Head-to-Head Points League Strategy: Waiver Wire Week 2

Domo arigato, Bartolo Colon.

Yes sir. That little gem of his in the Tokyo Dome last Thursday at 4:10 AM was a thing of beauty if I do say so myself. In fact, I just said it. Just glance a little to your left. Yup. Right there.

Anyways. If you read this post last week, then I’m sure you grabbed Colon post haste and netted a nice 31 points (or so, depending on scoring) like I did in the Fake Teams H2H Points League. And for Mr. Colon’s troubles? Oh, yeah. I dumped him immediately for the next streamer. "It’s not you, Bartolo. It’s me."

So, who’s the next Colon? …

Week 2 Waiver Wire Advice Below:

All players in this post and following waiver wire posts are owned in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues.

Catcher:

Ryan Doumit, Minnesota Twins – 16%

If you ask me, 16% seems low for Ryan Doumit. Maybe it’s his eyes that scare everyone away? That or the constant health issues? No. It’s the eyes. Either way, Doumit is healthy to start the year and figures to see somewhere close to everyday ABs either at RF, 1B, C or DH. Considering the typical catcher only starts 4-5 games a week, the chance for 6-7 games worth of ABs from Doumit is a possible advantage you’ll want to explore, even if he does play half his games at Target Field.

Wilin Rosario, Colorado Rockies – 2%

Wilin Rosario has been straight crushin’ the ball in Spring Training (.391 BA, 3 HR) and it was just announced that he made the 25-man roster. Considering Ramon Hernandez is only good for roughly 90 starts a year, I envision a situation similar to Wilson Ramos and Ivan Rodriguez last year in Washington. Hernandez is likely to get more starts out of the gate, but Rosario will carry the load down the stretch. Starting Rosario at Coors Field could be niiiiiice! (That was my Borat impersonation. What do you think?)

Others to consider:

Chris Iannetta, LAA Angels – 16%, Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia Phillies – 11%, AJ Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox – 10%

First base:

Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants – 41%

The time for Brandon Belt is now. No more of this Aubrey Huff business. Belt had another nice March with a .348 BA and 3 HR. There’s no reason he shouldn’t find ABs at either 1B or RF immediately and if/when he does, the kid can hit and would likely follow Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey in the 5th spot in the lineup. C’mon, Bochy. Give Belt a chance.

Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers – 39%

Mitch Moreland isn’t having that special of a spring. Really, he isn’t that special at all. You know what is special about him? He plays for the Texas Rangers and should have close to everyday at bats in their lineup to start the season. Oh, and he also has OF eligibility … but that’s not really special either.

Others to consider:

Justin Smoak, Seattle Mariners – 18%, Chris Parmelee, Minnesota Twins – 2%

Second base:

Mike Aviles, Boston Red Sox – 49%

I won’t go into too much detail on Mike Aviles considering 49% is prettay, prettay darn close to 50%. Only 1% off in fact, for you non sabermetricians. But, for those of you in the other 51% of leagues, the guy has 2B, 3B and SS eligibility and plays for the Boston Red Sox. I envision Dustin Ackley type production in a helluva lot better lineup.

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros – 21%

Jose Altuve is one of only five ownable Houston Astros. IMO. That being said, Altuve should hit either leadoff or second in the order, has 20 SB potential and a little bit of pop. If you’re looking for RBIs, look elsewhere. But, you shouldn’t be. You should be looking for points, which Altuve can provide in a few ways.

Robert Andino, Baltimore Orioles – 6%

See Aviles, Mike above. Replace "Boston Red Sox" with "Baltimore Orioles."

Others to consider:

Omar Infante, Miami Marlins – 12%, Ruben Tejada, New York Mets – 5%

Third base:

Danny Valencia, Minnesota Twins – 18%

Geeeez! Third base is shallow. Like Hal (lame). Ummm, well … did you know Danny Valencia had more ABs than any other 3B in the MLB last season? Now you know. More ABs = More point potential. You know the drill.

Others to consider:

Mike Aviles, Boston Red Sox – 49%, Jed Lawrie, Houston Astros – 12%, Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds – 8%, Robert Andino, Baltimore Orioles – 6%

Shortstop:

Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals – 27%

I love me some Kansas City this year. Eric Hosmer? Alex Gordon? Billy Butler? Yes. Please. Did you know only San Diego and Tampa Bay stole more bases than Kansas City last year? Uh huh. Did you know Escobar can run like the Dickens? Uh huh.

