Grab those bats, it’s that special time of the week to check in on some possible waiver adds that can take your squad to the next level. The weather is heating up and so are the power hitters. Maybe it’s the ball, maybe it’s the weather. Or maybe it’s that two months into the season guys are finally getting into the swing of things and finding their groove. March/April saw 574 home runs and a .231 batting average, with almost a week left in May we’re already up to 697 home runs and batting average is up to .244. That’s good news for fantasy managers and the points should keep flowing. Summer is upon us so get ready for some fireworks.
Thairo Estrada – I would say that he’s likely not available in your league with a roster percentage approaching 60. That number should be a lot higher for a guy hovering around the top 50 hitters. Even better, he’s continued to play every day since Tommy La Stella returned from the IL. A .272 average with 10 doubles is pretty solid production at second or third base. Check the wire just in case he’s still out there.
Joc Pederson – Is 4 home runs in two days good? We knew Joc had big-time power and he put that on full display. He’s slugging .606 on the season, good for sixth in the league, but his xSLG is even better at .734. There’s more good news too: xStats say that his .260 batting average should actually be .338. That all sets up for him to be a points league stud. If he played every day he would shoot way up the fantasy leader board but sadly it’s the Giants style to play the matchups. Because of that, I like him better for daily leagues so you can sub him out when he’s not in the lineup.
Patrick Wisdom – He’s scuffling in the batting average department (.226) but he has swatted 10 home runs and 8 doubles. on the season. His OPS of .786 also looks pretty solid as well. Interestingly Wisdom is far more popular on CBS where he’s rostered in 72% of leagues compared to only 27.8% for ESPN. So I guess that’s good news if you play on ESPN. Now is the time to add him coming off a week where he’s batting .304 with 4 home runs. Play the hot streak and enjoy the results.
Christian Walker – Covered him last week and despite his poor performance since then (.077 average) I still like him. His xStats paint a much more favorable picture with an expected batting average of .272 and a .610 SLG. He’s still putting up solid point totals in spite of the sub .200 batting average so if he can get that up closer to his xStats he’s in line for a fantasy points explosion. I’d buy in now before he heats up.
Kole Calhoun – Worth the add while he’s this hot. All 6 of his home runs have come over the past two weeks paired with a batting average close to .400. If you’re in need of short-term outfield help you could certainly do worse than Calhoun until his bat cools down.
Mike Yastrzemski – Likely already on a roster in your league (62% ESPN, 78% CBS) but he’s worth checking on. He hasn’t flashed much power so far with only 4 bombs but his .309 batting average isn’t too much higher than expected. He hit 25 last season so I would expect that his slow start in that department is at least partially due to his stint on the Covid IL earlier this season. If he’s still available he can bolster your outfield.
Seth Brown – A deeper league target who is widely available. His numbers on the year aren’t eye-popping aside from his batting average. Unfortunately, it’s not the good kind of eye-popping as he’s batting around.200. There’s some power potential here, he had 20 last season in a little under 300 ABs. That came with a .213 average which would actually be better than what he’s rocking currently. However, xStats say he should be batting .257 and if he can approach .250 with his power his fantasy numbers will look a whole heck of a lot better. I like him better for daily leagues given that he rarely gets the start against lefties. That caps his value for weekly leagues even if it probably boosts his value per game.
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