Danny Valencia: Deep Waiver Wire Pickup
By Bill Pivetz
The Oakland Athletics are in last place in the AL West, but the team is still making strides to become a threat in the 2016 season. The team made a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for corner infielder Danny Valencia. Since coming to the West Coast, Valencia has been on a tear. If you need help at first or third base, Valencia is widely available.
Valencia has bounced around from to team to team throughout his six-year career. He’s also been called up and sent back down to the minors frequently. His best season came in 2011 in Minnesota when he hit 15 home runs, 72 RBI and a .246 batting average. He hasn’t hit more than 10 home runs in a season. That was, until this season.
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In 58 games with the Blue Jays, Danny Valencia hit seven home runs with a .296 batting average. He didn’t have consistent playing time because of the depth at the corner infield positions. However, when he played, he was good.
Valencia was traded to the A’s at the trade deadline. While he doesn’t have a starting job in Oakland either, he has a better chance at more playing time. On the Athletics depth chart, Valencia is slotted as the backup at both second and third base. He has been getting time at third base, however, while Brett Lawrie is playing second base.
Since coming over, though, Danny Valencia has hit the ball well. He has four home runs, nine RBI with a .286 batting average in 10 games. He does have 11 strikeouts in those games, which is a bit high, but his power numbers are enough to keep him rostered and in the A’s lineup.
His advanced stats are similar to what he was hitting in Toronto. His walk rate jumped from 5.2 percent to 6.7 percent. His strikeout rate has also increased from 23.1 percent to 24.4 percent while his BABIP dropped from .353 to .296. I believe some of that has to do with Rogers Centre being more hitter friendly compared to O.co Coliseum.
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While the A’s lineup isn’t as stacked as the Blue Jays, Danny Valencia is one of the more consistent hitters in Oakland over the last couple of weeks.
Valencia has eligibility at first and third base as well as outfield. As a corner infielder, he is a top-50 player over the past 30 days. If you need help at either position, especially in deeper leagues, Valencia is a guy to add to your watch list.
Fantasy owners are jumping on the Danny Valencia bandwagon. He has been picked up in 16.4 percent of ESPN.com leagues over the past seven days. He is the fourth-most added hitter in ESPN leagues. With the season dwindling down, picking up an extra hitter or two for security can’t hurt you.