Ryon Healy (1B/3B, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Ryon Healy was a hotly debated name throughout the offseason but has lost attention this season with the emergence of teammate Yonder Alonso. However, he has held up his end of the bargain flashing plenty of individual skill early in the season. Most notably, Healy has popped eight home runs through two months of the season, five of which have come in May. While not quite among the elite in hard-hit rate, Healy has posted a 36.7% hard contact rate. That puts him 50^th among qualified batters, showing his power production hasn’t been cheap. In fact, with a just a 14% HR/FB ratio there is room for more power production from Healy.

On the other hand, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect a rebound in batting average. A jump in strikeout rate and expected BABIP regression have turned his .305 batting average last season to a .250 clip this season. The good news is that average won’t kill fantasy teams, just don’t expect a bounce back to last season’s mark.

Currently on pace for just 65 RBI and runs despite a near 30-homer pace, team context has really hurt Healy’s counting stats. In terms of runs scored, the A’s offense ranks towards the bottom of the baseball. However, other weighted metrics such as wRC+ and wOBA suggest the A’s offense should be more productive. If that is the case moving forward, Healy’s counting stats should rise thanks to him batting predominantly third and fifth in the A’s lineup.

Steals aren’t part of the equation for Healy, but the potential is there for him to be a solid contributor in the home run, RBI, and run categories. Given the depth at first base, Healy should be added as a utility player or corner infielder in shallower leagues.