Top fantasy baseball waiver pickups for Week 2

The first full week of the 2023 MLB season is in the books, and it had a bit of everything — from wild walk-offs to top prospect promotions. Fantasy baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s always a good idea to be patient with the team you just drafted a few days ago. Still you also don’t want to miss the boat on players who could emerge as league winners over the course of the summer, so here are names at every position that have caught our eye so far.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 2

Catcher

Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets

Roster percentage: 29%

Omar Narvaez’s injury has cleared a path for Francisco Alvarez — the consensus top catching prospect in baseball — to come to Queens for good. He’s got prodigious power, and it shouldn’t be long before the Mets realize they can’t afford not to get him daily at-bats.

Logan O’Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels

Roster percentage: 20%

With Matt Thaiss on the shelf, O’Hoppe took hold of the Angels’ starting catcher job and hasn’t looked back, hitting .278 with two homers so far. He’s got the pedigree — he’s a former top-100 prospect who came to L.A. in the Brandon Marsh deal last summer — and he’s got a spot in a dangerous Angels lineup.

One for the deep leagues: Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers

Roster percentage: 0%

Rogers came to Detroit from Houston in the Justin Verlander trade, and he’s already homered twice — including a moonshot off Chris Sale — in his three starts.

Corner infield

Josh Rojas, Arizona Diamondbacks

Roster percentage: 40%

Rojas has a stranglehold on the leadoff spot in Arizona, at least against righties, and is a source of average and speed with dual eligibility (2B/3B).

Elehuris Montero, Colorado Rockies

Roster percentage: 17%

One word: Coors. Montero has started at third in six of the Rockies’ seven games thus far — he also carries 1B eligibility — and he’s a great athlete hitting .333 with potential for both power and speed. A Rockies regular will just about always have value.

One for the deep leagues: Jason Vosler, Cincinnati Reds

Roster Percentage: 7%

Great American Ballpark may not be quite as tantalizing an offensive environment as Coors Field, but it’s awfully close, and Vosler has now started at third base and batted fifth four times for the Reds this year. He’s gone deep three times in those starts, and if he takes Spencer Steer’s job for good, he’ll return huge value.

Middle infield

Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies

Roster percentage: 45%

Stott is locked into everyday playing time, has dual 2B/SS eligibility and will provide elite average along with the potential to go 15/15. Any questions?

Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

Roster percentage: 27%

Once a highly-regarded prospect, Turang hit 13 homers and 34 steals with a .286 average in Triple-A last year, and Milwaukee appears to see him as its starting second baseman of the future — and present. (He also carries SS eligibility.) He’ll sit against some lefties, but he’s got a great home park to hit in and already has a homer in two steals with a .313 average in four starts.

One for the deep leagues: Orlando Arcia, Atlanta Braves

Roster percentage: 22%

All eyes were on Vaughn Grissom as the Braves’ shortstop of the future this offseason, but Arcia won the job out of camp and hasn’t looked back. He just walked off the Padres on Thursday night en route to batting .370 with two homers for the season. (Oh, and he has triple 2B/SS/OF eligibility.)

Outfield

Oscar Colas, Chicago White Sox

Roster percentage: 24%

Colas is still hitting towards the bottom of the order, but Chicago’s basically handed him the right field job on a platter, and he carries an elite track record from his time in Cuba and Japan. He’s hitting .273 thus far this year, so expect that lineup position to climb quickly.

Trevor Larnach, Minnesota Twins

Roster percentage: 14%

One of the more puzzling roster percentages around: Larnach is hitting third or fourth for the Twins against righties, and while he drops against lefties, they’re still pencilling him into the lineup. What’s he done with that playing time? How about a .391 average with six RBI.

One for the deep leagues: TJ Friedl, Cincinnati Reds

Roster percentage: 9%

Another guy who’s hitting in the middle of a surprisingly solid lineup against righties, Friedl’s already got two homers with a .353 average and a path to consistent at-bats in an elite offensive park.

Starting pitcher

Sean Manaea, San Francisco Giants

Roster percentage: 34%

Throw last year’s numbers out. The Giants know how to fix starting pitchers, and Manaea’s already exhibiting increased velocity on his four-seam fastball. He’s locked into a rotation spot on a decent team in a good pitcher’s park.

Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox

Roster percentage: 33%

Whitlock is set to come off the injured list on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, and he’s struck out over a batter an inning split between the rotation and the bullpen over his first two years in Boston. Plus, there’s not much competition for a rotation spot given [gestures at the Red Sox roster].

One for the deep leagues: Drey Jameson, Arizona Diamondbacks

Roster percentage: 6%

One of Arizona’s top prospects, Jameson didn’t win a rotation spot out of Spring Training. But don’t let that scare you: Given the health (and effectiveness) of Madison Bumgarner and others, a spot should open up soon — and with Joe Mantiply and Mark Melancon on the shelf, Jameson might serve as the D-backs’ closer until then. Not a bad floor.

Relief pitcher

AJ Puk, Miami Marlins

Roster percentage: 32%

A former top starting pitching prospect in Oakland, Skip Schumaker seems to want the lefty to run away with the closer’s role over Dylan Floro. There are command questions, but the stuff is elite.

Dany Jimenez, Oakland Athletics

Roster percentage: 28%

Everyone thought Trevor May would pick up saves for Oakland, but Jimenez has looked good so far and may have the inside track on the job.

One for the deep leagues: Andrew Chafin, Arizona Diamondbacks

Roster percentage: 13%

When Jameson inevitably shifts to the rotation, Chafin looks like the best bet to handle saves in Arizona — at least while Mantiply and Melancon are out and Scott McGough keeps melting down.