Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups – Sleeper Central – July 31
Monday night in Major League Baseball can be a bit slower, but last night there were a solid 12 games across the country as only six teams took the night off. Some players found new homes as we come up to the trade deadline, and others will get opportunities now that their former teammates have moved on. Value in fantasy baseball is a constantly shifting thing, so keep coming back to Fantasy CPR for updates.
If one of your players gets replaced or goes down injured (either diving for a grounder or hitting a door), you may find yourself in need of a move from the waiver wire. Fortunately, there’s some really solid options out there as July comes to a close. Let’s take a look at some of the producers from last night who are most likely available in your league (owned in under half of ESPN leagues).
Sleeper Awakening
Yonder Alonso – 1B- San Diego Padres: Alonso was touted before the year as a prospect to watch and has struggled to adjust to Major League pitching. However, he’s starting to come around as the season progresses. In the middle of July he had a long dry spell but in his last four games he’s gone 9-18 with17 total bases and six RBI. Overall for the month He’s had his highes .OPS at .880 while hitting .292 in 25 games while hitting three of his five home runs and driving in 19 runs. He’s also shown better plate discipline working 12 walks while only striking out 14 times. He may be starting to realize his potential and may be coming around at just the right time if you need a fill-in for an injured Joey Votto or Mark Teixeira. He’s swinging a hot bat for the short-term and is an obvious keeper league grab.
Sleeper Starting lineup
C– Jonathan Lucroy – Mil: (20.9% owned in ESPN leagues) 1-3, 2 R, 2B, BB. Lucroy is the best option widely available if you need offense from the always tricky catcher position. He’s hitting .342 on the year now with an OBP just under .400. He doesn’t hit for a ton of power but contributes RBI and average consistently and appears to have knocked the rust off after his DL stint.
1B– Yonder Alonso – SD: (8.5%) 4-5, R, RBI, 3 2B. See Above.
2B– Darwin Barney – ChC: (6.0%) 3-5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 3B, HR. Barney has had a solid year hitting .270 with five homers and 31 RBI. He’s by no means an elite option but should be serviceable the rest of the year as the Cubs shuffle their lineup after finishing trades. If he moves up to the two spot his potential to score runs will jump. He’s 6-9 in his last two games.
3B– Chris Johnson – Ari: (16.1%) 1-4, R, 4 RBI. Johnson joined his new team and hit a grand slam to power them past the Dodgers. He’ll look to continue his second-half success. Since the All-star game he’s hitting .298 with a pair of home runs and seven RBI in 15 games.
SS– Maicer Izturis – LAA: (0.7%) 3-5, 3 R, RBI, HR. Izturis should play in the middle-infield almost everyday for the Angels in the immediate future. He has a pair of homers and 15 RBI on the year in 69 games played. It was good to own an Izturis yesterday as his half-brother Cesar went 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B.
OF– Rajai Davis – Tor: (10.9%) 1-4, R, RBI, HR. Davis started and hit leadoff once again for the Jays. Watch carefully if he stays there on a regular basis after Toronto traded Travis Snider and Eric Thames. If he starts regularly, he’s fantasy gold. The home run last night was all the Blue Jays could do against Seattle and was his sixth of the year giving him 26 RBI and 39 runs scored. His main value though is his 28 steals in 35 attempts on the season.
OF– Will Venable – SD: (0.9%) 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3B, 2 BB. Venable had been losing ground in his platoon, but had a big night to earn some playing time back. He’s hitting .244 wigh six homers and 28 RBI on the season.
OF– Starling Marte – Pit: (26.5%) 3-4, RBI. Marte continues to hit leadoff and raised ihs average to .318 in his young MLB career. The Snider acquisition is an interesting one but the Bucs seem committed to leaving Marte at the top of the lineup.
AL Starting Pitcher– Hisashi Iwakuma – Sea: (0.6%) 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 13 K, W. Iwakuma dominated the visiting Blue Jays and struck out a career-high 13. In his previous four starts he had 14 strikeouts total. He moved to 2-2 on the year with a 4.10 ERA. See if he can keep this roll going before buying in but a performance like that deserves notice.
NL Starting Pitcher– Trevor Cahill – Ari: (26.4%) 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K, W. Cahill held the Dodgers and got some serious run support to pick up his ninth win of the year. His record is a good indicator of his up-and-down year as he’s 9-9 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He’s worth a look in the right matchups, but his inconsistency can frustrate owners who go all-in on him.