1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15

July 8, 2019

Kyle Bishop's fantasy baseball first base and third base waiver wire pickups for Week 15. Consider adding and streaming these free agent corner infield options.

By the time you read this, the All-Star break will be underway.

June and July tend to be the leanest months on the waiver wire, as most teams are still trying to win and fantasy football has yet to lure away any of the also-rans. Rest assured, however, that there are still players available who can help your squad.

As a reminder, our focus is on players who are below 50% owned in Yahoo leagues, and standard 5x5 scoring. Your mileage may vary, in terms of availability or league settings. Using that cutoff point for ownership rate, however, these are your corner infield waiver wire targets and adds for Week 15 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season.

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Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Jay Bruce (1B/OF, PHI) — 48% Owned

Bruce's injury-ravaged 2018 didn't endear him to fantasy owners this spring, to the point that many seemingly forgot that he had averaged 35 home runs and 100 RBI the prior two seasons. By virtue of a two-homer game on Sunday, the veteran enters the All-Star break with 24 bombs already, along with 98 R+BI in just 75 games. He's also pulled his batting average up to a respectable .243, 30 points higher than it sat when he was traded to the Phillies last month.

Miguel Sano (1B/3B, MIN) — 31% Owned

Another low-average slugger who fell out of favor with the fantasy community after a lousy 2018, Sano has a shiny .895 OPS and 13 homers in 40 games since returning from injury. He's had issues staying healthy to this point in his career, but when he's been the on the field, the 26-year-old has generally been productive. The injury troubles and gargantuan whiff rates will always keep him from being a star, but Sano has averaged 87 R, 35 HR, and 95 RBI per 650 plate appearances despite his shortcomings.

Christian Walker (1B, ARI) — 28% Owned

Walker has been playing for his job lately, and it's showed. The return of Jake Lamb could have spelled the end of Walker's time as an everyday player, especially since he had mostly struggled after a torrid April. Instead, the 25-year-old has hit three home runs in his last four games, bringing his overall line up to a healthy .263/.333/.503 with 17 HR and 91 R+BI in 86 games.

Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Jose Martinez (1B/OF, STL) — 25% Owned

In just under 1,200 plate appearances in the majors, Martinez has hit .305/.367/.468. The issue has always been playing time (partly due to his lack of defensive ability), as those plate appearances have come across parts of four seasons. The 30-year-old is currently playing every day due to Marcell Ozuna's fractured finger, and taking advantage of it as usual. He's worth rostering in plenty of formats for as long as he is playing regularly.

Renato Nunez (1B/3B, BAL) — 20% Owned

The Orioles have been about as awful as advertised, but Nunez has been a bright spot in Baltimore. He's hit 20 homers and totaled 92 R+BI in 84 games, forming a respectable middle-of-the-order duo with Trey Mancini.  The .239 average is nothing to write home about, but the counting stats are plenty useful for a guy available in four out of every five Yahoo leagues.

J.P. Crawford (3B/SS, SEA) — 16% Owned

You're more apt to use Crawford at shortstop or in a middle infield slot, but he does qualify at third base as well. In his first season with the Mariners, the 24-year-old is showing signs that he has adjusted to MLB pitching after struggling as a rookie with the Phillies. He's hit .277/.346/.466 in 39 games since getting the call to the big leagues this year, after slashing .319/.420/.457 at Triple-A. Crawford has modest pop and speed, but gets on base at a high enough clip to take advantage of his place in the 2-hole of the Seattle lineup.

For Your Radar

Jeimer Candelario (3B, DET) — 2% Owned

The Tigers gave Candelario a shot at both the leadoff and cleanup slots in their lineup earlier this year. He didn't do much of anything with the opportunities, to the point that Detroit sent him down to the minor leagues last month. Since returning from that detour, the 25-year-old has slashed .378/.452/.784 with four homers in 11 games. Small sample, certainly, but Candelario flashed potential last season before a wrist injury derailed him. There may be some deep-league value here.

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