June 26, 2017

Pierre Camus recommends first basemen (1B) and third basemen (3B) who are valuable waiver wire targets or adds for Week 13 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

Sometimes numbers can be deceiving, but in the fantasy writing world our job is to parse each statistic for its true worth and translate that into actionable advice. Simply put, I'm finally buying into Scooter Gennett this week because the man won't stop going deep. On the other hand, a man like Maikel Franco has been the opposite of good this season, but could be worth adding for other reasons. As always, we need to dive deeper to get a sense of each player's worth.

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 13 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 13 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets

Scooter Gennett (2B/3B/OF, CIN) 17% owned

His monstrous (and shocking) four-HR game has come and gone, but a funny thing happened since then: he's still hitting homers. Gennett has four jacks and eight RBI in the past seven games, none of which have come in single-game bundles. Whether you believe that he can keep it up or think he's due to fail a drug test any day now, the fact is that he should be scooped off the waiver wire now while he's producing. Zack Cozart is still on the DL, so his playing time is assured for the short term at least. Putting him at the MI spot might give you more of a power boost, but if corner infield is where you're looking, he slots nicely there too.

Brandon Drury (2B/3B/OF, ARI) 49% owned

Could Drury be developing into an everyday player before our eyes? The utility man has been a mainstay at second base this year and is hitting well enough that he doesn't need to worry about being moved around the diamond. A six-RBI game on Wednesday pretty much made his week, but he's been swinging a hot bat all of June so it's no fluke. Drury is hitting .313 with four HR and 18 RBI in the month. One thing to note: Drury is hitting over 100 points higher at home, with 19 XBH at Chase Field, compared to nine on the road. If you're simply looking for a streamer or platoon bat, prioritize him at home this coming week.

Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) 46% owned

This is getting into desperation territory, but if you're a bit farther back in the standings, especially in the power categories, this could be a good time to buy-low or pickup a slugger like Franco. It's hard to believe that once upon a time he was considered a possible top-10 option at the hot corner. Given the way he's hit this season, it's understandable that people have abandoned ship. He is showing signs of life lately, hitting a pair of homers in the past week. More importantly, he's got a positive 7:4 BB:K rate in the last two weeks, so the contact should improve accordingly. Betting on a player to suddenly turn things around in the second half isn't always the best bet, but Franco has enough potential that he could be worth the risk.

Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) 18% owned

I almost hesitate to put Moreland here based on back-to-back games with homers, but his season totals should be enough to warrant giving him a chance. Moreland is up to 10 HR and 38 RBI, which is almost identical to Franco. The difference is that Moreland sports a .359 OBP, whereas Franco is at a miserable .280. Leagues that go deeper into scoring categories will favor Moreland a bit more, but he's still a solid, if unexciting option at first base.

Graduated

Matt Adams (1B/OF, ATL) 57% owned

It took a few weeks, but people are finally catching on that Adams could be for real, not unlike Logan Morrison or Yonder Alonso. Not to get ahead of ourselves too much, but Adams could wind up being a hold for the rest of the season, even when Freddie Freeman returns. The idea of Freddie Freeman playing third just doesn't hold water with me, but Adams could easily find time in the outfield if the team parts ways with one of its veterans like Nick Markakis before the trade deadline.

Hold For Now

Matt Davidson (3B, CHW) 26% owned - Davidson is still raking, with two solo homers and a .280 average last week. As steady as they come, Davidson

Cut Bait

Yangervis Solarte (2B/3B, SD) 23% owned - Sure enough, just when he started to get going and I recommend him as a pickup, he hits the disabled list. It's a strained oblique, so recovery could take longer than 10 days. Ignore and move on for now, as he doesn't need to be stashed.

Eduardo Escobar (3B/SS, MIN) 12% owned - It was fun while it lasted. Escobar's red-hot week may turn out to be the source of half his home run total for the year. Escobar hasn't driven in a run in the last six games, however, only scoring twice and

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