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Click here for RotoBaller.com's fantasy baseball advice for cheap sources of speed from the waiver wire. Get RotoBaller advice and strategy; win your league.
RotoBaller knows that you need steals to compete in fantasy baseball. If you punt steals, you’ll reduce your chances of winning immensely. BUT, you don't have to spend a lot on steals to compete. If you've focused your draft on heavy power hitters who rack up the HR and RBI, then you've come to the right place for some valuable stolen base options to round out your team:
We’ve chosen five guys from our Ultimate Waiver Wire Watch List who could be very cheap sources for steals in 2013.
1) Rajai Davis: A perennial on this list. He’s a consistent stolen base threat– with 41, 50, 34 and 46 stolen bases in the last four seasons. Davis doesn’t have a starting spot in the stacked Blue Jays' lineup, but it is likely he’ll see plenty of at bats against LHP and be one of the first off the bench to spell his teammates. Last year he also flashed a bit of power with 8 HR. Look to Davis for guaranteed speed. If there’s an injury to a starting Blue Jay, Rajai's ranking moves up immediately and he’ll no longer be hanging out on the waiver wire.
2) Juan Pierre: There’s a good chance he’s already owned in your league, but if he’s not, keep an eye on him. He’s guaranteed to play almost every day on the rundown Marlins roster. He is one of the best base stealers in the last decade with only one season tallying fewer than 30 SB since 2001. And it was three seasons ago in 2010 that he finished with 68 SB. Last year he had 37 SB against just 7 CS-- he’s not slowing down.
3) Drew Stubbs: He’s no longer a future five-tool player now that the Reds have let him go after four seasons of unfulfilled expectations-- quite the opposite, in fact. Now, he’s a kind of scrubby player playing in Cleveland (insert joke) and hitting at the bottom of the order. Forget the low BA and look at the positive: at least 14 HR, 75 R, and 30 SB in each of the last three seasons. He should get around 500 AB with the Indians and match those numbers again.
4) Gregor Blanco: Blanco is probably floating around on the waiver wire and rightfully so. He’s no superstar, but if you’re in need of speed, he can prove useful. Almost guaranteed to be one of those guys who cycles through fantasy teams this year, he is primarily a one-tool player slated to start against RHP and projected to get between 450-500 AB in 2013. In his first full season in 2012, he had 26 SB against 6 CS. With more consistent playing time, a 30-steal season is in reach for this OF.
5) Emilio Bonifacio: Last but not least, Bonifacio has won the starting 2B job in Toronto. Yea, it's partially by default since Brett Lawrie is injured, but he's going to play everyday for the first two weeks at least and that's all that should matter to you. When Bonifacio is healthy, he steals about 1 bag per 10 AB. Over a full year in 2011, Bonifacio stole 40 bags and batted .296, scoring 78 runs. He even chipped in 5 HR which kinda stinks but is better than zero. He's definitely worth a pick up in deeper leagues if you're in need of stolen bases.
