Mikie Mahtook (OF, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 15% of Yahoo! Leagues

ANALYSIS: There are always players who fantasy owners stare at on the waiver wire, expecting any day that their hot streak will end and they will fade into fantasy irrelevance. It never seems worth it to pull the trigger on a streaky player who is just having a good week, but at some point you have to reevaluate that player and determine if they are worth the add. Mikie Mahtook has been hitting well enough for long enough that it is time for fantasy owners in 12-team leagues and beyond to grab him. The man is a hitting machine, having slashed .340/.432/.560 over his last 100 at-bats, giving him a very nice season line of .300/.352/.484 with nine home runs, 29 RBI and two stolen bases. He does bring a ton of counting stats, limiting his value to deeper leagues, but he has maintained a high batting average virtually all season and has at least a little power and speed. After trading away J.D. Martinez, Mahtook should have plenty of opportunity to start day in and day out for Detroit, and his splits (.296 vs. lefties, .303 vs. righties and .313 at home, .289 on the road) make him a consistent fantasy contributor for the rest of the season. Those in deeper leagues who are looking for some batting average stability and some help in the outfield should be grabbing Mahtook before it is too late.