Head-to-Head Points League Strategy: Waiver Wire Week 10

How about that MLB draft last night, huh? I have to admit, while I love baseball more than anything in my life that doesn't breathe or call me "daddy" ... I have a hard time maintaining much interest in the draft.

I simply cannot get excited when it seems like maybe 3/40 of the players drafted ever make a real impact on your favorite MLB team or even appear in the Big Leagues at all. That number might be way off. I don't even know.

The Milwaukee Brewers (my team of choice) selected Clint Coulter and Victor Roache with their two first round picks and I doubt either suit up at Miller Park before 2015. Will I even be living in Milwaukee in 2015? Will the Brewers trade them both for (insert player here) at an upcoming deadline if they think they can make a playoff push? Will it be worth remembering either one's name at all?

The last prospect/draft pick of the Brewers I was excited about was Brett Lawrie. And for good reason as it looks like he is headed toward an excellent career ... with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Until they're wearing the "Brewers" embroidery across their chest or are manning the hot corner of my fantasy baseball team, prospects, draft picks and minor leaguers don't do too much for me.

I did like Courtney Hawkins backflip though.

Week 10 Waiver Wire Advice to follow:

All players in this post and pre/proceeding waiver wire posts are owned in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues (I’ll do my best to call out some players owned in less than 10-20% of leagues as well, for you deep leaguers out there in Fake Teams land).

Catcher:

AJ Ellis, LA Dodgers – 46%

I fear this might be the last time I can recommend AJ Ellis as his ownership levels are finally reaching where they should’ve been for over a month now. So long, AJ. We’ll always have April.

Wilin Rosario, Colorado Rockies – 12%

When it comes to Points Leagues, there isn’t much to like about Wilin Rosario’s 30/5 KBB, but there’s a lot to love about his current six game hit streak ( 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB) and playing time with Ramon Hernandez on the shelf. If you have the bench space for another catcher, you could do worse than stashing Rosario and playing him on weeks the Rockies are home at Crappy Beer Field. Edit: Rosario just hit a home run at Chase Field. Feel free to start him there as well.

Yasmani Grandal, San Diego Padres – 1%

Finally! The Yasmani Grandal era in San Diego begins! This kid is going to be phenomenal and most likely the savior of your fantasy baseball team. You can be sure he is in the big leagues to stay! Grab him now …. Err, wait, what’s that? Oh. Nevermind.

Others to consider:

Russell Martin, New York Yankees – 28%, Ryan Doumit, Minnesota Twins – 27%

First base:

Justin Smoak, Seattle Mariners – 31%

The Smoak Monster has eight hits in his last 19 ABs, including 3 HR and 8 RBI. Perhaps more impressive is his 6/4 KBB in that time, considering his season KBB is 46/15. If Smoak can continue to cut down the strikeouts, maybe he can finally reach the potential everyone has been waiting for.

Ty Wigginton, Philadelphia Phillies – 18%

Word out of Philadelphia is that Ryan Howard should be back in June, no wait … July. Or, hmm … maybe sometime after the All Star Break … the 2013 All Star Break. Meanwhile, Ty Wigginton has started the last nine games at first with 10 hits, 10 RBI and 3 HR in that stretch. "Wiggy, wiggy, can’t you see, sometimes your streaky hitting hypnotizes me." Or, in other words, go grab Wigginton as he also qualifies at 3B and OF in Yahoo! leagues.

David Cooper, Toronto Blue Jays – 1%

The scoop on Coop is that he is 11/33 with one home run in his first nine games with the Blue Jays as he patrols the not-so-hot corner. Encarnacion is day-to-day with a wonky wrist and because Lind was playing like crap, he’s now playing craps in Las Vegas (and AAA baseball). Therefore, Cooper should have plenty of time to sink or swim in the AL East.

Others to consider:

Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies – 14%, Yonder Alonso, San Diego Padres – 24%, Garrett Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates – 3%

Second base:

Jemile Weeks, Oakland A’s – 46%

It’s been a rough start to the season for the brothers Weeks but there is still plenty of time for at least one of them to turn it around. Because he looks ever so slightly less lost than his older bro, I’ll put my $$$ on Jemile. He’s raised his BA nearly 30 points in the last 10 games and has a 4/7 KBB in that time, but he’ll need to start scoring some runs and swiping some bags to be truly fantasy relevant as he’s unlikely to hit more than 5-6 HR.

Darwin Barney, Chicago Cubs – 10%

Darwin Barney joins the likes of Starlin Castro, Bryan LaHair, Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Jeff Samardzija as one of the only ownable Cubs. He doesn’t offer much in the way of power or speed, but he doesn’t hurt you either with a 13/20 KBB and solid .275 BA.

Others to consider:

Freddy Galvis, Philadelphia Phillies – 6%, Jamey Carroll, Minnesota Twins – 3%

Third base:

Placido Polanco, Philadelphia Phillies – 8%

Is that paint drying? No. It’s just Placido Polanco playing baseball … and scoring points.

Jordan Pacheco, Colorado Rockies – 5%

Nolan Arenado doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to get up to the bigs as he continues to post pedestrian stats in the minors this season, which means third base in Colorado belongs to Jordan Pacheco for the time being. Pacheco has 14 hits (5 XBH) in his last 10 games and is now batting exactly .300. Like Rosario, I wouldn’t hesitate to start Pacheco during weeks at home at Crappy Beer Field.

