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We’re getting to the point in the year where some owners may need to go for broke to save their season. Hopefully that doesn’t include you, but if it does, these outfielders could aid in your quest.
As always, the baseballers below are available on the wire in the majority of Yahoo leagues. Second star to the right, and straight on ‘til morning.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options in the outfield, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
Outfield Waiver Wire for Week 12
Brock Holt, Boston Red Sox (31 percent)
Holt was a last-minute cut from last week’s column after news of Byron Buxton’s promotion broke. Since then, his ownership rate has tripled. A combination of injuries and ineffectiveness on the part of his teammates has allowed Holt to carve out consistent playing time in recent weeks. He’s taken advantage by slashing .341/.437/.545 over the last month, including hitting for the cycle on Tuesday. Holt’s .402 BABIP may give you pause, and considering that only three players have finished a full season with a mark over .400 in the last 90 years, it probably should. But regression may not be as harsh as you’d expect. Holt has a history of high BABIPs in the minors and is absolutely crushing the ball right now with a line drive rate of 30.6%. Plus he’s eligible at every position outside of catcher. BROCK HOLT!
Kevin Pillar, Toronto Jays (30 percent)
Though his overall numbers are still recovering from a vicious slump in May, Pillar has been an unsung hero in the Jays’ leviathan lineup of late. This month has been much kinder to the rookie, as he’s hit .403 with four homers and three stolen bases so far. For the year, Pillar has six homers and 10 steals in 12 attempts, to go along with 40 runs. He has drawn more attention to this point for his excellence in the field than his prowess at the plate. If he keeps hitting the way he has lately, though, that won’t last. Even with the bulk of his at-bats coming as the 8-hole hitter, Toronto’s league-best offense and favorable home park have allowed Pillar to accrue enough counting stats to be fantasy relevant.
Joey Butler, Tampa Rays (25 percent)
Butler is a 29 year old rookie with a 40/5 K/BB ratio and a .420 BABIP. Skepticism is merited here. But as the season wears on, waiver bargains become more difficult to find and teams begin to fall back from the pack, and it behooves owners in these situations to roll the dice. It’s not as though there is nothing to like about Butler. He posted strong walk rates and showed solid pop throughout his minor league career, and a glance under the hood shows he’s hitting plenty of line drives. To this point, he’s rocking an .879 OPS with six homers and five steals. The batting average comedown is inevitable, but if he can keep filling up the box score as he has to this point in other categories, he’ll be worth owning in several formats.
Mark Canha, Oakland Athletics (10 percent)
Canha has been a streaky hitter all season, but right now he’s hitting well. So far this month he’s slashing .300/.349/.500 with a pair of homers and a pair of stolen bases. Overall he’s sitting at just a .243 batting average, but the category juice has been nice – not to mention unexpected. Canha’s career high in steals as a minor leaguer was seven and he’s already got five on the year to go along with his eight homers. He continues to demonstrate a solid understanding of the strike zone and seems like a solid bet for at least 15/10 assuming he continues to get playing time. Those in shallow leagues can continue to ignore him, but deep leaguers could do a lot worse.
Juan Lagares, New York Mets (8 percent)
Lagares has bounced back from a lousy May, hitting .309 with a .811 OPS thus far in June despite nursing an elbow injury that is limiting him in the outfield. Overall he’s got a solid .271 batting average and 30 runs scored, with five steals in seven attempts. The fact that he hasn’t run more is surprising, given that his speed is one of his strongest assets. There have been rumblings that he may eventually need Tommy John surgery, but for the moment Lagares appears to be suffering no ill effects at the plate. He’s earned some consideration in deep and NL-only formats.
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