June 16, 2016

Kyle Bishop's first base (1B) and third base (3B) fantasy baseball waiver wire adds. Pickups and corner infield sleepers for Week 11 of the 2016 MLB season.

With one exception, today we’ll be looking exclusively at players who can be slotted into both middle and corner infield positions. That kind of flexibility is plenty valuable, especially for owners who are dealing with a rash of injuries.

If you count yourself among that unfortunate group, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive in.

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Week 11 Corner Infield Waiver Wire Targets

Jhonny Peralta, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals (42 percent owned)

Peralta missed the first two months of the season with a torn thumb ligament. He’s shown little rust since returning, hitting .333/.407/.542 with a homer and 11 R+RBI in his first six games. Peralta has not yet gained third base eligibility in non-Yahoo leagues, but will by the end of the week. He does have his usual eligibility at shortstop, though, and it’s not hard to see him producing top-10 value at that position over the remainder of the season.

Steve Pearce, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays (38 percent)

Pearce has been in and out of the lineup this month while dealing with elbow soreness, but he’s continued to hit when on the field. He’s collected three hits in three of his last five games, including three doubles. That barrage has raised his season line to .336/.410/.555. Pearce isn’t exactly fleet of foot, so we should expect his current .363 BABIP to regress at least a little despite healthy quality of contact numbers. He’s improved his strikeout and walk rates without sacrificing power, though, which bodes well for his prospects moving forward.

Danny Espinosa, 1B/3B, Washington Nationals (28 percent)

Espinosa averaged 19 homers and 19 steals in his two seasons as a regular, albeit with middling batting averages. He’s spent the last few years serving as a utility man, but with Ian Desmond departing as a free agent this winter, the Nats have entrusted Espinosa with the starting shortstop job. Most figured it would only be a matter of time before prospect Trea Turner took over, but Espinosa and his glorious mustache have done everything in their power to prevent that. He’s cracked eight homers in his last 16 games, hitting .286/.344/.750 and totaling 27 R+RBI over that span despite hitting in the bottom third of the order. Espinosa is eligible at every infield position save catcher in Yahoo leagues.

Martin Prado, 3B, Miami Marlins (28 percent)

Prado has always been a more valuable player in real life than in fantasy baseball. He’s scored more than 81 runs just once, never totaled more than 82 RBI or 15 homers, and hasn’t stolen more than five bases in a season outside of 2012. What he’s done pretty consistently, though, is hit for average, and right now he’s fifth in the majors with a .332 mark. For all its shortcomings, batting average is a category in most fantasy leagues, and it’s often overlooked. Prado plays better at his other eligible position (second base), but owners in need of a BA boost should get him into the lineup any way they can.

Tommy Joseph, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies (17 percent)

After battling concussions and an astigmatism in his eye over the last few years, Joseph is finally healthy and showing the power stroke that led the Phillies to ask for him in the Hunter Pence trade back in 2012. While his plate discipline metrics are pretty ugly (23 strikeouts against just two walks), he’s popped seven homers in 81 plate appearances, tallying 22 R+RBI and batting .286. If he had enough at-bats to qualify, Joseph’s current 44.6 Hard% would rank sixth in baseball. The rookie has officially taken Ryan Howard’s job as the Phillies’ starting first baseman and is worth a look in deeper leagues.

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