1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 5

9 months ago by Kyle Bishop

We may be coming to the end of April, but there remains an overwhelming majority of the season left to play. In most cases, you are still advised not to make drastic decisions regarding your fantasy roster.

Of course, that isn't to say you should do nothing. There's always room for improvement. Whether you're patching up leaks on the boat or just looking to make gains on the margins, you've come to the right place.

As a reminder, our focus here 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 5 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season.

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Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Eduardo Escobar (3B/SS, ARI) — 49% Owned

Escobar got off to a bit of a slow start in 2019, but he's been swinging a hot bat as of late. The 30-year-old has logged multiple hits in five of his last eight games, including four of his five home runs on the year. He's pulled his slash line up to an impressive .286/.367/.514 with 33 R+BI in 28 games. Hitting in the top third of the Diamondbacks lineup should allow that run production to persist.

Jose Martinez (1B/OF, STL) — 44% Owned

Martinez has tallied multiple hits in five of his last nine games, but more importantly he's started 11 straight for the Cardinals. Injuries have paved the way for the 30-year-old to get regular at-bats again, and he's taking advantage. Overall, he's hitting a robust .343/.365/.443 despite having only hit one homer so far. He's now amassed nearly 1,000 plate appearances at the MLB level, and has a .310/.370/.474 line to show for it.

Renato Nunez (3B, BAL) — 38% Owned

One of the silver linings to being a cellar dweller is having the chance to hand playing time to players you otherwise might not, and seeing if they can hit their ceiling. It's tough to know if Nunez can keep this up, but after an underwhelming rookie season in 2018, he might be putting the pieces together in Baltimore. The 25-year-old flashed good power throughout the minors and has already gone deep half a dozen times for the Orioles, slashing .276/.327/.495 with 35 R+BI in 28 games.

Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Chad Pinder (2B/3B/OF, OAK) — 24% Owned

Even after going hitless in five plate appearances on Sunday, Pinder is still hitting .301/.330/.482 so far this season. In the early going, he's done a much better job making contact and avoiding strikeouts, though he's not hitting the ball quite as hard or with as much loft as during his mini-breakout last year. Still, he's playing close to every day and can be plugged in at three positions.

C.J. Cron (1B, MIN) — 22% Owned

Cron looks to be finding his groove, as he's hit home runs in two of his last three games, and has three bombs in the past eight contests. With Marwin Gonzalez scuffling and Miguel Sano still several weeks away from action, Cron should continue to play every day and slot into the heart of a better-than-you-might-realize Twins lineup.

Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL) — 15% Owned

Thames lost his job to Jesus Aguilar last year, and it looks like he may return the favor in 2019. Aguilar has been atrocious (.382 OPS, while Thames is hitting .288/.367/.596 with five homers in just 60 plate appearances. Three of those home runs have come in his last nine games. If Aguilar doesn't right the ship soon, it's not hard to see Thames getting back into a regular lineup spot.

For Your Radar

Jed Lowrie (2B/3B, NYM) — 20% Owned

Lowrie began a rehab assignment in the minors on Sunday, and should be back with the big club sooner rather than later. The veteran is coming off the best season of his career (.267/.353/.448, 23 HR, 99 RBI) and should find himself hitting in a prime lineup slot as soon as he's healthy.

Tommy La Stella (2B/3B, LAA) — 9% Owned

A career utility guy suddenly developing a power stroke at age 30 is worthy of skepticism, but you may want to keep an eye on La Stella anyway. He's always been good at making contact and working walks, so if he continues to barrel up pitches and hit more balls in the air, there may be a useful fantasy player here.