Moreland has gone into this HR trot 6 times in May (.339 AVE). The experts have taken notice with their waiver rankings.
It’s been an odd week in baseball. From Bryce Harper running into walls to a classic Willie Mays Hayes flub, there have been more than a few buzz-worthy moments. Of course, amidst the oddities, there have been plenty of changes in player stock that could impact your fantasy teams.
To help out, we’ve rounded up another group of Featured Pros to rank this week’s top readily available players in most leagues. 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
Jason Willan (The Fake Baseball)
Nate Springfield (Baseball Press)
Terrance Bridgett (FantasyTrade411)
Batter Rankings (Waiver Wire)*
| Player | Position | Team | Ownership | Best Rank | Worst Rank | Consensus Rank |
| Mitch Moreland | 1B | TEX | 43% | 1 | 4 | 2.8 |
| Gerardo Parra | OF | ARI | 45% | 1 | 12 | 5.3 |
| Jason Kubel | OF | ARI | 35% | 2 | 10 | 6.0 |
| Nolan Arenado | 3B | COL | 44% | 1 | 11 | 6.5 |
| Didi Gregorius | SS | ARI | 21% | 3 | 10 | 7.3 |
| Dayan Viciedo | OF | CHW | 27% | 4 | 14 | 7.5 |
| Domonic Brown | OF | PHI | 29% | 6 | 10 | 7.8 |
| Jon Jay | OF | STL | 20% | 2 | 11 | 7.8 |
| Brandon Belt | 1B | SF | 34% | 2 | 15 | 8.3 |
| Garrett Jones | 1B/OF | PIT | 38% | 4 | 12 | 8.8 |
| Chris Carter | 1B/OF | HOU | 23% | 3 | 16 | 9.3 |
| Neil Walker | 2B | PIT | 48% | 3 | 16 | 9.8 |
| James Loney | 1B | TB | 46% | 5 | 15 | 10.3 |
| Oswaldo Arcia | OF | MIN | 9% | 5 | 15 | 11.5 |
| Kelly Johnson | 2B/OF | TB | 40% | 11 | 13 | 12.3 |
| Omar Infante | 2B | DET | 42% | 14 | 16 | 15.3 |
*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 Willan – The Fake Baseball
After closing the year strong in 2012 and crushing the ball in Spring Training, Brandon Belt was one of my preseason sleepers this year. After a terrible start to the season, Belt has been turning things around in May, including a .412 average, 2 HR, and 7 RBI over the last week. He can easily hit 20 more home runs this season and should be owned in more leagues.
Nate Springfield – Baseball Press
Mitch Moreland got off to a horrendous start this season, even prompting talks of losing his job to prospect Mike Olt, but the promise that he has shown in limited time the past two seasons is starting to show now with his full time job. The biggest change that has led to his recent success has been his improved ability to hit left-handed pitching. Even though he is slugging considerably better against right-handed pitching, his batting average has only a five point disparity between the two.
Mitch Moreland is on an absolute tear recently, and added another 3 RBIs to his total in a two 2B effort last night against the struggling Verlander. Moreland also has 3 HRs in the last 4 games, and six HRs in the last 11 games. He’s now batting a healthy .296/.348/.577 on the season, and even more encouraging is he’s batting .281 vs lefties and .296 vs righties. Couple those stats with his full-time gig in 2013 and him batting in the middle of a solid Texas lineup and hitter’s park. Moreland should be added and started in all fantasy leagues immediately — at least until he cools off.
Terrance Bridgett – FantasyTrade411
Gerardo Parra figured to be the odd man out in the Arizona Diamondbacks outfield to start the year. With injuries to Adam Eaton and Jason Kubel as of late, the 25-year old figures to receive over 500 at-bats for the first time in his career. Parra’s a solid player as he currently sits at a .319 BA and that figures to drop a bit but not much. Parra is in-line to have a career year with an OBP of .421 currently and hitting atop the Diamondbacks lineup could make him a great source for runs. He should chip in double digit steals and home runs without hurting your batting average.
Pitcher Rankings (Waiver Wire)*
| Player | Team | Ownership | Best Rank | Worst Rank | Consensus Rank |
| Jose Fernandez | MIA | 47% | 1 | 3 | 2.0 |
| Francisco Liriano | PIT | 31% | 3 | 7 | 4.3 |
| Wandy Rodriguez | PIT | 50% | 1 | 12 | 4.5 |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | CLE | 25% | 2 | 8 | 5.0 |
| Andrew Cashner | SD | 30% | 2 | 10 | 6.0 |
| Jhoulys Chacin | COL | 33% | 4 | 9 | 6.5 |
| A.J. Griffin | OAK | 44% | 6 | 9 | 7.8 |
| Chris Tillman | BAL | 36% | 3 | 13 | 7.8 |
| Jorge De La Rosa | COL | 26% | 4 | 11 | 8.3 |
| Brandon McCarthy | ARI | 34% | 1 | 13 | 8.5 |
| Barry Zito | SF | 44% | 6 | 12 | 9.0 |
| Scott Feldman | CHC | 29% | 8 | 12 | 10.3 |
| Scott Kazmir | CLE | 22% | 8 | 13 | 11.3 |
*List consists of relevant players with at least 50% availability in Yahoo! leagues
Pitcher Advice
Jason Willan – The Fake Baseball
Ubaldo Jimenez hasn’t done much to earn your trust in the last few years, but the numbers over his previous three starts heading into Friday are actually very good. In his last 18.2 innings pitched, Jimenez has allowed just 10 hits and 3 runs, while striking out 20 batters and recording 3 wins. The wheels could quickly fall off again, but his recent work warrants some consideration on your fantasy waiver wire.
It’s crazy to think that Ubaldo Jimenez might actually be pitching like his old dominant self again. Jimenez had a real nice start over the weekend, going 6 IP with 8 Ks and 1 ER against the powerful Tigers’ offense. That was his 2nd consecutive start with 8 Ks, and over his last 3 starts he’s been fantastic giving up only 3 ERs over 18 2/3 IPs, to go along with 20 Ks. He’s definitely a guy to add in deep leagues to see if he’s finally turned the corner in 2013. If he has another solid start against the Mariners he will officially be a must add in all league formats. Keep your fingers crossed.
Nate Springfield – Baseball Press
It took Brandon McCarthy a little while to get comfortable on the mound again, after having his 2012 season cut short by a line drive back up the middle, but in his last four starts he has shown he is getting there. Starting with his start on April 26th against the Rockies, his strikeout-to-walk rate has rebounded to career norms, and he was able to go eight innings in his last start. Look for a higher final ERA and WHIP from last year because of the bad start and where he is pitching, but he’s great value the rest of the way for a waiver wire grab.
Terrance Bridgett – FantasyTrade411
Chris Tillman certainly isn’t the sexiest pitcher available but he has been getting the job done. After a rocky first two starts, the last five starts have been Quality Starts. The 24-year old hurler for the Orioles will have his moments down the road where it can get ugly as he continues to walk too many hitters (37:20 K:BB Ratio) so be careful but you can do much worse.
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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.
Also, if you’re looking for a fun way to play fantasy baseball AND win cash, check out FanDuel’s Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship. You can still qualify for this mega-contest that will pay out over $1 million this summer.
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