Elian Herrera, LA Dodgers – 1%

With Mark Ellis and Matt Kemp doin’ the DL thang, Elian Herrera has found close-to everyday ABs atop the Dodgers lineup and currently qualifies at 3B/2B (with OF not far behind). He offers no power and thus far hasn’t shown the speed he is rumored to possess, but he has been hitting, going 19/61 over his first 18 games. Ellis and Kemp are nowhere near returning, so Herrera should have plenty of time to prove his worth in LA LA Land.

Others to consider:

Will Middlebrooks, Boston Red Sox – 48%, Sean Rodriguez, Tampa Bay Rays – 13%

Shortstop:

Marco Scutaro, Colorado Rockies – 19%

I’m shocked that Marco Scutaro is owned in less than 20% of leagues. Currently, he is the 12th highest scoring second baseman and shortstop overall, which means not only should he be owned, but he could be worth starting in most leagues. Making matters even more shocking is that Troy Tulowitzki is on the shelf for at least the next two weeks. Scutaro is a tailor made replacement for 81% of you Tulo owners out there. If you give me your password I will log in for you and add Scutaro right now.


Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds – 26%

Crazy old Dusty Baker has Zack Cozart batting leadoff as of late, in front of Drew Stubbs, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. Yes. Please. Thank you. To make matters even better, Cozart has be hotzart as of late with four hits the past two games along with a home run, 2 RBI and four runs scored.

Others to consider:

Erick Aybar, LA Angels – 36%, Willie Bloomquist, Arizona Diamondbacks – 6%

Outfield:

Denard Span, Minnesota Twins – 22%

I just grabbed Denard Span in the Fake Teams H2H Points League to replace Carlos Lee. How am I doing in that league? Well, if DL’ed players counted for points I would be doing much better, or if Albert Pujols and Roy Halladay weren’t both having the worst statistical seasons of their careers. But, hey, Span is going to turn that all around ASAP!!!

Michael Saunders, Seattle Mariners – 7%

The 52 strikeouts are abysmal, but Michael Saunders does his best to make up for it with 5 HR, 8 SB and a decent .257 BA to accompany 25 R and 18 RBI. Overall he seems to be a pretty well-rounded player with everyday ABs and makes a nice fourth or fifth outfielder. Earlier in the season I called him a "left-handed Jayson Werth" which still doesn’t seem too far off.

Alex Castellanos, LA Dodgers – 0%

When I first heard Alex Castellanos was being called up, I got fairly excited as I thought he might soon qualify at 2B. Then he had a grand total of 5 ABs in his first four games and only appeared in the outfield. Dude was straight killin’ it in the PCL before the call-up, so I’d continue to monitor his PT. If he finds himself in the lineup more often than not, especially at 2B, I would grab Castellanos post haste. Although, he could be sent down immediately once Kemp returns from the DL. Look, outfield depth ain’t what it used to be, OK?

Others to consider:

Juan Pierre, Philadelphia Phillies – 13%, Will Venable, San Diego Padres – 4%, Scott Hairston, New York Mets – 2%

Starting pitcher:

Jarrod Parker, Oakland A's - 21%

I've watched Jarrod Parker pitch a few times now and I kind of feel like he is playing with house money at this point. He walks a few too many and doesn't strike out enough, but yet he has managed a quality start in six of his eight starts and has only been hit truly hard once, vs. the San Francisco Giants. At some point in time the walks will hurt him and I would expect hitters to raise their .152 BA vs. Parker in RISP situations, but for now, his ERA and WHIP are more than ownable and anyone that can hold the Rangers to one hit in 8 IP probably merits a roster spot on most fantasy teams.

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants - 28%

I would be equally excited to have Barry from Storage Wars pitching for my fantasy baseball team as I would be for Barry Zito, but I can't argue with recent results. In his last 15 IP, Zito has allowed only 2 ER with a 8/3 KBB and 2 W. I would grab him and start him at home and against his meager foes in the NL West.

Dillon Gee, New York Mets - 8%

Golly Gee! The Mets fourth starter now has four straight quality starts after holding the suddenly cold St. Louis Cardinals to 2 ER over 7 IP on Monday. He also chipped in 8 K and now holds a very solid 65/19 KBB on the season. Gee whiz!

Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds - 24%

Thus far, Homer Bailey's professional career has been quite the Odyssey with a lot of ups and downs, but his stuff has looked straight Illiad as of late. Eight of his last nine starts have been of the quality variety and he has a respectable 45/18 KBB in 2012. If he can continue to limit his "Doh!" moments, Bailey could have a very solid season ahead of him. Sorry, I think I'm mixing up my Homer references now.

Others to consider:

Trevor Cahill, Arizona Diamondbacks - 47%, AJ Burnett, Pittsburgh Pirates - 33%, Jerome Williams, LA Angels - 18%, Jonathon Niese, New York Mets, 29%

Relief pitcher:

Tom Wilhelmsen, Seattle Mariners - 9%

Brandon League seems simply incapable of pitching without allowing a run or two, so Tom Wilhelmsen is the man in Seattle for now. The situation is very in flux and League could retain the closer role at any moment, or both Wilhelmsen and League could be surpassed by Steven Pryor. So, maybe grab Steven Pryor too? You know, if you have like 40 roster spots and can afford to own three mediocre relief pitchers that play for the Mariners.

Cubs bullpen, Chicago Cubs - ?%

Your guess is as good as mine. My guess? 42.

Others to consider:

Any relief pitcher currently in consideration for save opportunities. Saves = Points!

Hit me up down below with any questions or comments. Peace out.