RADIO
Small sample sizes have now become reasonably big enough for us to make some informed decisions. It's unlikely you'll find any potential 30-HR bats still available on the waiver wire at this point, but streaming the right players each week can be extremely helpful even if you aren't in a head-to-head league.
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 Week 6 waiver wire targets for first base and third base 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 6 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets
Yonder Alonso (1B, OAK) 20% owned - It's time to take Alonso for real. Although he was a big bat in the middle of the lineup at the University of Miami, that was nine years ago and he doesn't have a track record of big power numbers in the majors. To put it into context, Alonso is one home run away from tying his career high of nine, which came in 619 plate appearances for San Diego back in 2012. Supposedly, a change to his swing mechanic and an intense off-season workout program has led to his success this year, so there may be something to this other than a simple hot streak. Alonso has gone .444/4/8 in the last week alone, so don't wait any longer to scoop him up. Even if you don't believe in him for the long-run, Alonso is certainly worth streaming at a CI spot in mixed leagues.
Danny Valencia (1B/3B, SEA) 12% owned - Alonso's former teammate at UM, Valencia has reasserted himself as the regular first baseman after the Daniel Vogelbach trial resulted in failure. It doesn't hurt that Valencia is slashing .353/.389/.647 with three homers and seven RBI in the last two weeks. He didn't start Sunday's game due to hamstring tightness, but made an appearance later and drove in two more runs. He qualifies at both corner positions and is worth a look in mixed leagues of 12 or more teams.
Josh Bell (1B, PIT) 34% owned - Bell reappears on this list because he continues to find his power stroke and is only owned in one-third of Yahoo leagues. Pittsburgh's offense isn't doing enough to make him a huge threat scoring or driving in runs, but if he is going to continue going deep while hitting for average, there's a place for him on most rosters. Bell is up to five dongs on the season, all of which have come in the last 15 games. We're talking about a former top-100 prospect who is getting regular starts for the first time in his career - sometimes a little patience is all it takes.
Yunel Escobar (3B, LAA) 11% owned - Escobar was already officially hot before Sunday's game in which he hit two HR, doubling his season total to four. He's batting .333 in the past 10 games raising his season average to .262. Escobar has blossomed since arriving in Anaheim, finishing last season at .304. Just don't expect more power - he hasn't finished with double-digit homers in a season since 2011. Escobar is batting leadoff for the Angels, so he should provide a decent run total once Mike Trout returns to the lineup.
Graduated
N/A
Hold For Now
Justin Bour (1B, MIA) 7% owned - Bour hasn't homered or done anything particularly exciting since his offensive explosion on April 30, but he is making better contact. He has two runs and two RBI in the past week. If you're in a head-to-head league and strapped for power, Bour always has potential to deliver.
Yuli Gurriel (1B/3B, HOU) 40% owned - He's slowed down this week with just four hits in his last 22 at-bats, but he's still at .306 on the season. Gurriel is relatively safe, if unexciting, option if you can do without power at the corner infield position.
Hernan Perez (2B/3B/SS/OF, MIL) 41% owned - While it's encouraging that he's getting more regular playing time these days, Perez hasn't done much in the last week other than a solo homer on Saturday. He's added shortstop eligibility and now qualifies at four positions. That alone makes him worth a bench spot in most formats.
Cut Bait
Martin Prado (3B, MIA) - It's not that Prado hasn't been reaching base, he just isn't going to do so in the near future. Prado's troublesome hamstring caused him to exit Sunday's game early and could result in another stint on the DL for the veteran. If you need the roster space or are looking for more upside, feel free to part ways.
