Heading into week 17 of the MLB season, the Red Sox have seen their lead in the American League East reduced to 2.5 games over the Yankees. In the AL Central, the Royals continue to make up ground on the Indians – trailing their division by only 1.5 games – thanks to a five-game winning streak. The Astros are up by 17 games over the second-place team in the AL West and this will likely be the trend for the remainder of the season. In the National League East, the Nationals lead the Braves by 12 games while the Dodgers lead the stacked NL West by 10.5 games – not a small feat. In the NL Central, the Cubs are tied with the Brewers atop their division, which marks the first time since June 6 that the Cubs were in first place. With a recap of the standings, here is a look at the week 17 waiver wire picks.
Cory Spangenberg, 2B/3B/OF, San Diego Padres
From barely securing the starting lineup spot in late April to taking over in third base for Ryan Schimpf, Cory Spangenberg has been on fire after the All-Star break, compiling an eight-game hit streak to go along with five multi-hit games, three home runs, and 10 RBIs. To show just how hot Spangenberg has been during the last two weeks, he has produced a slash line of .394/.444/.758 with an absurd .476 BABIP. Additionally, Spangenberg has been known to turn things up a notch during the second half of the season – compare his slash lines between the first half and second half: .251/.297/.355 vs. .308/.368/.502.
The Padres enter the week in the dumps in the National League West. They are currently in fourth place at 43-55, 24.5 games out of first in the division.
Charlie Morton, SP, Houston Astros
So far this season, Charlie Morton has compiled a 7–4 record to go along with a 4.18 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 while allowing opponents to slash .242/.327/.421. While an injury sidelined him for a month during the end of May, Morton might be slowing coming back into form. In his last three starts since returning from injury, Morton has compiled a 2–1 record with a 4.58 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 9.2 K/9 while allowing opponents to slash .203/.288/.406. With the Astros first-place standing in the AL West seemingly untouchable, Morton should receive his fair share of strikeouts and wins with a high-powered offense backing him.
Mike Napoli, 1B, Texas Rangers
After a breakout year in 2016, Mike Napoli has naturally regressed. So far this season, Napoli has produced a .204/.282/.462 slash line – likely due to some bad luck as his BABIP is only .229. However, Napoli’s power is still there, hitting 21 home runs in only 81 games played. Additionally, Napoli has been on a nice groove over the past two weeks, with a slash line of .296/.367/.704 and three home runs in only 30 plate appearances. Napoli might be a risky pickup but if his stats for the remainder of the season are anywhere close to the numbers that he put up in the last two weeks, it will pay off.
The Rangers could be selling off a lot of pieces at the trade deadline, so keep an eye on this .They are currently at 48-50 on the season, which puts them 17 games out of first place in the American League West division.
Danny Valencia, 1B/3B/OF, Seattle Mariners
Due to the early struggles of rookie first baseman Dan Vogelbach, Danny Valencia has taken over at the position while maintaining a strong level of play. While Valencia has primarily been used as a platoon hitter throughout his career, his slash line of .270/.328/.427 so far this year is respectable. His splits against right-handed pitchers are mediocre – .259/.307/.396 – but his splits against left-handed pitchers are delightful – .307/.393/.533. There is no reason to believe that Valencia should see his playing time drastically reduced anytime soon.
The Mariners should be sellers at the trade deadline, so keep an eye on the waiver wire news. They are currently in second place in the American League West but at 49-51, they are 17 games out of first place. They won’t be much of a factor come playoff time.
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