to improve their roster and, in turn, boost the fantasy baseball stocks of those players.

Willy Adames caught fire from the plate once he arrived from the Tampa Bay Rays, and Rowdy Tellez appears to be doing the same thing after being traded by the Toronto Blue Jays.

The left-handed power hitter has five home runs and 17 RBI in his short time with the Brewers, and he recently put together a four-game hitting streak at American Family Field.

Tellez may not be the first name that pops into your head when it comes to waiver-wire additions, but when you glance at his stats and potential for the rest of the season, he feels like a top addition since he is available in most Yahoo leagues.

The trades made before the July 30 deadline also opened up an opportunity for Abraham Toro with the Seattle Mariners. Toro was not playing terribly for the Houston Astros, but the change of scenery has been beneficial to his hitting stroke, and Seattle’s lineup is feeling that impact.

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Tellez makes sense as a fantasy baseball addition because of his left-handed power stroke.

The Milwaukee first baseman has nine home runs in 201 at-bats for the Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays this season, and that number should only go up as he receives more opportunities to play first base.

In Toronto, Tellez’s path to consistent playing time was blocked by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s move to first base. He spent the end of his Toronto career in Triple-A.

Tellez will not be an everyday starter at first base, but he is one of two options, along with Eduardo Escobar, who will provide some pop to an order that has missed consistent power from Christian Yelich all season.

The 26-year-old has a .323 batting average, five home runs and 17 RBI in 62 at-bats since joining the Brewers in mid-July. He had four home and eight RBI in 139 at-bats for the Blue Jays this season.

If Tellez continues to benefit from his new comfort zone in Milwaukee, the power numbers will only go up as the Brewers work to secure the National League Central title as early as possible.

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Toro’s move to Seattle was peculiar since the Mariners gave up late-inning reliever Kendall Graveman to the Houston Astros with a wild-card fight on their hands.

Seattle found another contributor to its lineup in Toro, but it came at a cost in the standings. Seattle is 3-7 in its past 10 games and is on a four-game losing streak.

Toro has done everything in his power to avoid losing games. He hit safely in each of his past five games, and he has four multi-hit performances since arriving in the pacific northwest.

The third baseman needs to have more home runs and RBI to be considered in fantasy lineups above your current players at the position. He has one long ball and drove in three runs in the past week.

However, Toro is putting himself in position to add to those totals in the coming weeks. At minimum, he is worth it as a depth option since he has reached base on a frequent basis.

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Connor Joe has four multi-hit games in his past seven appearances for the Colorado Rockies.

The 28-year-old is forcing his way into the Rockies lineup on a more consistent basis because of how much he puts the ball in play.

On Saturday, the first baseman/outfielder drove in four runs on two hits to help the Rockies down the Miami Marlins.

Picking up Joe in fantasy baseball leagues might be a tough sell, but he could be one for September, when things get harder to figure out on the waiver wire.

Colorado will not be in contention for a playoff spot, and it needs to identify which players it should keep as it likely builds a new core without Trevor Story, who is headed for the free-agent market.

With that in mind, Joe could pick up more starts as long as his bat stays hot. He could be the perfect stash player off the waiver wire now before he becomes a hotter name in a few weeks.

           

Statistics obtained from MLB.com.