Which players could be big help for your fantasy baseball team off of the waiver wire this week?
We’ll take a look at a number of guys that should be widely available in fantasy baseball free agent pools. I know folks get irritated when a waiver wire talks about a guy who’s owned in 3/4 of leagues, so I maxed the ownership at 1/3 of all ESPN leagues (could have been any major provider, just happened to be ESPN that gave the numbers quickest for me). We’ll start with a group that have really ticked up their performance as of late:
Justin Bour, 1B, Miami Marlins, 30.2%
Bour rode the bench in 2014 and his looping left-handed swing caught the eye of the Marlins organization, who had selected him from the Chicago Cubs in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft. The Cubs had originally drafted him in the 25th round of the 2009 draft. Bour was handed the lion’s share of plate appearances at first base in 2015, and he responded with 23 home runs and 73 RBI. This year, he’s been consistent in his power, even hitting more against left-handed pitching, and his numbers just continue to rise. On the season, he’s hitting .273 with 14 home runs, 27 runs scored, 43 RBI, and 0 stolen bases. However, he’s been playing great as of late, hitting .340 in June overall, but specifically hitting .429 in the last 7 days with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
Didi Gregorius, SS, New York Yankees, 18.7%
In a season when a number of elite shortstops have struggled with injuries or under-performance, Gregorius has been steady, hitting .285 with 6 home runs and 27/32 R/RBI. He’s not a burner, as evidenced by 3 stolen bases, but the Yankees are giving him a chance to get in a spot to earn some runs, and he’s picked up his performance even further in June, hitting .333 with 2 home runs, 12 runs, 14 RBI, and a steal.
Jake Peavy, RHP, San Francisco Giants, 20.2%
Peavy started off the season absolutely terribly. It was rough, to say the least. Since getting skipped in the rotation, Peavy has seemingly come back and been a new pitcher. He still has a 4-6 record on the season with 63 strikeouts and a 5.22/1.42 ERA/WHIP. However, when you look just at the month of June, he’s 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and he’s struck out 20 hitters. The crazy thing is that he just as easily could have another 2-3 wins as well but just hasn’t gotten the support.
Next: Back From Injury