RADIO
We're headed down the final stretch for the 2017 fantasy baseball season, but it's never too late to improve your team via waiver wire adds. There are plenty of rookies who are hungry to make good impressions in the final weeks. Grabbing the right one might be all you need for that final playoff push.
The corner infield positions traditionally offer power with the potential for high averages, so you may want to target players that can offer an advantage in those categories to bolster your team. In this piece, I'll identify waiver wire targets for first base and third base in week 22 who should be able to contribute in multiple categories, either as replacements or bench depth. These players are owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues.
We'll also look at the names mentioned in last week’s post, noting which players have graduated off of the waiver wire (ownership higher than 50%), which are still recommended pickups, and which we are dropping off the list entirely.
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Week 22 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets
Trey Mancini (1B/OF, BAL) 50% owned
It's just getting old now. How many times must Mancini be recommended before he's taken seriously? It's hard to fathom why a promising rookie in a hitter-friendly environment who has a triple slash line of .289/22/69 is sitting there on the waiver wire in half of all Yahoo leagues. Even if you're not in a keeper league, what's the downside to owning him? He's done nothing but hit .364 and drive in seven runs this past week, so if anything his stock should be on the rise.
Matt Davidson (1B/3B, CHW) 6% owned
Remember him? Davidson surprised pleasantly by swatting 18 homers in the first half and driving in 42 runs, although it came with a .245 average and 38% K%. A slow start to the second half and DL stint after a right wrist contusion left him barely owned in fantasy. He's back and picking up right where he started, going deep for a three-run bomb on Sunday. Davidson is batting fifth in the lineup and should have a fair amount of RBI opportunities, even on a miserable team.
Yolmer Sanchez (2B/3B, CHW) 1% owned
Another barely owned player on a terrible team that's only starting due to injury? Sounds like waiver wire gold! Sanchez has made the most of Yoan Moncada's injury, using it as an audition for playing time in 2018. This past week alone, Sanchez collected three home runs and nine RBI. He's now driven in at least one run in seven of the last 11 games. Sanchez is hitting just .255 on the season and is likely due for regression, but he could be a useful streamer for now.
Graduated
Rhys Hoskins (1B, PHI) 73% owned
"There's always plenty of risk when you take on a three-true-outcomes type of player, but the rewards can be plentiful when things break right." That's what I wrote in this column last week and it's safe to say the rewards have been more than plentiful. Hoskins smashed six more homers and drove in 15 runs in a week's time. If there were such a thing as a second-half Rookie of the Year award, it would be Hoskins in the NL and Rafael Devers in the AL.
Hold For Now
Mike Napoli (1B, TEX) 28% owned
Three straight hitless games and he's back below .200 for the year. He's on the verge of cracking 30 HR, however, and rarely goes a week without going deep. If you're looking for power, it's unlikely you'll find a better bet than Napoli. If you need average along with it... look elsewhere.
Brandon Phillips (2B/3B, ATL) 37% owned
No homers and just one steal in the last seven days, but he's hitting .355 and is working on a 12-game hitting streak. He's likely to give you more value at second base, but if that's not a position of need, he can serve you well at the corner.
Cut Bait
Ryder Jones (1B/3B, SF) 0% owned
Slim pickings on the wire sometimes lead to desperation adds. Jones shouldn't be one of them. He went 2-for-10 with absolutely no counting stats last week and is still batting .186 on the year. Let's just pretend this never happened.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds
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