Fantasy Baseball Sleeper Central-July 1-Waiver Wire Work

June came to a close yesterday with the Rangers and Josh Hamilton finishing on a positive note behind rookie Martin Perez in his Major League Debut. His debut wasn’t the most historic first start of the day though, as you’ll read in our starting lineup below.

As we get ready for another week in fantasy baseball, it’s time to evaluate you’re team before we get to the All-Star break. It’s time to get rid of players who aren’t cutting it and pick up some contributors. For possibilities of players to add, check our daily lineup of impact players owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues (ownership in parentheses).

Sleeper Starting Lineup

C– Yasmini Grandal – SD: (0.0%) In his first MLB start Grandal made history by hitting a home run for each of his first two NLB hits. He did it from both sides of the plate finishing 2-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Grandal is another top prospect call-up who will look to make a splash and should get lots of playing time in place of the ineffective Nick Hundley. Grandal made a big splash in his first start so monitor his progress if you’re in search of a catcher. His offense is MLB ready but his defense needs some work.

1B– Ike Davis – NYM: (39.5%) Davis has picked up the pace as of late but is still just hitting .203. He went 2-4 yesterday in LA with a double and a home run with three RBI and two runs scored. He now has 11 home runs, 13 doubles, and 45 RBI on the year as he looks to finish the season much better than he started.

2B– Alexi Casilla – Min: (0.0%) In one of his better games, Casilla went 3-4 in game one of the Twins double-header with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. He stole two bases to give him 10 on the year to go with his .250 batting average. He’s had a hard time sticking in the lineup, but when he does he offers cheap steals and a decent average.

3B– Jose Lopez – Cle: (0.1%) With Lonnie Chisenhall’s injury, Lopez has some playing time ahead of him and capitalized on it yesterday with a career-high five hits, three RBI, and a run scored in the Tribe’s 11-5 win over Baltimore. He is hitting .257 with four home runs and 26 RBI in 42 games and has 3B, 1B, and nearly 2B eligibility in most leagues which further enhances his value.

SS– Andrelton Simmons – Atl: (10.8%) After going 3-4 yesterday Simmons is up to .333 on the year with 14 RBI, 10 extra-base hits, and 10 runs scored in his 25 games in the Major Leagues. He’s been a nice part of the Braves lineup and has given them offense to go with his solid glovework.

OF– Jon Jay – STL: (34.0%) Yesterday, Simmons went 1-4 with a double, RBI, a pair of runs scored, and two stolen bases. He’s hitting .321 and has six steals to go with two home runs and 10 RBI. He’s working back into the regular lineup and can provide some power and speed to go with a solid average.

OF– J.D. Martinez – Hou: (23.4%) Now that Justin Maxwell is on the DL, Martinez has started to heat back up going 2-4 with a run and an RBI picking his average back up to .235 with 46 RBI and 10 home runs. He was great at the beginning of the year before hitting a big-time slump and may be starting to rediscover that early-season form. I wouldn’t advise adding him just yet, but keep an eye on how he does going forward and be ready to pounce.

OF– Alexi Amarista – SD: (0.0%) When teams are starved for offense if a player gets hot, expect him to get plenty of playing time. That may be what’s happening for Amarista in San Diego. He went 2-4 yesterday connecting on a pair of home runs and driving in four. He’s hitting .253 in his first 35 games and has been heating up since finding his way into the everyday lineup. Amarista is eligible for multiple infield and outfield spots and has started most of his games at 2B making him versatile and valuable to the Padres and his fantasy owners if he keeps hitting.

U– Chris Carter – Oak: (0.1%) Since his call-up Carter has hit two home runs in two games while going 3-7, scoring four runs, and driving in two. He’s been a power-hitting first baseman throughout the minor leagues and the A’s are desperately searching for offense. It’s early, but see if he can keep hitting and keep a spot in the regular Oakland lineup.

AL Starting Pitcher– Henderson Alvarez – Tor: (2.1%) In two starts against the Angels, Alvarez has only allowed one run in 16 innings. Yesterday, he went seven strong innings scattering seven hits while walking none and striking out three. He’s worth a look as a spot starter going forward and has plenty of job security in the thin Blue Jays rotation. Toronto’s lineup has been excellent giving him opportunities to win when he pitches well. His next start is against the Royals and he makes a good pick and play for that one.

NL Starting Pitcher– Michael Fiers – Mil: (6.0%) The Brewers couldn’t ask much more of Fiers who again was on the money last night. He threw six shutout innings against the D-Backs allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out 10. He picked up his third win of the season while lowering his ERA to 2.27 and extending his scoreless innings streak to 18. He has 41 strikeouts in 39.1 innings and makes a good spot start option going forward.

Relief Pitcher– Kyle Farnsworth – TB: (19.3%) In his first inning of the season, Farnsworth struck out two while walking one and giving up a hit. He’ll be a huge addition to the Rays ‘pen whether as a setup man or the eventual closer as expected when the season began.