Jose Quintana could provide second half value. (D. Benjamin Miller)

Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. The All-Star break is over and July is fading, so you better take full advantage of the waiver wire while you can.

This week, Teoscar Hernandez became the first Dodger to win the Home Run Derby; Juan Soto remained cryptic about his future; and Bryce Harper was among the headliners for the NL in the All-Star Game, yet the senior circuit fell short yet again.

So while you wonder if Freddie Freeman can hit two or more homers against the Red Sox this weekend (currently +360 as per FanDuel), let’s get to this week’s…

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks

Jose Quintana, SP, New York Mets (ESPN: 18.7 per cent; CBS: 49 per cent): Quintana missed over half the season last year, but has been healthy in 2024. His record is a bit better, but his bottom line results have sagged and his K rate has slightly dipped as well. However, until his last start before the before the break, Quintana had been on a very nice roll, emerging as one of the game’s top streaming options. Really, since getting cuffed around in May, he’s been pretty damned good (2.29 ERA with superb control in July). Consider that on June 9, Quintana was 1-5 with a 5.29 ERA and how he managed to improve those numbers over a five-stretch start before serving up four dingers on Sunday (yet punching out eight — see video below). Clearly, this highly poised veteran is worth considering for the second half.

Kash Mayfield, SP, San Diego Padres (ESPN: NA; CBS: NA): With the MLB Draft recently completed, there’s a whole new wave of prospects for Dynasty League owners to consider. Mayfield was among the top high school lefties available, and the Padres (who seem to love grabbing high schoolers) scooped him up out of Oklahoma with the 25th overall pick. His velocity increased dramatically this season giving him a heater capable of touching 97 to pair with a strong changeup and a breaking ball he’s capable of controlling well. Mayfield’s smooth delivery really made him stand out among high school arms available in this draft, so he’s someone worth stashing in leagues that allow you to hold players for a few years.

Quick Hits

• A candidate for our Wire Troll All-Star team last year, Jarren Duran has built on that breakout this season, culminating in his selection to the All-Star Game, and then consolidating that recognition with an MVP showing. He had a rough start to the month as he struggled to accumulate much in the way of counting cats, but started to heat up again heading into the break. Duran has stayed completely healthy this year and that’s been huge in him taking the next step.
• Mason Miller also used the All-Star Game to raise his profile, earning the win and throwing the fastest pitch in the mid-season classic since they began recording such data in 2008. He was touched up in his first outing of July (hence his elevated ERA this month), but has otherwise been lights out for over a month. Miller’s transition into a full-time reliever has been a resounding success, and even his record is decent, which is saying something for an A’s hurler.
• Jurickson Profar, who snapped a slump with a two-hit showing in the final game before the break, kept the good vibes going with a single and a run in the ASG. The veteran outfield has slowly cooled off as the season has progressed and his counting cats are down significantly in July. But Profar has been a stud in OBP leagues and has even pitched in with a few more swipes this year.
• Clayton Andrews, Milwaukee’s 2018 17th round pick, seemed to finally be getting his shit together at Triple-A last year, going 6-0 with a solid ERA and a decent cobbling of saves/holds, plus his usual massive total of Ks. He was traded to the Yankees last offseason and opted to become a free agent after being DFAed a second time. Andrews is now in the Giants system, and is trying to work his way back from Rookie ball, but San Francisco could certainly use lefty help in its pen, so he bears watching because of his big-time strikeout potential.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

American jazz/funk/soul musician Lonnie Liston Smith got his start in the 1960s and is still at it today. Playing with his band Cosmic Echoes, he released the album Expansions in 1974, and the title track became one of his most iconic songs.