RADIO
Welcome to another week of the deeper league waiver wire - National League edition. Hopefully, your teams are performing swimmingly.
Just in case they aren't, I've got a few free agents for you to consider adding off the waiver wire, assuming they are still available in your leagues. We've got old names and new names - even foreign names - for you to track or acquire.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
Jung-ho Kang - SS - Pirates
The 28-year-old from South Korea is a definitely a player to watch closely in his rookie season at the major league level. As of this writing, the former Hyundai Unicorn and current Pittsburgh Pirate is hitting .309 with two home runs, six runs scored and nine batted in. With third baseman Josh Harrison struggling at the plate and additional opportunities to start at shortstop, Kang is finding himself in the starting lineup quite a bit these days and he's taking advantage.
After a somewhat disappointing month of April in which he produced a .269 batting average with just two extra-base hits, Kang has turned it up in May. In his last 29 at-bats, he's got four extra base hits - two doubles and two home runs - and is hitting .345. His platoon-splits are encouraging as well, as he isn't showing any weakness against either side, hitting over .300 against lefties and right-handed pitchers. Kang's .375 BABIP suggests he may have been the beneficiary of some luck so far, but he's also a guy who doesn't pop-out or fly out much.
In other words, the regression back towards his projected .305-.315 BABIP may not be such a steep dive. If he's available in your league, he's almost a must-add at this point. Soon he'll be eligible at third base, which just adds to his value.
Aaron Hill - 2B - Dbacks
Aaron Hill probably wan't one of the names you expected (or wanted) to see on here, but hear me out before scrolling down. He's owned in less than 10 percent of most leagues, he's got eligibility at second and third base, he's hitting behind Paul Goldschmidt and David Peralta (see also: RBI opportunities) and he's in the starting lineup quite a bit these days. With Yasmany Tomas struggling defensively at third, Hill is manning the hot corner on days he isn't playing second.
In the month of May he's been scorching the ball, going 13-for-28 with three home runs and eight RBI in just nine games. His .308 BABIP is just a few points higher than his career average and he's striking out a 15 percent clip - 2 percentage points less than last year. He makes great contact on balls in the zone and while his OBP (.333) leaves a lot to be desired, it's mainly an effect of his inability to draw walks.
He may not continue to produce at this level, but he's a solid target if you need infield help.
Ryan Howard - 1B - Phillies
Remember when I said old names? This is an old name - a very old name - and no, this isn't a waiver wire suggestion article from 2004. Howard is doing some good things in 2015, and his home run production (7) puts him behind only two first basemen in the National League: Adrian Gonzalez and Goldschmidt.
The other good things? Howard's slugging percentage is up 78 points from last season, his strikeout percentage is down four percent, and his ground ball rate is down seven percent. Pretty good signs for a guy you would roster for his power production. On top of that, his BABIP suggests he's been pretty unlucky, too. Part of that can be attributed to the shift opposing teams play against Howard, but not all of it.
If he's hanging out on the waiver wire and your team needs pop, I'd suggest adding Howard. If you can afford to platoon him, insert him in the lineup when facing right-handed pitching.
