It’s difficult nowadays to find help on the fantasy baseball waiver wire.
Even though the pickings are slim, there’s still an opportunity to create a better roster through the waiver wire. Here’s three choices I’m eyeing to improve my fantasy baseball roster.
J.T. Realmuto, Miami, C
He’s owned in a little more than 60 percent of fantasy leagues on ESPN, so it’s not guaranteed that he will be on your waiver wire. If he is available in your league, though, he can strengthen your roster in a position void of much production.
In the last 30 days, Realmuto owns the second-best batting average among qualifying catchers at .344 to go along with a .362 on-base percentage.
And while he doesn’t do a lot in other categories, with only two home runs, 11 RBIs and 10 runs in that timespan, he only has 14 strikeouts in 90 at-bats. His limited strikeouts make him an effective player in formats that subtract points for strikeouts and also in other scoring formats, where he should offer a solid choice in each at-bat.
With how many times he reaches base on a given day, he should start to offer more production on other categories, making him a solid choice as a catcher.
Jonathan Villar, Milwaukee, SS
I told you that the options aren’t great on the waiver wire. Villar doesn’t do a lot in terms of runs, RBIs and homers, but he can be a stalwart in other categories.
He ranks seventh among shortstops in batting average this season at .292 and gets on base at a .391 clip, the second-best mark among shortstops.
Those are great numbers, but his best offering to fantasy baseball owners may be his ability to steal bases. He leads all shortstops with 11 stolen bases this season, which ranks third overall in Major League Baseball.
He’s owned in less than 50 percent of fantasy leagues on ESPN.com, making him a solid addition to any fantasy owner in scoring formats that include batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases.
Mike Napoli, Cleveland, 1B
So far in the month of May, Napoli is starting to heat up.
He’s batting over .300 for the month with three homers and 13 RBIs. First base is a packed category, but the way he is hitting the ball, he can be a nice fill-in starter and provide depth to your fantasy baseball roster.
Among first basemen, he ranks third with 26 RBIs and is tied for eighth with seven home runs.
If he can stay near .300 with his batting average, he can be a starter for your roster. His main issue has been batting average, but he can still offer production with his RBI and home run totals as a an option to increase depth.
