Cody Bellinger, Guillermo Heredia and other position players to look for on the free agent market

After one month of baseball behind us, let us take a look at some of the top picks that are still on the waiver wire for the month of May. Some of us may have been lucky enough to have all their players perform as expected, and will not need to look towards the waiver wire for offensive. For those who have been plagued with injuries and poor performance may be looking towards the free agency market for some extra offensive upside. It is still early on in the season so there are still some quality bats on waivers that you can take advantage of this month.

Catchers

Austin Hedges (38.7% Owned)

2017: .193/.244/.446, 6 HR. 91 PA

Hedges has been on a power surge recently by hitting 5 home runs in his 48 plate appearances. Hedges went his first 23 at bats this year until getting a hit, but n the last two weeks Hedges has raised his batting average by hitting .261 over 23 at bats. Hedges is a high risk, high reward type player, so if you are into taking risks you may want to try adding Hedges to your team this season.

Other Notables: Wellington Castillo (31.3%), Stephen Vogt (26.6%)

First Basemen

Cody Bellinger (29.9% Owned)

2017: .345/.406/.655, 2 HR, 32 PA

Bellinger made his major league debut on April 25 and has impressed everyone out of the gate. Known for being one of the best defensive and power hitting prospects in 2017, he has already hit two home runs since getting his call-up. Bellinger is only 21 years old and is the best first base prospect in a shallow 2017 pool. He will also be available to start in the outfield after he logs enough games in left field for the Dodgers making him even more valuable for fantasy teams. Bellinger will no doubt draw walks and hit for power in the major leagues, but the only question is if he will be able to continue to hit for average at the highest level.

Other Notables: Travis Shaw (66.6%), Yuli Gurriel (41.9%), Josh Bell (14.8%), Justin Bour (8.4%)

Second Basemen

Logan Forsythe (35.3% Owned)

2017: .295/.407/.341, 0 HR, 54 PA

Forsythe is currently on the 10-Day DL, but is set to make his return to the Dodgers very soon. He has been one of the most underrated fantasy players since 2015 when he was playing for the Rays. He has been able to draw walks, hit for power and all while maintaining an above average batting average. Playing for a stacked Dodgers lineup also makes him more valuable in standard 5x5 leagues as he will be a able to produce a good amount of RBI’s and R’s when he returns to the lineup.

Other Notables: Joe Panik (46.6 %), Brandon Drury (44.7%), Neil Walker (33.0 %)

Third Basemen

Nick Castellanos (66.1% Owned)

2017: .255/.325/.462, 3 HR, 117 PA

Do not let Castellanos’ poor 2017 numbers fool you, it looks as if he is set to have a breakout year in 2017. His 57.1% hard contact on batted balls is the best in the major leagues so far this year. With a 1.09 GB/FB we should see Castellanos putting the ball in the stands a lot more and helping fantasy owners that own the young third baseman.

Other Notables: Travis Shaw (66.6%), Yuli Gurriel (41.9%), Brandon Drury (44.7%)

Shortstops

Brandon Crawford (66.1 % Owned)

2017: .263/.284/.434, 2 HR, 81 PA

Once you look past the young superstars at the shortstop position like Seager, Correa and Lindor quality bats become be hard to find. If you are in need of a shortstop Crawford looks to be your best on the free agent market, if he is even available. Crawford is a low risk pick as he should post a batting average around .260 and hit around 15-20 home runs. Landing on the 10-Day DL on April 26th, Crawford should be returning to the Giants lineup sometime soon, so take advantage of Crawford’s injury and low ownership while you still can.

Other Notables: N/A

Outfielders

Kole Calhoun (62.0% Owned)

2017: .250/.325/.361, 3 HR, 120 PA

Calhoun started the 2017 off to a slow start, but he should pick up the pace in May. Calhoun has shown us some positives this year as he has only hit 15.7% of batted balls with soft contact. Calhoun has the potential to hit 25 home runs and can put up a decent batting average, so he is a perfect fit for anyone looking for some more outfield help on their fantasy team.

Guillermo Heredia: (1.1% Owned)

2017: .308/.368/.462, 2 HR, 57 PA

With Mitch Haniger going on the disabled list, Heredia looks to get a lot more playing time in the outfield for the Mariners. Just like Haniger, Heredia is a 26 year old rookie who has started the year off to a great start. So far this season Heredia has hit .327/.365/.490 over 52 plate appearances. He does not have a lot of power, but still has the potential to put up 10-15 home runs in 2017 if he is able to get enough plate appearances. Heredia is a great pick in deep leagues and AL only, but because of his lack of power I would not recommend him to anyone in 10 team mixed leagues unless you are in some desperate need of outfield help.

Other Notables: Corey Dickerson (66.0%), Hunter Pence (55.6%), Randall Grichuk (51.6%), Michael Conforto (48.6%), David Peralta (47.5%), Brandon Drury (44.7%), Adam Eaton (43.5%) Andrew Toles (3.8%), Albert Almora (3.8%)