Marco Scutaro, Colorado Rockies – 19%

If you find him on your waiver wire/FA list, scream "Polo" really loud. Then grab him. Scutaro is going to score a lot of points hitting at Coors Field in front of CarGo and Tulo. And, dude doesn’t strike out. He just doesn’t do it. He is also leading all hitters with 15 BB in Spring Training. And. Yes. There’s another "and." He should have 2B eligibility not long into the season.

Others to consider:

Mike Aviles, Boston Red Sox – 49%, Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds – 26%, Robert Andino, Baltimore Orioles – 6%

Outfielders:

Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals – 44%

I’ve decided I’m going to call Lorenzo "The Cain Train" in 2012. I just decided that right now. I’ve also decided he will be nearly as good as Desmond Jennings this season for half a penny on the dollar (if that means cheap). Expect nearly identical R, RBI and HR, a BA .20 - .30 points better and maybe 10-15 less SBs. Did I mention I love the Royals this year?

Jon Jay, St. Louis Cardinals – 9%

A lot of Jon Jay’s value will depend on where he hits in the lineup each night. If he can find himself in his typical two-hole, runs should be a plenty and his career .298 BA ain’t too shabby either. There’s also a little bit of power (10 HR in ’11) if you’re into that kind of thing.

Eric Thames, Toronto Blue Jays – 8%

After a heated battle with Travis Snider most of Spring Training, Eric Thames was just named the starting LF for the Blue Birds in 2012. Similar to Jay, a lot of Thames worth will rest in his spot in the lineup, but no matter where he lands up, he could be a nice source of XBH ( 12 HR, .456 SLG) in a stacked Toronto lineup.

David Murphy, Texas Rangers – 6%

See Moreland, Mitch above. Guess what team David Murphy is slated to be the starting LF for? Hint: It’s a really good lineup. The best in fact. Hint 2: The team name is next to his name right above.

Others to consider:

Jason Kubel, Arizona Diamondbacks – 43%, Bryan LaHair, Chicago Cubs – 18%, Juan Pierre, Philadelphia Phillies – 5%

Starting pitchers:

Erik Bedard, Pittsburgh Pirates - 40%

I don't know if I've seen a SP sleeper list that didn't include Erik Bedard. All though, it's also mandatory to at some point include the phrase, "... if he remains healthy."

Jonathon Niese, New York Mets - 20%

Fences, schmences. Jonathon Niese won't earn a ton of points via W for your team, but he won't walk many hitters either nor is he prone to the long ball. Thus far he has had an impressive spring and the Mets are considering a long-term extension for the young hurler. You should consider a short term commitment and see how it goes from there.

Juan Nicasio, Colorado Rockies - 7%

Juan Nicasio has had the best spring of any Rockies pitcher (3.09 ERA, 21/5 KBB) and his fastball has reached as high as 97 MPH. For his efforts, Nicasio was awarded the third spot in the team's rotation and could be an excellent source of Ks straight of the $1 Menu. Sure, starts at Coors Field could be a little scary, but he also pitches quite a few games at AT&T Park, Petco and Dodgers Stadium. I've heard comparisons to Brandon Beachy. Count me in.

Others to consider:

Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves - 45%, Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds - 17%, Henderson Alvarez, Toronto Blue Jays - 16%, Chris Capuano, Los Angeles Dodgers - 8%

Relief Pitchers:

Brett Myers, Houston Astros - 48%

Sure, Brett Myers pitches for the worst team in the MLB. Sure, he might be traded at the deadline. But, fact of the matter is the dude will be the closer on Opening Day and for the foreseeable future. Should be 100% owned unless you consider the Astros to be a minor league team and don't include their players in your league.

Mark Melancon, Boston Red Sox 25%, Alfredo Aceves, Boston Red Sox - 19%

Both Mark Melancon and Alfredo Aceves have a legitimate chance of earning saves for the Red Sox with the news of Andrew Bailey's potential thumb surgery.

Greg Holland, Kansas City Royals - 41%

It looks as the Yost with Most is going with Jonathan Broxton as his closer to start the season. I'd expect Greg Holland to be the closer come Memorial Day.

Henry Rodriguez, Washington Nationals - 21%, Brad Lidge, Washington Nationals - 12%

Davey Johnson stopped oogling over Bryce Harper for 5 minutes to hint that Henry Rodriguez would act as the closer for Drew Storen in his stead. Brad Lidge could factor into the equation considering his past experience in the role.

Others to consider:

Andrew Cashner, San Diego Padres - 4%, Rex Brothers, Colorado Rockies - 3%

Feel free to comment on any and all of these players or ask questions about anyone I didn't recommend. I can spout off useless facts in an instant regarding about 450 or so players in the league so I should be able to get back to you PDQ. Good Luck in Week 2!