A healthy Michael Saunders has added a spark atop Seattle’s lineup. Can he do the same for your fantasy team?
With injuries piling up across baseball, we’re back to check in on potential waiver wire options to fill the void. This week’s Featured Pros are here to help by ranking the readily available batters in most leagues and by offering advice on top pitchers to target. So whether your team has been hit by the injury bug or you simply need to make an upgrade, read on to find out which pickups the experts recommend.
Featured Pros
George Fitopoulos (Baseball Professor)
Tony Mauriello (FantasyTrade411)
Batter Rankings (Waiver Wire)*
| Player | Position | Team | Ownership | Best Rank | Worst Rank | Consensus Rank |
| Michael Saunders | OF | SEA | 35% | 1 | 9 | 3.3 |
| Andrelton Simmons | SS | ATL | 50% | 2 | 7 | 4.3 |
| Jedd Gyorko | 2B/3B | SD | 33% | 3 | 5 | 4.3 |
| Domonic Brown | OF | PHI | 28% | 1 | 10 | 5.3 |
| Jason Kubel | OF | ARI | 43% | 1 | 11 | 5.5 |
| Dee Gordon | SS | LAD | 28% | 3 | 15 | 6.5 |
| Jhonny Peralta | SS | DET | 42% | 7 | 8 | 7.3 |
| Didi Gregorius | SS | ARI | 19% | 6 | 16 | 8.5 |
| Juan Pierre | OF | MIA | 30% | 2 | 14 | 9.0 |
| Dayan Viciedo | OF | CHW | 22% | 4 | 13 | 9.3 |
| Kelly Johnson | 2B/OF | TB | 31% | 4 | 18 | 11.8 |
| Justin Ruggiano | OF | MIA | 25% | 8 | 16 | 12.0 |
| Mitch Moreland | 1B | TEX | 10% | 9 | 15 | 12.5 |
| Ryan Doumit | C/OF | MIN | 29% | 10 | 17 | 13.5 |
| Marcell Ozuna | OF | MIA | 21% | 10 | 17 | 14.3 |
| Ryan Raburn | 2B/OF | CLE | 27% | 10 | 17 | 14.5 |
| Evan Gattis | C | ATL | 42% | 13 | 18 | 14.5 |
| Russell Martin | C | PIT | 41% | 12 | 18 | 15.0 |
*List consists of relevant players with at least 50% availability in Yahoo! leagues
Batter Advice
Each expert was asked to share advice about a hitter they like along with any other waiver wire suggestions they have. Here’s what the pundits had to say:
Jason Kubel hit 30 HR with 90 RBI in just 141 games a season ago. Now in 2013 he has 3 HR in his first 14 games. Any teams looking for power should make Kubel their top pickup this week. Michael Saunders is setting out to prove that his 19 HR and 21 SB line from a season ago was no fluke, and has already managed 4 HR and 6 SB this season, making him my #2 waiver wire pickup off this list.
George Fitopoulos – Baseball Professor
I’m a sucker for speed, especially when it’s to the caliber of someone like Dee Gordon. Chances are there was a bit of rush to pick him up but he’s still available in over 70% of leagues. I know they are in small sample sizes, but his 12.0 BB% in 117 PA in Triple-A and 13.6 BB% in 22 PA in the big leagues shows a sign that he is learning how to get on base. There are few certainties in life, but when Gordon gets on base I am certain he is going to attempt to steal the next one.
Tony Mauriello – FantasyTrade411
It is shocking to me that Michael Saunders is only 35% owned in Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues and on any given night, only about 15% of Yahoo! fantasy baseball managers start him. Yes, Saunders has missed time during the month of April after injuring his shoulder while crashing into a wall, but when he has been on the field and in the lineup, he is leading off. Any time you can pick up a player who bats at the top of the order and he sports a solid OBP and SLG, he is a must add. Look for Saunders to help you in all 5 categories. In just 58 ABs this season, Saunders has a slash line of .276/.362/.552, including 4 HRs, 11 RBIs and 6 SBs. Grab him before someone else does and he becomes a regular in that lineup.
SBs have been hard to come by this season. Juan Pierre ranks first with Jacoby Ellsbursy (12 SBs). Somehow, Pierre is only owned in 30% of Yahoo Leagues. With a category that is so tight, Pierre will be a cheap source to help catapult you in the standings. He has had 51 stolen base opportunities, meaning he’s been on 1B or 2B with nobody in front of him 51 times. He’s only been caught once this year.
Last year Dayan Viciedo produced 25 homers with 74 RBI’s in 147 games. It’s rare seeing a guy able to put up these numbers with just 22% Yahoo ownership.
Pitcher Advice
We also had the pros give us the top Pitcher (SP or RP) available in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues that fantasy owners should consider targeting.
Andrew Cashner (SP – SD), 27% Owned: In 205 IP over the course of 5 minor league seasons, Cashner racked up 191 strikeouts accompanied by a solid 2.76 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Even though the fences have been moved in at PetCo, the park still plays as a pitcher’s paradise, and Cashner has a solid chance at maintaining his strong start this season (30.2 IP, 24 K, 3.23 ERA, 1.27 WHIP). Only owned in 27% of Yahoo leagues, Cashner is my favorite pitcher pickup for week 7 off waivers.
George Fitopoulos – Baseball Professor
Kevin Slowey (SP – MIA), 42% Owned: The two biggest concerns with Slowey are his health and home runs. Well, in Miami’s mammoth ballpark it looks like Slowey, who is a big-time fly ball pitcher, won’t struggle as much with his homers. He’s currently posting his lowest HR/FB rate (5.7%) and HR/9 rate (0.60) in his career, albeit in only seven starts. He’s always been a control master and it looks like he’s getting the ol’ NL strikeout boost, so if the HR decrease is for real he could be a very solid back-end rotation guy.
Tony Mauriello – FantasyTrade411
Hector Santiago (SP – CWS), 12% Owned: He is only 12% owned in Yahoo! leagues, but in 26.2 IPs, he has tossed 25 Ks and has an ERA of 1.69 and a WHIP of 0.98. On May 7, he threw seven shutout innings, but ended up with a no decision after allowing only 4 hits and 2 walks. Expect him to at least get another start on Monday against the light-hitting Minnesota Twins if Jake Peavy remains out with a back injury. I would grab Santiago as a spot starter Sunday night for the Monday game and if he performs well, he may find his way into the White Sox rotation.
Phil Hughes (SP – NYY), 53% Owned: In Hughes’ last 2 starts he’s produced 18 Ks while only giving up 2 earned runs and walking 3 batters. Hughes is set to take on the struggling Royals with his next start. In other words … PICK EM UP!
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Thanks to this week’s Featured Pros for sharing their advice. You can visit each expert’s site and follow them on Twitter for additional fantasy insight.
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