Waiver Wire: Around The Diamond

May 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros third baseman

Luis Valbuena

(18) celebrates with right fielder

George Springer

(4) after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the bottom of the first inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Each week fantasy owners hit the waiver wire in order to fill a potential holes that their team may have or that has recently came about. We never know which position of need may arise out of the blue, so here are some options at every position across the diamond.

Catchers

Wilin Rosario– While in some fantasy formats he may have lost his C eligibility, Rosario is still an intriguing waiver wire option. The C position if probably the hardest and most shallow waiver wire spot to fill, so whenever a potential replacement is out there it is important to act fast.

Rosario has been a fantasy enigma over the last 4 years as it seemed as though he was going to be one of the best power hitting options for years to come. But, a combination of poor defense and nagging injuries have found Rosario removed from behind the plate and into a platoon at 1B.

Fantasy owners know that his bat has never been the question, therefore his value was strictly tied to his playing time. With Justin Morneau battling concussions again, Rosario now serves as the best Rockies option at 1B. He does still platoon with Ben Paulsen, so Rosario’s upside keeps him getting regular AB’s.

Over the last 7 games Roasrio stat line reads, .579/1 HR/4 RBI/1.421OPS. He is basically unconscious at the plate now, and for those fantasy teams starving for some power or need a C replacement, I would strongly look at adding Rosario while he is on this torrid stretch.

Francisco Cervelli– We have covered Cervelli before on the site, so I will offer fantasy owners another reminder of how Cisco tends to be overlooked at the C position. Usually the strategy for fantasy owners is to have their catchers have a low average and strictly be power options. Cervelli does not fit that mold and is actually a C that can help your team if it lacks in the AVG department.What I like about Cervelli is that he can be added to your team and help fill multiple stats, something we normally do not expect from our C. Cervelli is by no means a power hitter, so do not expect multiple HR weeks, but he does enough in the AVG, RBI and Runs categories to be well worth adding for those who are seeking catching help.

Corner Infielders

Luis Valbuena– If there was one guy who signified what the Astros are all about, look no further than Valbuena. He is the definition of all or nothing has he sits with a below .200 AVG, but leads the team with 19 HR’s. For those fantasy owners desperately looking for some pop, Valbuena is your man. For those owners that pick him up realize that the AVG will never be there, and you’re purely seeking his HR and RBI numbers to supply value. He does have 5 HR over the last 2 weeks, so the power is clearly evident, add him to your team and enjoy the power supply.

Chris Parmelee– I will hand it to Parmelee, as I never thought I would be writing about him as a pickup this year. After spending multiple years with the Twins, I never saw Parmelee as a power option, and figured he would always bounce back between the majors and minors.

Well once he moved into the Orioles organization, it seems he caught the power hitting bug that seems to have every Orioles hitter a potential power threat. He was hitting well in the minors at a .300 clip with 6 HR’s and 32 RBI in 61 games. So when he was called and began hitting HR’s in his first few AB’s it got my attention.

Once again he is an option for those owners that desperately need a power fix and I would recommend that owners ride him while he is hot. He has home games in a hitter’s paradise and we have seen guys come out of nowhere for the Orioles and post a career year, (Steve Pearce).

Logan Forsythe– I like many experts had the Rays buried at the bottom of the AL East, partly because they were going into the season relying on guys like Forsythe to give them ample contributions. That is not a knock on Forsythe as he has always proven to be a decent utility guy, but for him to be thrust into basically a full-time role, I was skeptical if he could maintain production.

Boy was I wrong, not only have the Rays silenced the doubters but they have been tremendous value from nearly every guy on the team, as they all have been having near career years. Forsythe for instance already has passed his career high in doubles, HR’s and RBI’s this year. He has been a credible threat in the Rays lineup and has provided them with a steady offensive force all season.

Forsythe struggled some in the begging on June, but over the last weeks he has turned it around nicely with a formidable, .447/1 HR/4 RBI/3 SB/1.089 OPS, stat line. He may not have the power upside we seek out our corner spots, but Forsythe does just enough across the board to help your team.

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Middle Infielders

Rougned Odor– Odor was highly touted prospect that was supposed to be the Rangers long-term answer 2B. He had a decent 2014 as he was only 20, so fantasy owners had targeted him as a nice sleeper 2B option going into 2015.

But the beginning of 2015 did not greet him nor fantasy owners with what they expected as Odor struggled to barely hit his weight and ultimately was sent down. His demotion seemed to knock him off most fantasy owner’s radar, and they just figured he needed more time in the minors.

Once sent down though, Odor finally woke up at the plate forcing the Rangers to bring him back up and Odor has not disappointed since his promotion. Over his last 14 games, Odor has posted a nice .395/2 HR/9RBI/4SB stat line. He should definitely be back on the fantasy radar again as he has a great power/speed blend that is perfect to fill the MI positions.

