Week 9 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

The Corner Store is open! It is week nine and there are still so many good options on the waiver wire. Continue to stay fluid with your lineup and ride the hot hand. Don't get attached. However, make a decision and initiate movement to get that player. Do not let someone else grab them while you hesitate.

When looking for a replacement or upgrade on the waiver wire, identify the needs of your roster and how a player would fit in to improve your roster as a whole, or boost a certain category at the very least. First base and third base are generally the best spots to look to improve your team’s power. From the waiver wire, those individuals will usually come with a poor batting average. The main alternative is players that give you average production across the board. Choose wisely.

Key points - the primary focus of this list is on players who are owned in less than 50% of leagues. Below are some names that might be available as well as players that have recently graduated from the parameters. Check your leagues for availability. I've included the recent performance below as well, so you can compare and make a better selection.

Week 9 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets

Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) 44% owned

Last 7 days: four runs, two HR, four RBI, .333 AVG

Moreland has hovered around 31% all season, despite our urges for people to pick him up. Since the news Friday that Hanley Ramirez was designated for assignment, Moreland’s ownership has increased, yet he still remains under-owned. In the two games since being identified as the full-time first baseman, Moreland has two runs, one HR, and three RBI with a .450 average.

Moreland is having a great season, even while he was in a part-time role. Moreland has 19 runs, eight HR, and 25 RBI to go with a slash line of .321/.394/.652. For the last three days, he has hit from the cleanup spot, which will not only give him increased opportunity for RBI, but increase his other stats as well in the dangerous Boston lineup. He faces a favorable matchup against Toronto, but follows that up with a matchup in Houston, which could be intimidating.

Jeimer Candelario (3B, DET) 18% owned

Last 7 days (eight at-bats): three runs, two HR, four RBI, .375 AVG

Candelario was a forgotten man as a utility player on most rosters. He missed time with left wrist tendinitis and returns with a two-homer performance in his second game back. This is a prime example why you don’t just forget players that have been performing well and get injured. Candelario gets slotted right back into the third spot of the lineup, right behind Nicholas Castellanos. He gets on base (.357) routinely and be a factor in the runs category hitting ahead of Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera, when he returns healthy.

Candelario’s splits against left-handed pitchers (.244) isn’t as bad as it was earlier in the year. However, it still lags behind his average against righties (.282). Candelario has favorable matchups at home against the Angels and Blue Jays this week, so make room to acquire him.

Ronald Guzman (1B, TEX) 2% owned

Last 7 days: six runs, four HR, nine RBI, .364 AVG

Guzman was drafted in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic and slowly brought through the minors to ultimately get called up for a short stint with a couple of the starters getting injured. At first glance, Guzman isn’t anyone that will grab your attention. The average fantasy manager will see a guy that is hitting .229 with six HR and 20 RBI. They will immediately pass by to the next option. Without dismissing him outright, let’s look at his performance and batting profile.

Guzman started off horrible and it took a streak to get his stats raised from horrible to just plain bad. On 21 May, he started a streak where he hit a HR in three consecutive games and four out of five games. This helped raise his average to .229 from .187 prior to the streak. Guzman needs to work on his plate discipline. He not only has a 31.7% strikeout rate, he swings at pitches outside the zone at a rate of 39.2%. Not to belabor the point, but Guzman also has a 13.8 swinging strike rate and only walks 6.7% of time.

He is worth owning in deep leagues to take a chance on regardless of whether he has rectified something in his batting strategy in his recent offensive burst. If Guzman continues to hit near the bottom of the lineup, however, it will be tough for him to accrue stats and maintain his reliability, even in deep leagues. He faces off against the Mariners and Angels this week, which should be in his favor.

Miguel Andujar (3B, NYY) 41% owned

Last 7 days: three runs, two HR, four RBI, .375 AVG

Yet another week goes by and Andujar still remain available in too many leagues. If you’re looking for progress, look toward the pitching splits. Andujar has improved his average against left-handed pitchers (.239), as well as the righties (.313). He still limits his strikeouts (19.6%) and makes good contact (79.6%) when he swings. With a .310 OBP and 2% walk rate, Andujar is less appealing in OBP leagues.

Unfortunately, Andujar bats in the bottom third of the order, but the Yankees offensive is so stacked that it should rotate often enough for him to get consistent opportunities to fill up the stat sheet. Andujar’s first series this week against the Astros is a tough matchup, but he gets the Orioles as a relief in the second series.

Risky Business

Mark Reynolds (1B, WAS) 22% owned

Last 7 days: five runs, three HR, four RBI, .429 AVG

Do not be misguided by what appears to be Reynolds near the top of the first base performance in the last two week. He is not getting consistent playing time, just filling in for the injured Ryan Zimmerman and giving Matt Adams a break against left-handed pitching. Admittedly, Reynolds has been on fire since being called up from Triple-A. He is hitting .478 in 23 at-bats and has four HR and six RBI. If you have space to stream and are feeling frisky, go ahead and pick up Reynolds while he is hitting well.

Graduates

Jesus Aguilar (1B/3B, MIL) 56% owned

Last 7 days: seven runs, five HR, nine RBI, .310 AVG

Look what six homers in the last 14 days will do for a player; it allows you increase your ownership by 36% and jump off this list quickly. Aguilar has been having a good run currently. Even with Braun back from the DL, Aguilar has remained in the third or fourth spot in the lineup, maintaining RBI potential.

On the season, Aguilar has seven homers to go with 23 RBI and a .305 batting average. Regardless of how things are going with your roster, sometimes you want to lock-in your profits. This might be the opportunity to do that with Aguilar. Package him with a good player for an even batter player you like. Even if he continues to smack homers, you’ll still have a player you enjoy having on your roster, as well as an opportunity to pick up someone else on this list.

Other Notable Corner-Infielders

Christian Villanueva (3B, SD) 43% owned

Last 7 days: four runs, four HR, nine RBI, .280 AVG

Yes, he is streaky, but you know what you're getting by now. There will be strikeouts and there will home runs. There will be low batting average and there will be home runs. If you can manage your roster accordingly, Villanueva is a great addition.

Josh Harrison (2B/3B/OF, PIT) 47% owned

Last 7 days: two runs, zero HR, four RBI, .357 AVG

Harrison continues to hit way back into your lineups. However, some people won’t listen to his performance and get him on their roster. Harrison has eligibility at a few different spots and has gone 10-for-28 since he came off the disabled list. That sounds like a win-win to me. Also, Starling Marte has returned from the disabled list and should help the offense as well.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers