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Hunting for values on the waiver wire is one of the most fun, and most challenging, parts of any fantasy season. This can be especially true at the infield corners, an area where the stars are readily scooped up and finding a low cost alternative can be often difficult. Here at RotoBaller, we're always looking for ways to help our readers succeed in all aspects of the game. With that aim in mind, each week I'll be bringing you my recommendations for which waiver wire 1st and 3rd basemen should be on your radar as you peruse the waiver wire. Here are the best 1B/3B waiver wire pickups for week 4:
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for first base and third base, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
Top First Base Waiver Wire Option
Mark Teixeira (1B, NYY)
ESPN: 51.8% owned; Yahoo: 60% owned
If you took my advice earlier this year and picked up Mark Teixeira off waivers, you're probably pretty happy with me right now. Since the start of week three, Teixeira has hit a mind-boggling .381 with 5 home runs, 6 Runs scored, and 10 RBI. Let those numbers sink in for a second. That's the kind of production that can carry your team in this game.
Going forward, Teixeira will be swinging his white-hot bat against a very favorable schedule, one which features time at home against Tampa Bay and on the road against Boston and Toronto. In fact, Teixeira won't find himself playing in anything even approaching a pitcher's park until May 11th. In the meanwhile, he'll be facing pitching staffs which rank 22nd, 23rd, and 28th in overall team ERA. Say it with me ladies and gentlemen: dingers.
Other 1B Notables
Adam Lind (1B, MIL)
ESPN: 24.0% owned; Yahoo: 43% owned
Last week I said that as long as Lind continued to hit, he'd remain a fixture in this column. Well...he's still hitting. With Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez recuperating on the DL, manager Ron Roenicke entrusted his cleanup hitter with charge of the offense over the past week. Lind has responded by hitting .348 with a home run, four RBI, and two Runs scored. What's more, Gomez is on track to return to action late next week. His blend of on-base skills and speed should prove valuable to Lind owners looking to see more of this kind of production in the future.
The elephant in the room of course is left handed pitching. Lind has never demonstrated any ability to hit against southpaws during his career. In fact, he's been so poor against them that his managers have primarily chosen to bench him altogether when a left hander takes the mound. Whether Roenicke will chose to continue this trend and bench his hottest hitter is an open question. It's not like the Brewers have much behind him on the depth chart after all. Regardless, Lind has been productive enough in his at-bats against right handed pitching so far this season that he's more than making up for the occasional off day. Ride the streak.
Yonder Alonso (1B, SD)
ESPN: 12.9% owned; Yahoo: 11% owned
I bet a lot of people would be surprised to find out Yonder Alonso is hitting .379 this season. Commonly occupying the 5th spot in a potent Padres lineup, Alonso could be an cheap source of RBI and batting average production for fantasy owners in deep leagues. He'll never be a big time source of power or speed, but he does just enough of both to make him valuable while his average stays high. Depending on the format you play in, Alonso's short-term skillset might be exactly what your team needs.
Top First Base Waiver Wire Option
David Freese (3B, LAA)
ESPN: 7.4% owned; Yahoo: 16% owned
No team in baseball scored more runs than the 2014 Los Angeles Angels. This year the reigning AL West Champions returned strong, putting together a lineup with an enviable top three of Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout, and Albert Pujols. These three offensive stars were a big part of what made the Angels so dangerous last year and that's not going to change in 2015. The reason I brought this all up in this article is because David Freese is hitting cleanup behind these three players. The opportunities which that alone affords him could make him incredibly valuable on the right team.
Freese himself is nothing terribly special. He's roughly a .260 hitter with 12-15 home run pop and no speed. He hasn't shown the aptitude to be anything more than that this year, but we don't frankly need him to. When you plug a hitter with that skillset behind Calhoun, Trout, and Pujols, you get a counting stat machine. Despite the Angels rather lackluster start to the year, Freese already has 13 RBI, tying him for the 12th spot in all of baseball. That's what happens when you hit behind Trout.
Other 3B Notables
Luis Valbuena (3B, HOU)
ESPN: 32.3% owned; Yahoo: 27% owned
The awful batting average makes Valbuena much more of a deep league target than anything else at this point of the season. For those owners, however, his value proposition is striking. On one hand, Valbuena is one of only 13 hitters in all of baseball to already have five home runs this season and his .286 isolated slugging percentage ranks 17th highest in the game. On the other, he's hitting .196 with virtually no speed. Now, unless you figure his BABIP to stay locked at a putrid .150, that batting average should rise. That still will probably leave him as a below average contributor in the category, however.
You're left with an admittedly one dimensional player. That type of player can be useful during a hot streak though and Valbuena's power has certainly been hot in recent weeks. He's consistently batting 2nd atop the Astros' lineup, right behind the on-base God that is Jose Altuve. That should both give Valbuena plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and be driven in himself. If you're in a league in which Freese is already off the board, consider giving Valbuena a chance to produce for you next week.
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