Mike Moustakas might be worth adding in deep leagues

Welcome back to “Off The Deep End”, where I will give you fantasy baseball tips on who to pick up in deeper leagues. For people who play standard leagues, drop/add columns are easy for you to find, but for those of you that love deeper leagues, advice can be harder to come by. That is where I can help. All of these players are available in 85% or more of ESPN leagues.

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This time around we will do things a little differently.  I will only do one position at a time, but I will give you advice on who to drop as well.

The catchers are here. The first basemen are here. The second basemen are here.  The shortstops are here.

This piece will focus on the third basemen.

Add:

Mike Moustakas, Royals: The Royals as a whole have heated up lately, and Moose is no exception.  He is hitting .256 with four homers over the last two weeks.  That is good enough for your deep league team.

Eduardo Escobar, Twins: Yes, he has only two homers and one steal, but the .298 average and shortstop eligibility will help you in deeper leagues.  He makes consistent contact and puts the ball in play regularly.  So the average should stay around that mark.

Jun 9, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Luis Valbuena (24) reacts on the field against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Luis Valbuena, Cubs: Valbuena might be nervous since the Cubs moved Kris Bryant to AAA Iowa.  At any rate, he has been on a tear lately, hitting .340 over the last two weeks with a homer and six RBI.  The second base eligiblity is a nice touch as well.

Conor Gillaspie, White Sox: I’m giving you an extra one here because Gillaspie is still hitting.  He is up to .394 in June and .341 on the season.  The counting stats are just a bonus!  There is use for that in all leagues.

Drop:

Mike Olt, Cubs: He is in a platoon anyway, but for those of you that were hanging onto him for the power, it just isn’t worth it.  His average is all the way down to .152 on the season.  Even if you are really desperate for power, I still wouldn’t recommend him at this point.

Jonathan Schoop, Orioles: You know how much I like multi-position players, so he must really be struggling if I am recommending a drop.  He is hitting just .156 with two RBI in the last two weeks, and is starting to lose at-bats to career utilityman Ryan Flaherty.  If Flaherty hits, Schoop’s playing time will take a huge hit.

David Freese, Angels: He has improved his average some, but he has zero counting stats over 46 at bats in the last two weeks.  In a lineup like the Angels, how is that possible?   He has not driven in a run since June 4th, and he has not hit a home run since April 27th.  You can do better.

Come back tomorrow for the outfielders!