Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Waiver Saviors: The Speedy Gonzalez Edition

If you find yourself lagging behind in the standings in the stolen base category, don't worry. It happens to the best of us. This edition of Waiver Saviors trolls the wire looking for players who should be able to help you in the stolen base category sooner rather than later.
  • OF Jason Bourgeois, HOU (19.4% ESPN; 12% Yahoo!) has returned from a DL stint (ankle) and working his way back into the lineup as often as possible. He had 12 SB in 28 games prior to the injury and five in 13 games since. He'll give you the steals you need and won't kill you team batting average, either (.289 since his return). Daily leaguers will need to monitor his playing time for now.
  • OF Jordan Schafer, ATL (11.6% ESPN; 6% Yahoo!) is tied for the major league leads in steals over the last 15 days with 7 SB, but those come at the price of a .246 batting average over that span. If you are truly desperate for steals and can afford to take a hit in the batting average category, go for it.
  • 2B/SS Alexi Casilla, MIN (49.5% ESPN; 25% Yahoo!) has 7 SB in his last 23 games with a .330 batting average, 2 HR, 11 RBI and 16 Runs. He's producing enough in all five standard categories to give your team a much needed June boost. His middle infielder eligibility gives you some additional roster flexibility to work his speed into the lineup as often as possible.
  • 2B Jemile Weeks, OAK (11% ESPN; 12% Yahoo!) has 4 SB in his last six games and is hitting a cool .409 (9/22) over that span. The second base job seems to be his and he's literally running with it. He won't bring any power and probably not a ton of runs either considering Oakland's underwhelming offense, but deserves to be owned by the stolen base hungry owner.
  • SS Alcides Escobar, KC (67.9% ESPN; 28% Yahoo!) is starting to show Royals' fans some of what they got in return in the Zack Greinke trade. He has 7 SB over his last 15 games and hitting .434 with 7 XBH, 1 HR, 7 RBI and 12 Runs. If you're still looking for a temporary fill-in for Derek Jeter, Escobar could be your answer for now (and beyond, if he keeps this up).
We are definitely at the point in the season where category jockeying is necessary in rotisserie scoring. You should be shooting for fourth place or higher in all categories (5x5) if you plan on making a run at the league title or finishing in the money spots.

No comments:

Post a Comment