The month of July is upon us and as the All-Star break signals the midpoint of the season, let us first take a look at the midseason standings. In the American League East, the Red Sox maintain a 3.5 game lead over the Yankees and Rays while the Indians hold a slim 2.5 game lead over the Twins in the AL Central. In the AL West, it’s a completely different story. After clobbering the Jays 19-1 on Sunday, the Astros have a massive lead over the second place team – a 16.5 game lead. Over in the NL East, the Nationals continue to lead their division with a 9.5 game lead. In the NL Central, the Brewers increased their lead over the Cubs and Cardinals by 5.5 games. Finally, the Kershaw-led Dodgers head into the break on a six-game winning streak, leading the NL West by 7.5 games. With this recap, let’s move on to the top MLB Fantasy waiver wire picks for Week 15.
Yuli Gurriel, 1B/3B, Houston Astros
The Houston Astros have absolutely been on a tear lately and so has Yuli Gurriel. Although Gurriel’s power was lacking early on during the season, he has picked it up in a big way as of late. At the midway mark, Gurriel has a slash line of .297/.321/.491 with 11 home runs, 39 runs scored, and 44 runs-batted-in (RBIs). While this has been impressive, Gurriel’s performance over the last month has been even more so – .356/.363/.622 slash line with 4 home runs, 13 runs scored, and 15 RBIs. With a high contact rate and a miniscule 12.3% strikeout rate, Gurriel should continue to hit for a high average. Additionally, despite rarely batting higher than sixth in the Astros’ stacked lineup, Gurriel is on pace for 70 runs scored and 80 RBIs.
Josh Bell, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Although the rookie Josh Bell’s average leaves much to be desired with a .239/.322/.472 slash line, he continues to be a good source for HRs (16), runs scored (45) and RBIs (44). While Bell had a rough month in May, he has maintained steady improvement as the season progressed. This is evident in the past two weeks with Bell’s slash line of .271/.352/.521. As one of the best minor league first base prospects over the past few years, Bell could really being up his average if he focused more on making contact as opposed to showcasing his power.
Josh Harrison, 2B/3B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
After Josh Harrison’s breakout season in 2014, he has been performing more on par with expectations this season. With a .280/.361/.436 slash line, Harrison not only provides solid hitting but also the ability to steal bases and play multiple positions. However, despite hitting second in the Pirates’ lineup for the majority of the time, he hasn’t been able to score a ton of runs. Harrison should be picked up with some caution as he has been cold heading into the All-Star break – .198/.307/.314 slash line over the last month. However, with some sort of risk also come potential rewards.
The Pirates have slid down the standings in the National League Central and now have a record of 42-47. They had higher expectations than being five games under .500 at this point. It doesn’t look like they have the horses to compete this year, though, as they are just 21-22 at home and 21-25 on the road. They may be sellers at the trade deadline in just a few weeks.
Travis d’Arnaud, C, New York Mets
Although Travis d’Arnaud entered the season as a borderline starting catching option, he might finally be ready for a second-half breakout. Since returning from the minor league, d’Arnaud has compiled a slash line of .286/.333/.524 with two home runs, four doubles, and eight RBIs in 11 games. With more playing time, d’Arnaud should have a strong rest of the season.
The Mets are in the dumps as the All-Star break approaches. They are a whopping 12 games out of first place in the National League East with a record of 39-47. They have lost two straight and now have a -49 run differential. The only team they are better than in the NL East is the Phillies, which isn’t saying much.
The MLB season is in full swing, so if you’re looking at betting lines, in-game betting and World Series futures, click here to bet on MLB (or any other sports) at BetDSI!
