Waiver Wire: Kevin Kiermaier
By Brad Kelly
The Tampa Bay Rays have never been an offense that offered a plethora of fantasy options, as their budget constraints limit them to rely on marginal and platoon like players all across the diamond. While this holds to still be largely true, there is one guy that has quietly been having a pretty good fantasy season and could potentially be a valuable pick up for teams during the playoff runs.
Baseball fans may know Kevin Kiermaier more for his defensive highlights this season, as he seems to make a top 10 best play list nearly every night. But, most of us probably did not realize that Kiermaier has been on a tear here lately and is flirting with posting a 10 HR/20 SB stat line.
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Kiermaier’s current line reads, .261/7 HR/31 RBI/16 SB, which is a pretty versatile season for a player that is widely available throughout most formats. So, because of his ability to showcase his speed and modest power, Kiermaier serves as a cheap combo player that all fantasy owners should seek out.
Kiermaier had a rough July were he only hit for .200 and failed to homer, but he has certainly picked it up in August. The month of August served to be one of the best of his career as he batted .330, with 3 HR, 13 RBI, and 5 SB.
I do not think these stats are a fluke, the average will more than likely come down, but the power and speed stats are right on par with his minor league production. I also like that even if he struggles with AVG during the month, he still at worst, offers you some speed as he has at least 3 SB in each of the last three months.
Even with the month coming to a close, Kiermiaer should be a sneaky pickup for astute owners who love to own multi category performers. Over just the last 7 games, his .455/2 HR/4 RBI/3 SB line, ranks him amongst the top of outfielders.
We all know that power and speed contributors are fantasy gold, which makes Kiermaier so valuable. His combo production can be had on the cheap and he could serve to mask multiple categorical holes in your lineup. The move almost makes too much sense.
I would recommend owners snag Kiermaier now and insert him into your OF 5 or Util spot, with the hope that he can continue his August momentum and get closer to being a 10 HR/20 SB type of player. With the playoffs around the corner, it is hard to pass up the skill-set Kiermaier offers.