Lonnie Chisenhall (3B, CLE) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 10+ Team Mixed Leagues, Must Own in AL-Only Leagues

ANALYSIS: Well, I hate to add to The Chiz parade that has ensued in the past 24 hours, but it's about time the Cleveland Indians get rewarded for sticking with a former first round pick of their's (29th overall pick in the 2008 draft). Now that he is sitting at a pretty solid 69% owned in Yahoo leagues (updated at 1:00 AM ET), right this second would be the right time for anyone playing in a deeper mixed format, who is need of a 3B/CI replacement, to cut bait on someone clunky (Adam Dunn for example) and join the Lonnie Chisenhall bandwagon. Let's peel back a layer or two and see if this recommendation holds any water. The first sign of a fantasy stud is full time at bats and this young man has certainly earned that. He even started against the left handed Jason Vargas tonight (and raked in 2 more hits), a previously unthinkable move by Tito Francona given Chisenhall's horrific track record against south paws. Even though his current .420 BABIP is certainly unsustainable, it's fair to say he has made huge strides with his game this season. The second big sign is that he is has a superb wOBA of .451 and barreling up the ball nicely, putting up a career best 29.4% line drive rate. Given the fact that his HR/FB% is right in line with his career best numbers of 2012 (13%), it is not a ridiculously unsustainable rate for a guy that has proven he can do it before, even with a previously lower batting average and line drive rate. Net net, bottom line, it's easy to deduce that The Chiz has turned himself into a very high-end big leaguer, and with the playing time and pedigree to back up his strides, he will surely hold fantasy value moving forward in 2014 as long as he stays healthy.