With the first month coming to a close in the fantasy baseball season, the waiver wire doesn’t appear as appetizing as the season’s first few weeks.
Fantasy baseball owners must address the waiver wire in a new way as it progresses. You can either look for a hot bat and pick him up for a week. Or you can find players who have demonstrated an ability to be top-tier in one category, helping fill a gap for your team.
Here are three players who can fill a gap or two for your fantasy baseball team’s lineup.
Chris Owings, Arizona, SS/OF
I know I’ve pounded home on the Owings train before, but it’s amazing that this guy is still not owned in more than one-third of leagues on ESPN.com.
The Diamondbacks are staying strong on the offensive side of the ball and Owings is doing pretty much everything a person could ask for. He’s stealing bases, hitting for average, driving in runs and even scoring some runs.
Among shortstops, he has the second-best batting average, the most RBI, the third-most homers, the fifth-most runs and the most stolen bases.
That likely won’t continue, but for the first month of the season, he’s been the best shortstop in Major League Baseball. He showed progression in his first two full Major League seasons, so this shouldn’t be a surprise that he continually gets better.
If he’s available in your league, pick him up now.
Jarrod Dyson, Seattle, OF
Dyson isn’t a player that you can rely on to fill many gaps. Oftentimes, though, in categorical leagues, the stolen bases category is the toughest to win.
Dyson is more than capable at giving you an edge in that category.
He ranks second in Major League Baseball with eight stolen bases already, just behind Billy Hamilton for the league-lead. He’s basically a give-away stolen base candidate every time he gets on base. The only problem is that doesn’t happen often.
He’s batting only .231, but he does have an on-base percentage over .300, at .303. He also has 11 runs scored, which isn’t bad either, but he won’t drive in runs or hit homers.
If he can work more walks, he can be a legitimate contender to start on your team to help gain more stolen bases.
Brandon Phillips, Atlanta, 2B
Remember when Phillips was a fantasy baseball stud?
He stole bases, hit home runs, drove in runs and hit for average. He was one of the best at his position.
Now he’s aged and is owned in a little more than 50 percent of fantasy leagues. That’s OK, because at least for now, he’s putting up big-time numbers again.
He’s hitting .352 with nine RBI, two home runs and six stolen bases. Among second basemen, he’s tops in batting average and third in steals.
Will this last? Definitely not. But for the time being, he could help your fantasy team work through the first part of the season, until he falls off. Keep an eye on him and make the most of his hot start.
