Nick Castellanos (3B, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

May 2, 2017

Pierre Camus recommends AL 3B Nick Castellanos as a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup and add in 2017 for his power and breakout potential as a fourth-year starter.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 55% of Yahoo! leagues

ANALYSIS: Nicholas Castellanos has manned third base in Detroit for the past three years, but is yet to have a breakout season. So far in 2017, he hasn't been spectacular, but has been a quietly effective run producer. In 103 at-bats, he has driven in 15 runs while slashing .252/.319/.466. The averages closely resemble his career marks, so there may not be a huge upswing there, but the untapped power potential still lurks.

Castellanos' ground-ball rate is down to 32.9% early this season because he's hitting more line drives. Combine that with an outstanding 57.1% Hard Contact rate and he should be collecting more base hits than he is. Castellanos does have seven doubles and three triples already, so he's helping owners in points leagues more so than rotisserie. He is also pulling the ball more than ever, at a 43% clip, so there is hope that all this hard contact and extra-base hits will translate into more homers soon. Castellanos was off to a hot start in the first half of last season, hitting .302 with 17 HR, 51 RBI in 85 games until injuries derailed his second half. Perhaps his interrupted breakout season will resume in 2017.