Yairo Munoz (OF/SS/2B/3B, STL) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 2% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Anyway, if you are not familiar with St. Louis Cardinals 23-year-old utilityman Yairo Munoz, he was the key piece that came back in the trade for outfielder Stephen Piscotty. Widely regarded as bat-first, he disappointed slightly in his rookie season. Plagued by injury and ineffectiveness, Munoz has collected just eight home runs, five steals, and 28 runs on a .281/.348/.438 in 276 plate appearances. When you’re a defensive liability, that’s not going to guarantee you at-bats. The Cards, for their part, seem convinced that Munoz is legit, and are going to keep running him out there.

This week showed a little more of what Munoz is capable of, and may be a sign of great things to come. A quarter of his dingers came in the last week, along with a .368/.429/.789 line and four runs. He’s mashing like he’s shown the ability to do at times, and there’s nothing in his profile to suggest that this is fluky. In fact, he’s shown improvement in areas of weakness over the last few weeks, producing more line drives and fly balls while reducing his groundballs. Munoz has also produced strong contact throughout the year, but has reduced his swings outside of the zone since returning from injury. All this is predictive of good things to come, and he’s a really underrated option for dynasty owners.

This week’s slate helps make the case for grabbing Munoz sooner than later. Three games against the struggling Pirates and three against the stellar Dodgers, but the Cards are one of the few teams with a full seven tilts this week. Munoz might have that tough matchup with LA, but he’s got the bat to overcome. If you’ve got a keeper spot handy in a deep league or dynasty, Munoz is worth a look, especially with the multi-positional eligibility.