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Mike Kurland's fantasy baseball first base and third base waiver wire pickups for Week 2 of the 2020 MLB season. Consider adding and streaming these free agent corner infield options at 1B or 3B.
Entering week two and coming off a short week, give us a small sample to work with. This week, I will lean heavily on match-ups and potential for at-bats via lineup placement. There will be a few repeat names on this list due to the rostered percentage not rising and performance warranting an add.
Before we dive in, we need to keep a few things in mind:
- We focus on players rostered in 5x5 Roto formats in Yahoo! leagues.
- Player eligibility will also be determined by the Yahoo! player pool.
- We aim at players rostered in 40% of leagues or less. This allows us to provide names to help leagues of all sizes.
- They will be in order of rostered percentage from highest to lowest.
There has been and will continue to be a ton of turnover. Be quick on the trigger and get your adds in before the next person. Staying a step ahead is key and the goal here is to keep you a step ahead. Now, let's get to those players to add for Week 2.
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First Base Waiver Wire Options
C.J. Cron (1B, DET) - 38% rostered
C.J. Cron checks all the boxes. He has been hitting in the middle of the lineup, playing every day, and has no one threatening playing time. He is a .250 hitter with 30 home runs over a full season and that type of skill set will play. Cron has faced Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, and the Reds solid bullpen to start the year and he has managed to go 4-for-11 with two home runs and four RBI. We know the power is real. He should have his ups and downs but playing time is secured and he faces the Royals and Reds next week. All of these games are at home, a park that plays well for this type of hitter.
Wil Myers (1B/OF, SD) - 31% rostered
People often peg Wil Myers as injury-prone, but he has played 155 games or more in three of the last four seasons. He has also stolen 16 bases and hit at least 18 home runs in those three seasons. In 2018, he only played 83 games but managed 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases. What I am saying here is Myers is a must-add for anyone in need of speed in drafts and he brings some added pop in the process. He also started pivoting his back foot this summer. Although we would've expected a pro hitter to be doing this all along, this should help him become a better hitter overall, hopefully. He has also secured everyday playing time between the outfield and DH and routinely hits sixth in the lineup. He smacked a home run off Robbie Ray and could be getting going. The power and speed potential are there, which makes him a top priority.
Niko Goodrum (1B/2B/SS/ OF, DET) - 17% rostered
Without much notice, Niko Goodrum has entered the season as the leadoff hitter for the Detroit Tigers. The batting average can be an issue at times but this is a player who has had at least 12 stolen bases and 12 home runs each of the last two seasons. Leading off can lead to plenty more opportunities on the base paths and if you're in need of speed upside and positional flexibilty, this guy has it.
Third Base Waiver Wire Options
Ian Happ (2B/3B/OF, CHC) - 38% rostered
Happ is in fact starting every day so far. Unfortunately, he bats at the bottom of the lineup. He showed off the power early with an Opening Day home run. The appeal for week two is still the power and speed potential but that schedule. He plays four games in Cincinnati and then comes home to face the Pirates for three games. I know the Reds pitching staff is not the easiest to face but they should lineup against the number four and five starters to begin the week. Great American Ballpark is always a great field to have players hitting at and pairing that with the home games against the Pirates, he could have himself a solid week.
Brian Anderson (3B/OF, MIA) - 26% rostered
Entering the year we expected Brain Anderson to hit in the two-hole. This is not the case. He has found himself playing every day but hitting fifth. That should lead to some RBI opportunities moving forward. So far he is 3-for-8 with a home run and three RBI on the season. Nothing flashy but he is solid, safe and should play every single day. He gets four games against Baltimore, two of which are at Camden, and then three against the nationals. With Strasburg having hand issues, he will for sure avoid at least one of their big three aces and a chance at avoiding two. With that said, the Baltimore half of this schedule is strong enough reason to not be concerned about the back half.
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (3B/OF, TB) - 17% rostered
Although we only saw one hit to date, that one hit was an absolute shot. It was actually off of a LHP and he is a lefty bat. The fact the Rays started him both against LHP and RHP and platooned just about everyone else suggests they have the utmost confidence in him. He hit third and fourth in the lineup over both games which further suggests they have confidence in his bat. He should be a mainstay in the heart of a very good lineup. Entering a week he will be playing seven games, with three in Camden, this is a big power bat to stream.
Deeper-League Dart Throws
These are a few players to go after in your deeper leagues or if you're in a pinch in general. These players will be rostered in less than 10% of leagues.
Justin Smoak (1B, MIL) - 7% rostered
This is simply a mix of opportunity and lineup placement. He played each of the first two games and batted cleanup both games. He was able to get a home run while he was at it. He enters a week where he gets to face the Pirates on the road and then a home series against the Cardinals.
Hanser Alberto (2B/3B, BAL) - 6% rostered
Hanser Alberto hits LHP very well but regardless he plays every day. He usually hits around the six-hole when facing RHP and bats second when facing LHP. He has a seven-game slate next week with five of those games at his home field in Camden Yards. Alberto won't do much for power but he can help in the batting average department.
Jesus Aguilar (1B, MIA) - 4% rostered
The Marlins called an audible on the expectations and have been batting Aguilar second in the lineup. The power is still very real as we have seen two home runs here in the first few games. He enters week two where he gets a seven-game week with four of the games against the Orioles. When in doubt, fade Orioles pitchers!
Travis Shaw (3B, TOR) - 3% rostered
Here is an example of bounce-back potential mixed with playing time opportunity. He has been hitting fourth and fifth in the lineup and playing every day. Last year was by far an outlier in terms of lack of production. So far, it hasn't been flashy but he has hit .333 on the year. He could get going and show us he is who we thought he was entering 2019.
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