Cardinals: Brandon Moss Recent Power Surge Worth An Add?
By Brad Kelly
Brandon Moss has been on fire at the plate for the Cardinals. Now getting consistent playing time, should Moss be a waiver wire add?
The St. Louis Cardinals currently hold the second Wild Card position in the National League, which is amazing considering the injuries they have had to withstand. The most recent casualties include Matt Holliday and Matt Adams, leaving the Cards without two of their biggest run producers. But, have no fear St. Louis, because Brandon Moss appears ready to carry the offense.
Moss has been one of the more underappreciated sluggers in baseball over the last handful of seasons, as he has hit at least 19 HR since 2012. He struggled last season, but this season he has looked more like his vintage self. Moss has a .267/22 HR/54 RBI/.924 OPS line on the season, but it seems as though no one has noticed.
He has mostly flown under the radar due to being used in a strict platoon role this season. He has only notched 317 PA so far, and the Cards have been sure to shield him from lefties. Fantasy owners will acknowledge that the power is still there, but he is a tough start when he is not guaranteed consistent playing time.
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But, with Adams hurt and without a return date, and Matt Holiday fresh off surgery, St. Louis is forced to pencil Moss in the everyday lineup no matter the matchup. Moss has been prolific for getting hot at the plate and showing that he carry an offense in any given month. So far in August, he has posted a .306/5 HR/14 RBI/.972 OPS line.
While it should come as no shock to see him post the power stats, fantasy owners should be more intrigued that over the last two weeks, he has homered twice off lefties. Lefties have always stunted his fantasy value, but to see him homer off both Jon Lester and Tony Sipp recently, shows just how locked in at the plate he is.
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Brandon Moss is still widely available in over 50% of leagues, so owners looking for power must add him. The Cards still have a decent enough supporting cast to buoy his counting stats, so the run production should be there. There are no other waiver wire options that carry the track record that Moss does.