Marcus Semien (SS, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 59% of Fleaflicker Leagues

EXPERT ANALYSIS: With the unfortunate news of Trevor Story's season-ending injury, your HR leader at shortstop is none other than Marcus Semien with 22. He has already easily surpassed last year's HR-RBI totals of 15-45 and is on pace to end the year with 30 or more homers. His HR/FB% has jumped to 15% this year, which may regress slightly, but not enough to keep him from being a valuable power source. He has nine SB and isn't going to run too often, but a 30/15 season isn't too bad for a player that was lightly drafted and is still available in nearly half of fantasy leagues. Semien also provides something that isn't a counting stat, but makes him a reliable pickup - he leads the AL in games played at 107. You can't hit if you can't stay healthy and Semien has been a staple in the A's lineup this season.

Of course, there are warts to be found and that comes in the averages. Semien is batting .232 with a .300 OBP at the moment. His average has been declining over the past few weeks, as he has just a .203 AVG in the last month of play. He won't be more than a .250 hitter, but that's the sacrifice you make for such power in a middle infielder. His .252 BABIP is well below last year's .312 BABIP, so the average should climb up eventually to an acceptable number. Semien can provide owners help in the power department, so long as you can offset the mediocre average elsewhere.