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Detroit Tigers: Five Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups from AL Central

By Dave Holcomb |
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Jul 30, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Alex Wilson (30) pitches during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Tigers won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The baseball season is approaching its home stretch, so fantasy baseball owners are making final preparations to make a push over the last two months.

There are plenty of worthy waiver wire additions particularly in the AL Central.

Here are five AL Central players owners might want to consider adding to their fantasy teams.

Jul 30, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias (1) singles during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

SS Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers

The Tigers shortstop is having a fantastic season and with the recent trade of left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, he will have a real chance in the last two months to accumulate some counting stats.

Iglesias is batting .314/.356/.396 with 20 extra-base hits, 21 RBI, 34 runs and 10 stolen bases in 331 at-bats this season. He leads all American League shortstops in batting average and on-base percentage.

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Since July 19, Iglesias has been stellar, going 23-for-70 (.329) with eight extra-base hits and 13 runs.

He has a great chance to keep scoring those runs now hitting second in the lineup. Designated hitter Victor Martinez and right fielder J.D. Martinez are batting right behind Iglesias, and first baseman Miguel Cabrera will as well when he eventually returns.

Iglesias has scored three runs in five games since the Cespedes trade. The shortstop should be in fantasy baseball lineups the rest of the season.

Jul 24, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA;Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez (10) slides into second safely with a steal as Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) loses the ball during the third inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

SS Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox

Ramirez is having a disappointing encore to his first All-Star bid a season ago, hitting just .236 with seven home runs, 38 RBI, 31 runs, 14 steals and a .607 OPS.

But he has come on recently, batting .284 with 11 extra-base hits, 11 RBI, nine runs since the All-Star Break. Ramirez also has five home runs since the break, which is only behind Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa among AL shortstops.

With the recent hot streak, the White Sox shortstop has already been added in 12.5 percent of ESPN leagues, but he is still owned in just 52.1 percent of leagues. He is a worthy add for any fantasy baseball owner in need of a shortstop.

Aug 2, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks (32) bats against the Seattle Mariners at Target Field. The Mariners win 4-1 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

CF Aaron Hicks, Minnesota Twins

There will rarely be a player to add on a team that has lost 14 of its last 18 games, including five straight, but fantasy baseball owners should still give Hicks a look.

In that 18 game stretch, he is slashing .309/.342/.485 with three home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs. For the season, Hicks is hitting .277 and has six home runs, 19  RBI and 27 runs.

That means half of Hicks’ home runs and more than half of his RBI this season have come in the last three weeks. His batting average on balls in play in the 18 games is .360, so it might be hard for Hicks to continue this pace, but in deep leagues, he is worth the flier.

Jul 29, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana (62) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

SP Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox

The White Sox won seven straight games right before the deadline to somewhat stay in the race. The winning streak had a lot to do with their starting pitching and Quintana in particular.

Actually, Quintana pitched well throughout the month of July. Since July 1, he has a 2.63 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 48 innings. In the second half of the season, Quintana has posted a 2.70 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7.43 K/9 in 26 2/3 innings.

He is still only 6-9 this season, but if fantasy baseball owners need help on their starting staff, Quintana has pitched well over the last month.

Aug 6, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Alex Wilson (30) makes a throw to first in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Detroit won 8-6. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

RP Alex Wilson, Detroit Tigers

Just as his teammate Iglesias is receiving the chance to bat second, Wilson will have a tremendous opportunity over the last two months to become the Tigers closer.

In 57 2/3 innings, Wilson has a 1.72 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 33 strikeouts and just 10 walks. Those numbers prove Wilson is clearly the best Tigers relief pitcher available out of the bullpen.

And he has been particularly hot since the All-Star Break. Wilson has thrown 11 1/3 scoreless innings since the Mid-Summer Classic. Over that time, opponents are hitting just .167 against him. He hasn’t given up a run since July 7.

Wilson has been added in 20.4 percent of ESPN leagues recently, but he is still just owned in 25.9 percent of them. Any fantasy baseball owner looking for a relief pitcher would immediately add Wilson.

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