Jace Peterson (2B, ATL) – Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues & NL-Only Leagues

OWNED IN: 8% of Fleaflicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: Jace Peterson may be the second baseman of the present and future for the Atlanta Braves, but he still has quite a ways to go before he's fantasy relevant in shallow mixed leagues. For now, he's a solid middle infield option in deep leagues and starting 2B option in NL-Only leagues, since he should be able to continue hitting fairly well and have ample run scoring opportunities hitting at the top of the Braves lineup in front of Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis. He's started and led off for the Braves in nearly every game this season and there is no real threat to his playing time. He has missed a handful of games this past week, but there is no structural damage to his thumb and he'll return to the lineup within a day or two.

Through 54 games this season, Peterson is hitting .270 with a .343 on-base percentage, 22 runs scored and 22 RBI. His value moving forward will rely heavily on his ability to get on base and steal bases, the latter of which he's been able to do six times in 11 tries. One would hope for a bit more success but the speed is there and the 25-year-old should be able to improve with more experience. As he doesn't offer much in terms of power or extra-base hits, his drastic improvement in cutting down his strikeout rate and increasing his walk rate this season are welcomed changes. The batting average may fall a few points, but so long as he can keep the walk rate at or greater than 10%, he'll keep the OBP where it needs to be and hold his value in deeper leagues by scoring runs and stealing bases.