Around the Horn: Waiver Wire Pick-Ups

Absent the beautiful Michelle Steele, Bloomberg Sport’s own Rob Shaw goes around-the-horn offering some advice on how to put a solid bat in your fantasy line up.

Catcher: Jorge Posada, Yankees

This was a sleeper in many drafts because of the fact that he was going to be in the lineup everyday without the grueling task of catcher, but apparently it took some time for Jorge Posada to adjust to the designated hitter role.  He hit .132 in April, and didn’t have a homer in May, but in June, Posada is hitting .393 with two home runs.  His season average is suddenly a more respectable .234 and his 8 home runs rank well amongst catchers.  Looks like Posada is still a fantasy option.

 

First Base: Daniel Murphy, Mets

He has five hits over the last nine games with four RBI and four runs.  His average is now at .296 for the season and despite just four home runs, he does have four steals, which is good for a corner infielder.  Murphy is simply a professional hitter who will offer consistency and a great deal of position eligibility, he can play first, second, and third.  Just don’t put him in the outfield, the Mets learned that lesson a few years back.

 

Second Base: Danny Espinosa, Nationals

We have called him the Nationals version of Dan Uggla on this very show and we are not messing around.  The rookie second baseman is putting up an Uggla type season with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, but the improvement is the nine stolen bases, which justifies his entry into your fantasy lineup despite the .242 average.  At this point, Espinosa has been an upgrade over Uggla.

 

Shortstop: Jeff Keppinger, Astros

He kind of fits the Daniel Murphy mold, Keppinger is a crafty hitter despite a lack of power and speed.  At 31 years old, Keppinger is not a prospect, so his playing time may diminish, but it till be tough to remove him from the Astros lineup as long as he is hitting .336 with a couple of home runs.  Keppinger once hit .332 in 67 games for the Reds back in 2007, but he has never hit more than seven home runs or swiped more than four bases.

 

Third Base: Ty Wigginton, Rockies

With four home runs over the last four games, there is no one hotter than Ty Wigginton right now.  By the way, all four of those home ru8ns have come on the road, so don’t think this is a product of Coors Field.  His average is just .275 on the season, but his 12 home runs are legit, after all, he hit 22 bombs last season.  Similar to Murphy, this ex-Mets infielder is a jack of all trades and offers eligibility throughout the infield.

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