It’s typically around this time of year that trading becomes more common. Negotiated player swaps can be a great way to address weaknesses that have become apparent and maneuver for positioning. But deals aren’t always available.
You know what is available, though? Help from your lonely friends on the waiver wire. Let’s visit with them, shall we?
Editor’s Note: To read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.
Week 6 Corner Infield Waiver Wire Targets
Byung Ho Park, 1B, Minnesota Twins (49 percent owned)
While I generally prefer not to profile the same player in consecutive weeks, sometimes their performance forces your hand. Remember when everyone was freaking out over how much Park was whiffing? Well, now his strikeout rate is…not great, certainly, but tenable. As a result, he’s raised his OPS to a cool .907. That’s fifth among all first basemen. Better than Miguel Cabrera, or Paul Goldschmidt, or Jose Abreu. That’s unlikely to remain true, of course, but you get the idea. Park is hitting .282/.356/.615 over the last two weeks, with three homers and 15 R+RBI. He even stole a base! What more do you people want?
Jonathan Villar, 3B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers (43 percent)
Villar has more stolen bases this season than anyone not named Jose Altuve, and most of them have come in the past two weeks. He’s holding his own at the plate despite a lack of power. With Domingo Santana battling shoulder woes that have restricted him to pinch-hitting duty, Villar has taken over the leadoff spot for the Brewers. He profiles better at shortstop, but the dual eligibility is nice all the same.
Martin Prado, 2B/3B, Miami Marlins (26 percent)
Prado isn’t going to hit .400 all season. We all know better than that. But he is a career .293 hitter and routinely one of the most difficult hitters in baseball to strike out. Reliable sources of batting average are harder to come by these days than they used to be. If your league penalizes strikeouts, he’s that much more of a sneaky asset. Prado is without a home run so far, but he’s averaged a dozen per year in his seven seasons as a regular. Like Villar, he’s better suited to the middle infield but makes for a handy sub at the corner.
Brandon Moss, 1B/OF, St. Louis Cardinals (25 percent)
Moss’s plate discipline metrics and batting average continue to trend in the wrong direction, but at least he’s hitting for power again. The bulk of his at-bats have come in the Cards’ cleanup spot, which has helped him pile up runs and RBI. Moss simply has too many holes in his swing to be a consistent hitter or reliable fantasy asset, but give the man credit – when he gets a hold of one, good things happen.
Derek Dietrich, 2B/3B/OF, Miami Marlins (5 percent)
With Dee Gordon suspended, Dietrich has been handed the starting job at second base. So far, he’s running with it, hitting .323/.408/.597. Dietrich hit 10 homers in 289 plate appearances last season, so the pop is real. The average is probably headed down, but he is making more and better contact than prior seasons so far. He’s already worth rostering in deep and NL-only leagues, and will force his way into mixed-league relevance if he can keep hitting at even close to this level moving forward. The positional flexibility certainly won’t hurt his case.
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