Kevin Pillar (OF, TOR) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Jamie Mellor recommends AL OF Kevin Pillar as a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup and add in Week 2 of 2018 for his speed and power combo.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 36% of Yahoo! Leagues

ANALYSIS: Whether to pick up Kevin Pillar will be a popular question after his three steals in a single game this past Saturday. With Billy Hamilton looking so bad so far and Delino Deshields getting hurt, there will be owners scrambling for another source of steals or other owners seeing an opportunity to build up a lead before either of those guys get going. The good news is that steals are not a new thing for Pillar, as he has recorded double-digit totals in each of the three previous seasons. It gets even more exciting when you realize those are also his first three seasons with more than 53 games played. He even has double-digit home runs in two of those three seasons.

Now here is some bad news. He has not topped 15 steals in either of the previous two seasons. He has a career .304 OBP. He has been seen batting eighth in the Blue Jays batting order. He recorded just 42 RBI last season. Also, all three of those steals last Saturday came in one inning off the same relief pitcher which raises questions whether it will be a trend going forward. He could help you in a 12-team league where you have to start five OF, but you should be cautious expecting him to be a game-changer and also have the players in place to compensate for his weakness in other categories.