Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Need for Speed

May 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) slides head first past Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) for a stolen base during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire – Need for Speed

Season long fantasy baseball players are roughly 40% of the way through the season and at this point, you have clear areas of strengths and weaknesses that you should address for the stretch run.

One of the easiest areas to improve from the waiver wire is speed, as cheap stolen bases can be found easily and simply streaming players with stolen base upside can allow you to gain a decided advantage in H2H leagues or allow you to make up ground in roto style leagues.

The last few days in MLB have put 3 players on the fantasy radar due to a significant change in their fortunes and their ability to rack up speed. The fact that these players can be found on the wire in the majority of leagues gives you the ability to get a high return on your investment if you have a bench spot to burn!

Next: The kid on the South Side

Jun 15, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (12) is greeted after scoring against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Last week, the White Sox made the move to designate SS Jimmy Rollins for assignment and promote top prospect Tim Anderson which for those in dynasty leagues was an immediate actionable event however for those in traditional leagues it was more of a wait and see item.

Anderson joined the White Sox after an impressive run through their minor league system and had a track record of elite stolen base numbers after putting up 49 steals in AA last season. The issue at least initially was that Anderson was batting in the bottom of the order which limited his mixed league appeal.

3 games ago, Robin Ventura made the move to put Anderson in the lead-off spot, bumping Adam Eaton down to the #2 hole, and now mixed league players in all formats should take notice.

Eaton has flourished in the 2 hole in this small sample size and Anderson now has the advantage of batting in front of Eaton, Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier which gives him massive run upside in addition to his ability to steal bases.

Anderson has been a career .300 hitter in the minor leagues and had stolen 11 bases through 55 games in AAA prior to his call-up. Anderson is 6 for 16 in his three games atop the order with 2 doubles and a triple and we should expect him to begin running the more comfortable he gets in his new environment.

Anderson is owned in only 24% of Yahoo leagues as of this morning, go get him now as his lineup spot and his speed pedigree can make a big difference down the stretch.

Next: Braves New Lead Off Hitter

May 30, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Mallex Smith (17) rounds first on a RBI triple against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Mallex Smith has always shown his elite stolen base skills throughout both the Padres and Braves minor league systems as he racked up 64 steals in 2013, 88 in 2014 and 57 in 2015. The kid can absolutely fly and is owed in only 6% of Yahoo leagues as of this morning.

The big news here is the Braves have recently installed him as their lead-off man and with a minor league OBP track record north of .400, it would appear the patience and strike zone discipline that Smith exhibits would be ideal for the top spot in the order.

With the rebuild process in full swing in Atlanta, expect the Braves to be patient with Smith at the top of the order and give him the green light to utilize his biggest asset which could pay big dividends for owners looking for speed at this point in the season.

Next: Can Reyes Return?

Sep 2, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes (7) steals third base during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

OK this one is a bit more of long shot, but hear me out folks! On Wednesday the news broke that the Colorado Rockies had designated embattled shortstop Jose Reyes for assignment and now have 10 days to either trade or release him through waivers.

It is highly unlikely that any team will claim him given he has $44M remaining on his contract however once Reyes hits the wire, there are a variety of teams that may have interest in a player who was one of the most dynamic in all of baseball.

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I am admittedly a die hard Mets fan and the thoughts of Reyes coming back to Queens immediately flooded my mind when this news broke. With David Wright undergoing likely season ending neck surgery there is the possibility the Mets could shift Asdrubal Cabrera to 3B and put Reyes in at short although the Mets have already come out and said they are not interested. Frankly, I think that is a mistake but regardless of the Mets position, someone will likely take a chance on Reyes and he could have sneaky value for fantasy gamers.

One of the best parts of Reyes in Yahoo is that he carries the “Not Active” designation and if your league allows, you can stash him in your “NA” spot and wait to see how the next ten days play out.

Next: FanDuel Economics: Shortstop Position Analysis

Reyes has always had electric speed and and he is only 22% owned in Yahoo leagues which makes him a great stash for those able to utilize the “NA” tag. If you cannot utilize that loophole in your league this is probably a wait and see situation but keep an eye on it as in the right situation, Reyes could thrive as he looks for redemption.

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