Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Strategy

. By Jordan Hall . My wife and I watch this show called House Hunters on HGTV all the time. They chronicle a couple as they look at three new houses and ultimately decide which they will purchase and move in to. She likes seeing all of the latest styles in houses, allowing her to dream about the day we take the leap into home ownership. I simply like hearing the real estate agents with funny accents.      Not to be stereotypical, but the women on the show all have a real negativity problem. They want the views of the high rises but don’t want to put up with inner city noise. They want something affordable but are picky about the countertops. . The fact of the matter is that there are compromises that need to be made. You simply cannot have it all, all the time. With that being said, most couples find a happy medium and find a home that gives them that something they cannot live without. . When searching the waiver wire this time of year, you need to look at things from a similar perspective. Guys that are going to give you everything you want are just not available. Unless you’re playing in a 6 team league, there’s nobody in free agency that’s going to make a 5 category impact for you. . Obviously, this point in the year is a good time to identify your teams strengths and weaknesses and act accordingly. . Right now my Blog Wars team is having major issues with saves and strikeouts. Because of this, I have begun to target specialty guys to help with my problems. I’m not looking for an ace that is going to give me great peripherals, I’m simply looking for a guy to miss bats. I was also able to turn my strength in depth into saves with the additions of Hector Santiago and Jonathan Papelbon, but that’s for a different column. . You can and should do the exact same thing with your team. Regardless of the category, there are cheap targets out there that can make your team better rounded without sapping your other categorical success. . Stolen bases are the easiest to find in free agency this time of year. While the obvious names like Emilio Bonifacio and Michael Bourn sit atop the leader board, there are plenty of guys out there stealing enough bases to be helpful. Take a look at Carlos Gomez or Brent Lillibridge when you are considering. Neither will help you in any other category, they are both stealing bases at a good clip right now and figure to see fairly consistent playing time throughout the duration of the season. I also like Eduardo Nunez and Alex Presley if the first two are unavailable. . Homers are not quite as easy to find but it is doable. If you have a deep pitching staff, it’s not a bad idea to use some of your excess to try to snake an underrated slugger like Josh Willingham. He has consistently put up the numbers without the glitz and glamour, making him a perfect trade target. If Nolan Reimold is still available you should grab him, he seems to be breaking out. . Undoubtably Ryan Raburn’s owner has dropped him for a Brent Morel type by now so you should definitely scoop him up. While he obviously is struggling, the home run numbers will eventually be there. The Tigers have shown tremendous loyalty to him and other veterans in the past, so I expect him to get 500 at bats despite his woeful start. If he stays in the lineup he will hit 20 bombs. That would look nice coming from your second basemen. There are plenty of parallels between this season and Michael Morse’s breakout in late 2010 and 2011 and there is no reason to miss out. . Did you know that Ryan Sweeney is hitting .390, A.J. Pierzynski .348, and Robert Andino .316? None of those guys are going to help you in any other category but if all you lack is average, these are three cheap and fairly reliable choices. Playing time will not dry up for any of them and all hit in surprisingly good lineups. . When it comes to pitching, cheap strikeouts are everywhere. A.J. Burnett has long been a poster child for this line of thinking but he’s been joined in the ranks buy guys like Jake Arrieta, Vance Worley, and Felix Doubront. All of these guys are likely free agents in your league and can instantly boost your strikeout total. There’s a chance that each will help you in the win column as well, and added bonus. . There are options out there if your peripherals are struggling as well. I have been targeting Doug Fister while he has been injured and his value reduced. When he comes back he’s going to be a two category stud with WHIP and ERA. Eventually his value will rebound; now is the time to strike here. . Jake Westbrook has quietly gotten off to a dominating start. His numbers have been great if you ignore strikeouts and I would suggest that you do just that. A WHIP of 1 and an ERA that’s not far behind is helpful even if he never struck a single batter out. . Realize that the fantasy season is a marathon and not a sprint. We have but a couple weeks down and nobody is eliminated from contention just yet. With that being said, now is the time to act, especially in a Roto league. Don’t get buried so far in a category that you can’t dig yourself out. There are plenty of options out there as long as you are willing to put up with some noise to get the view. . I would be happy to answer your fantasy questions or give advice. Drop me a line at www.twitter.com/lefthandsmoke23 . . . Also check out: Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ Paying Dividends Is Todd Helton Done? Is Denard Span Back? Should You Bail on Adam Wainwright? Is Jake Peavy Back?

Read more at: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Strategy
Syndicated from: