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This point of the season is a rough one for reinforcements on the waiver wire. Pretty much everyone is still trying to win, and with early breakouts long since snapped up and injuries taking their toll as usual, it can be tough to find help that doesn't require a trade partner.
Tough - but not impossible. As always, we're here to help.
As a reminder, our focus is on players who are below 50% owned in Yahoo leagues, and standard 5x5 scoring. Your mileage may vary, in terms of availability or league settings. Using that cutoff point for ownership rate, however, these are your corner infield waiver wire targets and adds for Week 12 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season.
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Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Ian Desmond (1B/OF, COL) — 45% Owned
Not the first time, Desmond looked like he was pretty much done being an effective MLB player earlier this season. And just like those other instances, the veteran has thumbed his nose at anyone who proclaimed his demise. Since the start of May, Desmond is hitting .322 with 18 extra-base hits, including six home runs (three of which have come in his last seven games). He's also driven in 23 runs in those 37 contests.
Marwin Gonzalez (1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, MIN) — 40% Owned
Gonzalez's own rough start is a distant memory as well, as he homered twice last week to bring his overall line up to .262/.331/.431. On its face, not terribly impressive - until you remember that he was sitting at a putrid .159/.227/.217 through April 26. Now receiving regular at-bats in the middle of a loaded Twins lineup, Gonzalez's impressive positional flexibility is only a piece of his fantasy allure.
Yandy Diaz (1B/3B, TB) — 38% Owned
As a spicy April gave way to injury and ineffectiveness in May, many owners hopped off the Diaz hype train as quickly as they'd boarded it. All he's done thus far in June is fill those unfortunate souls with regret, slashing .360/.427/.508 with a pair of homers and 19 R+BI in 15 games. The early power hasn't fully resurfaced - and given his grounder-happy ways, it may not. But Diaz is back to making lots of quality contact and drawing walks aplenty after brief stumbles last month.
Renato Nunez (1B/3B, BAL) — 36% Owned
Nunez's ownership rate appears to have plummeted by double digits in the past 48 hours, which is somewhat surprising. It may be true that he's only hit one home run in his last 13 games, but he had 15 in the 53 contests before that and appeared to be coming by them honestly. Even on a lousy team, middle of the order bats tend to put up solid run production, precisely what Nunez has done.
Garrett Cooper (1B/OF, MIA) — 26% Owned
It's possible that many Nunez owners jumped ship in favor of Cooper, as his recent ownership trend virtually mirrors that of the Orioles' slugger. It's not hard to see why the Marlins' first baseman offers some appeal; he's been one of the best corner infielders in fantasy over the past month, hitting .343 with six homers and 43 R+BI over that span. Don't expect the .361 BABIP or 37.5 HR/FB% to persist, but there's some sneaky value to be had here all the same.
Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Brian Anderson (3B/OF, MIA) — 12% Owned
One of the few players on the Marlins roster that had his name called with regularity in drafts this spring, Anderson began 2019 in an extended funk. That's still depressing his overall numbers, despite the fact that he's been close to a top-1oo player in 5x5 over the past month. During that stretch, the 26-year-old has hit .277 with five homers and 33 R+BI, and he remains a fixture in the top half of the lineup for Miami.
Colin Moran (3B, PIT) — 10% Owned
Moran's big night on Friday (3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI) led to his ownership rate nearly doubling over the weekend, but he's still not attracting much attention in fantasy circles. Perhaps he should be, given that he's hitting at a pace that would give him close to 30 HR and more than 100 RBI over a full season. A more aggressive approach appears to have keyed a power surge for Moran, who has only once eclipsed a dozen bombs in a season (that an 18-homer campaign at Triple-A in 2017). He's clearly the man at the hot corner in Pittsburgh now, given Jung Ho Kang's struggles.
For Your Radar
Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL) — 4% Owned
Are the Brewers finally tired of waiting for Jesus Aguilar to get in gear? They probably ought to be; though Aguilar homered on Sunday, that was just his second since the end of April and fifth overall. Thames got the start over Aguilar at first on Sunday and also went deep. That gave him 10 on the season, to go with a robust .258/.379/.503 slash line. Thames will need to keep mashing to compete for at-bats on the crowded Milwaukee roster, but he has been the favored option at first base in recent days.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
