Fantasy owners are generally quite good about plucking talent from the waiver wire in a timely fashion. As we’ve discussed before, this skill is arguably the most important ingredient for a winning season. Yet every year, there are players who, for whatever reason, linger in limbo for much longer than they should. The following players have ownership rates far below where they should be, given their production. Whether you need power, speed, or some quality innings, these guys can help your team.
Mike Napoli, 1B, Texas Rangers
Napoli struggled immensely for the bulk of the season’s first half, but he’s found himself in the groove lately. During the month of July, Napoli has hit .250/.326/.632 with eight home runs and 28 R+RBI in just 22 games. His high strikeout rate and complete lack of footspeed will always conspire to make Napoli a liability in batting average, but you won’t find too many other 20+ HR guys on the wire right now – and any you do find will carry the same issue.
Rajai Davis, OF, Oakland Athletics
Davis is not now, nor he has ever been, all that great of a hitter. What he has always been is a great base stealer. Despite swiping only one bag in his first 21 games, Davis has 19 thefts on the year, more than all but seven other players in baseball. That’s in large part due to running wild recently; the aging vet has nine steals in 10 attempts since June 30. Given the scarcity of speed in today’s landscape, it’s surprising to see him so widely available, even considering his offensive shortcomings. And for what it’s worth, Davis did go 4-for-5 with a homer, two runs, and two RBI on Saturday.
Jhoulys Chacin, SP, San Diego Padres
Chacin has made 10 starts since the beginning of June and has allowed more than two runs just twice. In those 10 games, he’s 6-3 with a 2.75 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Encouragingly, three of them were starts on the road. Chacin has been excellent at home all season, but struggled immensely away from Petco Park. He should still be avoided in extreme hitters’ parks like Coors Field and Chase Field, but Chacin may have turned a corner on his road woes this season. And with how tough it’s been to find quality pitching on the wire this year, owners can’t afford to turn their noses up at playable ratios.
Kyle Bishop is a lead MLB columnist at RotoBaller.com. His articlesare your secret weapon for winning fantasy leagues.
