1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 24

Only three weeks left in the 2019 season. If you're reading this, your team is almost certainly still in the hunt for a championship. Congratulations on surviving the grind of a long season.

We're not at the finish line yet, though. In the final stretch, the waiver wire is your only avenue for reinforcements, and though you'll have fewer rivals to outmaneuver, those that remain are the cream of the crop. This column is designed to help you navigate these shark-infested waters.

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 24 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season.

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• PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
• Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
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• Fantasy baseball injury reports

Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Wil Myers (3B/OF, SD) — 46% Owned

It's been a tough season for Myers, to the point where he's found himself benched on a routine basis. The veteran is finishing strong, though, with three home runs, eight RBI, and four stolen bases in his last 11 games. He's also the owner of an eight-game hitting streak, including three-hit efforts in his last two contests.

Tommy Edman (2B/3B/SS/OF, STL) — 37% Owned

Edman has gone from a virtual unknown to a frequent leadoff hitter for a playoff team in just a few months. The 24-year-old's versatility is quite valuable to fantasy owners at this time of year, but his production of late would be worth a roster spot in almost any league even if he didn't qualify at four positions. Edman ranks in the top 30 overall players over the past month on the strength of a .323 average, 23 runs, three homers, and five steals.

Asdrubal Cabrera (2B/3B/SS, WSH) — 26% Owned

Just six weeks ago, Cabrera was having a forgettable season for a Rangers team that had no real postseason hopes. Texas designated him for assignment and he wound up with the Nationals, who are virtually assured of a spot in the wild-card game. Cabrera has done more than his share to help that effort. After logging four hits and three RBI on Sunday, the 33-year-old has hit .355 with four homers and 27 RBI in his 22 games with Washington. He doesn't play every day, but with this level of production, he doesn't need to in order to be valuable to your squad.

Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Hanser Alberto (2B/3B, BAL) — 25% Owned

Alberto's breakout season shows no signs of slowing down as we near the finish line. He notched three hits on Sunday, giving him five multi-hit games in his last 11. Formerly an unremarkable utility infielder, the 26-year-old owns an impressive .326/.346/.449 line and has regularly featured as the Orioles' leadoff man in recent weeks.

Evan Longoria (3B, SF) — 22% Owned

Looking at his season line, it wouldn't seem like Longoria is worth rostering in all but the deepest leagues. Since the end of June, however, the veteran has hit .331/.378/.606 with 11 homers and 59 R+BI in just 38 games. A foot injury cost him the bulk of July, yet didn't slow down his ongoing offensive renaissance. Longoria will be 34 next month, but appears to have plenty left in the tank - contrary to how it appeared in the season's first two months.

Luis Arraez (2B/3B/OF, MIN) — 11% Owned

Arraez doesn't offer much in the way of power or speed, but he's been a huge asset in the batting average category. The rookie is hitting .340 in 294 plate appearances and is one of the toughest hitters in baseball to strike out. Arraez boasts an in-zone contact rate above 95%, swinging and missing just 3.1% of the time.  He has also scored 48 runs in 76 games, which would be a 100-run pace over a full season.

For Your Radar

Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL) — 7% Owned

With another home run on Sunday, Thames now has 21 in just 392 plate appearances. That latter number, of course, is why he's so lightly owned despite a strong .258/.357/.516 line. The 32-year-old doesn't get many opportunities against southpaws and doesn't do much with them when they do arise. He's seen more consistent at-bats lately, though, and is worth a look over the final three weeks in deeper formats.

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