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Kyle Bishop suggests five middle infield targets for week 13, second basemen (2B) and shortstops (SS), for fantasy baseball owners to consider adding to their rosters in 2018.
I’ve returned after a one-week absence. Thanks to Sean Scampton for holding down the fort during my vacation.
Every Sunday until the end of the season, we'll look at the best middle infielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. These are based on standard 5x5 scoring; adjust accordingly for your specific setup.
Let’s get to it. Below are your second base and shortstop waiver wire targets for Week 13.
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Week 13 Middle Infield (MI) Waiver Wire Targets
Derek Dietrich, 1B/2B/3B/OF, Miami Marlins (35% owned)
Dietrich has had stretches of fantasy relevance before, but they’ve generally been both moderate and brief. The versatile 28-year-old is enjoying the best season of his career thus far, however, slashing .291/.344/.465 with nine home runs and (given how lousy the team around him is) respectable run production. He’s done particularly well for himself in the past month, hitting .366/.423/.634 with six homers since May 22.
Matt Duffy, 2B/3B, Tampa Bay Rays (17% owned)
Duffy put together a solid rookie campaign with the Giants back in 2015, hitting .295 with 12 homers, 12 stolen bases, and 154 R+BI. The two seasons that followed were disappointing and injury-plagued, but he’s recaptured that early form with the Rays. The infielder has produced a .321/.363/.440 line with four homers and four steals to this point, with half of those HR and SB coming in the last two weeks. Over the past month, Duffy has tallied multiple hits in 12 games.
Jose Iglesias, SS, Detroit Tigers (10% owned)
A horrid April is still putting a damper on his overall numbers, but if you’ve been keeping up with this column, you’ve heard this name multiple times already. Even though Iglesias is hitting .324/.374/.485 since May 3, his ownership rate has only just recently climbed above single digits. The Tigers’ sure-handed shortstop has also swiped 12 bags on the season. There’s not much pop to be found here, but Iglesias can provide help elsewhere.
Kike Hernandez, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (3% owned)
The Dodgers’ super-sub has been playing every day recently, and has three homers in the last two weeks – a span during which he’s hit safely in every game. Those dingers have brought his total on the season to 10, one shy of the career high he set a year ago. That he’s done this is fewer than 200 plate appearances is impressive, and is supported by the fact that he’s hitting balls in the air much more often than in seasons past. Hernandez’s positional flexibility and pop make him worthy of a roster spot in deep and NL-only formats.
Yairo Munoz, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (3% owned)
Given the way that the fantasy community at large tends to fall all over themselves when a prospect performs well, it’s surprising to see Munoz getting so little love. He opened the season on the big-league roster but didn’t get much playing time and was sent to the minors after a couple weeks. Since returning to the big club on May 19, Munoz has hit .313/.356/.427 with three home runs and two stolen bases (the latter albeit in six attempts). Paul DeJong’s imminent return doesn’t bode well for his playing time outlook, but you should be able to squeeze a bit more value from Munoz this week.
