Brewers' Villar most-added fantasy baseball waiver wire claim
Here are ten of the most added and dropped fantasy baseball players from May 23rd - May 29th.
Jonathan Villar
Why % Is Up – consistent bat and stolen base totals
When a career .253 hitter is raking above .300 (.410 OBP) two months into the season, fantasy owners should take a step back and review. As great as Villar’s 18 stolen bases are, the fact of the matter is his BABIP sits at .421 – highest in baseball. His career-BABIP is .345 – well above league average – but 80 points between career norms and 2016 production should remind us all that Villar’s other shoe will drop. Until then, Billy Hamilton owners know they are eight bag swipes off the pace.
Nomar Mazara
Why % Is Up - .356 OBP / 5 HR / 6 R / 12 RBI last 14 days
Now 53 games into his MLB career, Mazara is settling into a reliable outfield fantasy option. His production is comparable to Stephen Piscotty (owned in 91.7 percent of leagues). His contact rate (%) ranks similarly to Kyle Seager, Xander Bogaerts and Gregory Polanco in 2016. Oh, and how those summer Texas months encourage the ball to jump off the bat.
Cameron Maybin
Why % Is Up – bat has stayed hot and stolen base threat
Maybin's sputtered the past three games, but five more runs scored last week. His OBP is .490 in 46 at bats.
Josh Tomlin
Why % Is Up – five quality starts and slight uptick in strikeout rate
Before the absolute disaster against the Rangers on Memorial Day - 3 2/3 IP, nine hits and four earned runs - Tomlin picked up back-to-back wins allowing only four earned runs, while striking out 13 in 15 2/3 IP. That's why owners gobbled him up off the waiver wire. As is the case with most Indians' starting pitchers, volatility can run rampant, but Tomlin is a sneaky option to hold onto this consistency. The 3.79 ERA is who he is, but the 1.18 career WHIP could attract some suitors as well.
Matt Wieters
Why % Is Up – OBP above .400 last 14 days with a little sign of pop and Salvador Perez injury created need
Look who has an active 12-game hitting streak in games he’s started! Wieters has picked up five multi-hit games during that stretch. The 25.8 percent strikeout rate is six percent above his career average. So, that’s red flag. However, when Salvador Perez hit the bench with a quad injury, Wieters became a commodity.
Eugenio Suarez
Why % Is Down – .156 OBP last 14 days
The baseball math on this is pretty simple. Dude hit .272 with 17 runs, 19 RBI and five homers in April, while .179 BA was the story in May. The .226 BABIP over the past four weeks does indicate luck was lacking as Suarez’s career norm is north of .300. Then again, the way the Reds’ season is going, I’m not sure fantasy owners want to test their or Suarez’s luck.
Danny Valencia
Why % Is Down - .256 BA over last 10 games
Slight course correction as the power surge – six HR in five games – is now a distant memory. The good news is the 31-year-old Valencia appears to be earning more at bats and picked up seven hits over the weekend.
Gerardo Parra
Why % Is Down - .262 OBP last 30 days
If Coors Field picks up their end of the bargain, Parra will remain a waiver wire darling as his ownership percentages fluctuates depending which way the wind blows the ball over the fence. Parra posted roto-friendly numbers with 14 HR / 14 SB in 2015 and by joining the Rockies in the offseason, there was intrigue that he could improve upon his power numbers. It’s worth noting Parrra smoked the ball in June/July (.365 BA) ahead of the trade deadline. So, this dip in ownership may be a little premature.
Michael Wacha
Why % Is Down – 10.93 ERA last 3 starts
Jaime Garcia
Why % Is Down – 10 ER in last 14 innings pitched
The Cardinals pitching staff has experienced plenty of turbulence through the first two months of the season. For example, Adam Wainwright posted a 4.62 ERA in six May starts and yet escaped with a 4-0 record. Wacha went 0-5 in six starts thanks, in part, to a 6.75 ERA. Carlos Martinez 1-5 and 5.18 ERA. Jaime Garcia’s dip in ownership was a knee-jerk reaction to five earned runs allowed to the Diamondbacks. Garcia’s season xFIP sits at 3.30, while the other four members of the rotation carry xFIPs around 4.00. Not a great sign of things to come.