Matt Duffy– Duffy is another great example of a kid capitalizing on an open opportunity to catapult himself onto the fantasy radar. With Casey McGehee’s struggles at the plate, the Giants were forced to make a change and propelling Duffy into the starting gig. The cool thing about Duffy is that since he was the Giants utility guy to begin the season he has multi position eligibility.

Duffy has been solid all year and I think he can maintain a respectable AVG and flirt with 15 HR’s. Over the last 7 games alone he has posted a .400 AVG, with 11 runs! Pick him up now and insert him in the MI spots of your team and enjoy.

OF’s

Brock Holt– We should all know Brock by now as he has definitely been baseball’s definition of a Swiss Army knife over the last few years. He is going to one of the more household names on this list but he is still unowned in over half of leagues across all fantasy formats.

The Red Sox have been a train wreck all year, but that has no to do with the way Holt has played. As most of Boston’s players have struggled or failed to produce, Holt has done his job and always produces when he is inserted into the lineup.

He will not wow you with his power or speed but he does offer value as he does not hurt you in any particular category. One week he may steal a couple of bases or hit a few HR’s, but he will always have ample counting stats to help your team. If he is still out there in your league, pick him up now and allow Holt to fill the voids your team may have.

Curtis Granderson– Another one of the more household names, Granderson was largely ignored coming into the season as we have all come to know what he offers. There will be weeks where he is frustrating to watch and cannot seem to hit anything, but on the other hand, there are weeks where it seems everything he hits leaves the yard.

Granderson will never hit for the AVG he once did, as he has morphed his game into a power centric approach. Power is often the hardest thing to find in baseball nowadays, so when Granderson gets on a hot steak it deserves your attention.

Over the last 7 games all he did was produce a, .458/4 HR/6 RBI, line for the week. Do not look now, but even his AVG on the year is approaching the .260 mark, which for some may not be something of note, but for Granderson that is quite high. Combine his perennial 25+ HR and his current hot streak, and fantasy owners should be looking to add the Grandyman.

Adam Eaton– Over the last few years Eaton has been a popular name in fantasy circles as a guy poised to break out. While in Both Arizona and Chicago he was touted as a decent pop and great speed OF that would be an anchor of your fantasy team. Well for whatever reason Eaton has failed to live up to that hype.

Now I understand that injuries derailed him, but Eaton always seems like a guy that should be better than what he has showed. His stat line for this year is pretty pedestrian as both he and the White Sox have failed to get off to a good start. However, over the last few weeks Eaton has some signs of life.

Over the last two weeks Eaton has finally displayed his potential. His, .286/2 HR/3RBI/2SB line, shows that there is definitely some room for growth and further production. Eaton is showing more consistency of getting on base where he can showcase his speed a bit more. Eaton may only have 5 SB’s on the year, but that number is not a true indicator of the speed threat Eaton is. Owners should invest in Eaton now and as he has the potential to finally post that 8-10 HR and 20+ SB stat line we have been waiting for.

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Marco Estrada– After nearly two perfect game performances, Estrada has definitely placed himself on the fantasy radar. He has been dazzling over his last two starts and his fastball/change-up combo is nearly unhittable right now.

Toronto pitchers are always risky, but Estrada has everything working now and with 4 Wins, 30 K’s and a 2.94 ERA over the last month, it is hard to ignore to his success. I would recommend fantasy owners take a chance on Estrada and use him while he is in this absolute grove.

Tommy Milone– One of the quieter comeback stories on 2015, has been the reemergence of Milone with the Twins. During his time in Oaklandm, Milone seemed like a solid mid rotation piece that did just enough to earn fantasy owners trust.

Unfortunately, his 2014 season was cut short as he had to actually have a tumor removed from his neck. But thankfully, it seems as though he has recovered nicely and has given the Twins a nice upgrade in their rotation. Over his last five starts he has given up no more than 2 runs and has posted a solid pitching line all year. Pick him up now as it seems as though he has regained the same success he displayed in Oakland.

Roberto Osuna– Even though the Blue Jays have the uncanny act of either blowing someone out or getting blown out themselves, whoever there closer may be still has value. Brett Cecil began the year as the Jays, but he was recently stripped out the job as he showed that he just was not the best option the Jays had to close out games.

The best RP on the Jays is Osuna, and we saw him notch his first two career saves last week. We all know that closers are nearly impossible to find on the waiver wire, so when a guy like Osuna shows to be the clear cur option, owners have to act fast. He may not have been officially named the closer yet, but Osuna has the skill necessary for the job and will hold it for the foreseeable future or at least until the trade deadline.

Ken Giles– This is more of a prospective pickup as Giles currently does not have a lot of value outside of non holds leagues. The Phillies are bad which also hurts his stock as winning opportunities are hard to come by and further negate his value. But, there is no way Papelbon finishes the year on the Phillies, thus opening the door for Giles to take over. Fantasy owners should be adding Giles now before everyone is in on him and your chance is gone. Giles is filthy and his ratios all point to a guy that can excel as a closer. Pick him up and take advantage of his weekly high strikeout totals and remain patient until he takes over the closer gig.

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