Week 2 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

The Corner Store is open! Primary shoppers: Eugenio Suarez owners, Jake Lamb owners, Wil Myers owners, Justin Turner owners, and Greg Bird owners.

The selection of players on the waiver wire could not persuade you into thinking you were shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue. More likely, you are searching through outlet store type players. In most cases, you’ll be seeing quality comparable to what is found at a place my daughter calls, "The Junk Store" (Goodwill). Regardless of whether or not players were draft-worthy or were discarded prematurely, there are players that can provide some measure of value. There should be no expectation that they are free of flaws. However, in a time of need, they can do a patch-up job. In some cases, a rare find could turn into an increasingly valuable asset.

Trying to find a direct equivalent to a player lost is a pointless task. When looking for a replacement or upgrade, identify the needs of your roster and how a player would fit in to improve your roster as a whole, or boost a certain category at the very least. First base and third base are generally the best spots to look to improve your team’s power. From the waiver wire, those individuals will usually come with a poor batting average. The main alternative is a player that will give you production across the board. Key points - the primary focus of this list is on players who are owned in less than 50% of yahoo leagues. Check your leagues for availability.

Week 2 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets

Yulieski Gurriel (1B, HOU) 27% owned

Gurriel has played in three rehab games (offseason hamate surgery) with Double-A Corpus Christi starting Thursday. He played the field and served as DH. In three games, Gurriel is 6-for-12 with three runs and three RBIs. He has already served his five-game suspension for inappropriate gestures made in the 2017 World Series. Assuming there are no setbacks, Gurriel is expected to come off the DL on Friday 13th and inserted right into the lineup. Gurriel seems to be a forgotten man but even at the age of 33, he can hit for average with a little pop in a very good lineup. Also, he has a guaranteed position.

Brandon Belt (1B/OF, SF) 46% owned

Belt has always been a non-sexy producer, a hitter that the average fantasy player could care less whether they own or not. However, he provides power, a couple stolen bases, and is a very good asset in OBP leagues. He had a down year in 2017 due to a concussion but still ended up with a slash line of .241/.355/.469.

Belt has demonstrated his power with a homer to the opposite field against the Mariners. He also has a stolen base to his credit. In the short season, he has a .304/.385/.522 slash line. There is no reason he should be owned in less that 50% of leagues.

Brian Anderson (3B, MIA) 13% owned

Anderson is a prime example of the value of opportunity and playing time. He never had an elite skill set in the minors but he could hit. With the Marlins rebuilding, Anderson now has the opportunity with Martin Prado out.

Anderson manages the strike zone well with a very good BB% and a solid K% rates. Thus far, he has 15.4% for both BB% and K%. He also showed power in the minors, hitting 22 HR and 74 RBI in 2017. In 32 at-bats, Anderson has tallied seven runs, one homer, and eight RBI to go with a .286 average. He has a high floor and the playing time to be a solid choice off the wire.

Colin Moran (1B, PIT) 7% owned

If you have space on your roster to take a chance on someone, Moran is a great guy to roll the dice on. He has long been a prospect with some pedigree. Unfortunately, he has never cashed in on that potential which makes it seem as though he has been around for a long time. He doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a power bat at third. He will provide you roughly 15-20 homers and a decent average. He currently owns the third base job for the Pirates and is hitting for a .320 average with five runs, one homer and eight RBI. It likely costs you very little to take a chance on him.

Christian Villanueva (3B, SD) 16% owned

Villanueva evidently read Matt Davidson's book on grand entrances. In only his second game of the season, he hit three homers against the Rockies, in San Diego no less. Villanueva has been hitting fourth or fifth in the lineup since his three HR night on Tuesday. While not a highly touted prospect, Villanueva has demonstrated in Triple-A that he can hit for power (20 HR and 86 RBI) and average (.296). That is not bad for a guy that is basically free just to take a chance on. In the last week, Villanueva is hitting .286 with three homers, four runs and six RBI.

Early Graduates

Matt Chapman (3B, OAK) 67% owned

In just a week, Chapman has increased in ownership by 20 percent. This is in part to his performance, both power and average, resulting in him being the fourth overall third baseman in baseball thus far. Yes, it is a short sample but it is encouraging to see Chapman start the season off strong with three homers, eight RBIs and a .375 batting average.

Josh Harrison (2B/3B/OF, PIT) 61% owned

Harrison is hitting atop the lineup and already has 11 runs, one homer, five RBI and a stolen base that complements a .342 average. With the multi-positional eligibility, Harrison gives you more benefits than a standard fill-in.

Outside The Parameters

Maikel Franco (1B/3B, PHI) 48% owned

*Since the write-up on Saturday, Franco’s ownership has increased to 56%

I will preface the write-up by saying it is a very small sample size, which we know. Statistically, Franco is having a good season. He has a .316 average with four runs, two HR, 11 RBI. A majority of the offensive output came thanks to a grand slam on Saturday against the Florida Marlins. Franco has been fighting for playing time. His aggressiveness at the plate and his liability as a defensive third baseman has given rise to the belief that if he does not improve, then rookie Scott Kingery could take over at third base.

The hope is that Carlos Santana’s positive influence has some effect on Franco. At the plate, Franco has made some adjustments to his hitting. He has a 68.8% fly ball, compared to his career average of 36.4%. Also, Franco has a 37.5% hard hit rate, but only had a 30.9% in 2017. Unfortunately he continues to swing outside the zone too much (35.1%). Again, it is a small amount of data to look at, but if Franco can fix his offensive woes, then that is good value on a small investment off the waiver wire.

Matt Davidson (1B/3B, CHW) 75% owned

Matt Davidson is one to be cautious about; while the fantasy baseball world is enthralled with his ability to hit multiple homers in one game, the underlying concerns still exist. He has a career 35.2% K and 6% BB rates, which are both pretty terrible. On the season, he has four homers and eight RBI to go along with a .280 batting average. However, in 18 at-bats over the last week, Davidson has one homer and a .167 average. The hype remains but if the need for him doesn’t exist, I would be working on trading him for increased value.

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