Sneaky Stolen Bases for Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Targets Include Ji Hwan Bae, Willi Castro, Corey Julks, Michael A. Taylor, more

June 15, 2023

Brenton Kemp discusses several players who are widely available on waivers who can contribute steals and other fantasy stats for your fantasy baseball team.

Sometimes, a player's fantasy baseball value isn't so obvious. Sometimes, just sometimes, we need to dig deeper to discover the value of players who aren't exactly getting much love from the industry. We're roughly a month away from the All-Star break, and at this point, sample sizes are large enough to get a gauge on which players are going to be fantasy baseball assets moving forward. In this piece, we're looking at the stolen bases department and diving into players thriving on the basepaths.

More specifically, we're looking at a handful of players rostered in 40% or fewer Yahoo Leagues that have swiped at least 10 bases this season and whether or not they are doing enough elsewhere to bring on board. On the flip side, perhaps these players are too one-dimensional and not worthy of a valuable roster spot.

Let's get a deeper dive into these lightly-owned names that are swiping a healthy amount of bases and whether or not they are worthy of a roster spot at this point in the season. These are sneaky base stealers.

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Sneaky SB Contributors for Fantasy Baseball

Ji Hwan Bae, 2B/OF - Pittsburgh Pirates

38% rostered

Ji Hwan Bae hasn't racked up enough plate appearances to be a qualified hitter but his 19 stolen bases are tied with Corbin Carroll for fifth in baseball while tying for second in the National League. He is right on the bubble in terms of doing perhaps just enough elsewhere but only in batting average leagues, not OPS leagues.

Bae is hitting a solid .270 on the season but his below-average 6.7% BB% and lack of power hurt. He has just two homers and a .682 OPS across 193 trips to the plate on the season. However, he also has a palatable 32 runs scored, which, for context, is tied with Nico Hoerner who has five fewer steals and two more homers in 65 more plate appearances at 90% rostered in Yahoo leagues.

If you put it that way, Bae is probably worth a spot in deeper leagues/NL-only leagues but should be left alone in shallow formats.

Willi Castro, 2B/3B/SS/OF - Minnesota Twins

34% rostered

Willi Castro has managed to tie the likes of Julio Rodriguez, Jake McCarthy, and Jonathan India with 12 stolen bases despite far fewer trips to the plate, but therein lies the problem with the former Tiger.

Castro has made just 151 trips to the plate on the season while playing all over the field for the Twins. His defensive versatility is his key to playing time but when Joey Gallo and Byron Buxton return from the injured list his reps will take a sharp turn for the worse.

At the same time, he's not doing much else other than stealing bases. He does have a decent five homers but he's hitting .241 with a .694 OPS, 23 runs scored, and 12 RBI. Additionally, he's walked in just 4% of his plate appearances while punching out 31.1% of the time. That minuscule 0.13 BB/K hurts in points leagues.

Despite solid work on the basepaths, Castro can be safely disregarded in all fantasy baseball formats.

Michael A. Taylor, OF - Minnesota Twins

3% rostered

Michael A. Taylor is rostered in 31% fewer Yahoo leagues than his teammate Castro but he has been far more valuable at the plate.

For starters, he is getting more playing time with 182 plate appearances on the season. He has 11 stolen bases but has also provided notable pop with nine home runs and seven doubles, good for a well-above-average .201 isolated power.

Now, he has the same walk and strikeout issues as Castro, posting a nearly identical 0.14 BB/K on the campaign. His 23 runs are identical to Castro, although he's knocked in 21 on the back of his power display.

His lack of plate discipline hurts in points leagues but Taylor is worthy of a roster spot in deep, head-to-head category leagues given his power/speed combination.

Zach McKinstry, 2B/3B/SS/OF - Detroit Tigers

27% rostered

Acquired just prior to Opening Day, Zach McKinstry has been a major bright spot for a struggling Tigers team this season.

The versatile 28-year-old is getting everyday reps for the Tigers these days and making good on that playing time. McKinstry has swiped 10 bases on the season alongside five homers and a .739 OPS across 57 appearances on the campaign. No, not elite numbers, but there's more behind the scenes.

For one, his 12.5% BB% against a 19% K% makes for an excellent 0.66 BB/K that helps in points leagues. Additionally, while he hasn't hit for a ton of power, his .379 xwOBA is well above his .329 wOBA and ranks in the league's 88th percentile. He also ranks in the 88th percentile in xBA, 80th in xSLG, and 78th in barrel rate.

McKinstry is very much worthy of a roster spot in deeper leagues given his speed and the likelihood of significant positive regression on the horizon.

Corey Julks, OF - Houston Astros

2% rostered

Like McKinstry before him, Corey Julks also has 10 stolen bases and five home runs on the campaign. However, he's not doing nearly enough otherwise to be worthy of a roster spot.

He does have a decent 22 runs and RBI through 49 appearances but he's also walking in just 3.4% of his plate appearances, leading to a subpar .285 on-base percentage and, eventually, a .680 OPS. He also sports an elevated 27.9% K% that helps produce a lowly 0.12 BB/K in his 179 plate appearances.

Now, given his 31 homers and 22 stolen bases in 130 Triple-A games last season, the 27-year-old should remain on the fantasy radar. However, at this point, he's not worth a roster spot as his 10 stolen bases are the lone bright spot in his profile this season.

Ha-Seong Kim, 2B/3B/OF - San Diego Padres

28% rostered

Ha-Seong Kim is certainly worth a roster spot given his eligibility at shortstop, and more importantly, second base.

The second base position isn't exactly loaded with high-end options compared to other spots on the diamond while Kim's solid all-around production makes him a worthwhile asset.

In addition to his 11 stolen bases, Kim has five homers and a solid .713 OPS in 61 appearances. However, he also sports a quality 12.8% BB% that has led to a nice 0.53 BB/K on the season. His .304 xwOBA isn't exactly encouraging, as his .308 BABIP should regress, but Kim has done enough to take up a roster spot at second base in deep leagues this season.

Joey Wiemer, OF - Milwaukee Brewers

25% rostered

Joey Wiemer is participating in his rookie season in the big leagues, which is always going to come with its ups and downs. Unsurprisingly, strikeouts have been the foremost issue with a 28.4% K% on the season but there's enough that checks out when it comes to the 24-year-old, especially in dynasty leagues.

Save for Taylor, Wiemer has produced the most power on this list with eight homers, 12 doubles, and a quality .184 ISO in 218 trips to the plate. He's walking at a solid 9.6% clip, although his elevated strikeout rate and .219 batting average have sunk his OPS to just .697.

However, if we take a look back, Wiemer hit .284 with six homers and six steals in 43 Triple-A games last season after homering 15 times alongside 25 swipes in 84 games at Double-A. Wiemer has produced 48 home runs, 61 stolen bases, and a .873 OPS across 236 games in his minor-league career.

That should certainly play in dynasty leagues while Wiemer is worth an outfield spot in deep leagues given the power/speed combination he's put forth to this point in his rookie campaign.

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