Emilio Bonifacio - (2B/OF, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in NL-Only Leagues

ANALYSIS: The lone bright spot for the Chicago Cubs offense on opening day was Emilio Bonifacio. The leadoff hitter went 4 for 5 with a stolen base. In 2011, Bonifacio hit .296 with 78 R, 5 HR, 36 RBI, and 40 SB - all career highs. Those numbers have all decreased over the past couple seasons, most notably his batting average. However, at 28 years-old, Emilio is still in his prime. Bonifacio is an intriguing fantasy option due to his versatility. He has played six different positions at the major league level and is currently eligible for 2B and OF spots for fantasy teams. He is also a switch hitter, which could help keep him atop the order regardless of who is pitching. One game is not a large enough sample size to make any rash decisions, but Bonifacio is clearly off to a good start. The Cubs are not exactly stacked with hitters, so Emilio! (I had to throw at least one 'A Night at the Roxbury' reference in there, right?) could very well turn out to be a valuable source of runs and stolen bases.  Though he certainly won't put the ball out of the park much, look for him to steal 25-35 bags. NL-only owners in search of stolen bases may want to grab Bonifacio off the waiver wire, but standard leagues owners should just continue scouting him for now and see how he plays over the first week.