With 2 weeks left to go until the playoffs begin in the majority of formats, I am patrolling the waiver wire finding the hottest bats for your fantasy lineups. Melky Cabrera recently was suspended 50 games (basically the rest of the season) meaning owners will need to find a quality OF bat to replace all that production.
Please take a moment to register for an account so you can join in the fantasy discussion ongoing in our forums
Catchers
Ryan Doumit #18 of the Minnesota Twins hits a deep fly ball to center field scoring Joe Mauer (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
No new names to add here that haven’t been touched on before. If you need to pick up a hot catcher, be sure to check for these guys on your wire
Stats last 14 days
A.J. Pierzynski – CHW – .428/5/14
Ryan Doumit – MIN – .369/5/12
Alex Avila – DET – .388/1/7
Jesus Montero – SEA - .318/2/6
Salvador Perez – KC – .236/3/7
First Base
Kendrys Morales – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
After a season of waiting it seems that Morales is finally getting his bat hot at just the right time for his team and fantasy owners. Over his last 2 weeks, Morales has 4 HR to go with a solid .354 batting average. If you have sustained a recent injury at 1B or the OF, give Morales a look. He has proven capable of putting up solid average and power numbers before in 2009, just remember he may take a day off from time to time.
Second Base
No new players to point out, but be sure to check your waiver wire for one of these hot bats. These stats are last 14 days
Danny Espinosa – WAS – .322/4/11 with 1 SB
Omar Infante – DET – .365/2/10 with 1 SB
Stephen Lombardozzi – WAS – .338/0/1 with 1 SB
Marco Scutaro – SF – .293/1/13 with 0 SB
Third Base
Todd Frazier – Cincinnati Reds
Former little league world series hero Todd Frazier has been hitting well in the absence of Scott Rolen, and even though I have mentioned his name before, if you have an injury at the hot corner Frazier should be on your short list to add. In his last 14 days he is hitting .340/3/12 with a SB and 47 at-bats while receiving every day at bats. Even though guys like Eric Chavez are hitting very well, Frazier gets the nod because he sees everyday at-bats where Chavez is in a time share with Casey McGehee. Pick Frazier up in deep formats, and keep an eye on him in the shallow ones as he is tearing the cover off the ball.
Shortstop
Erick Aybar – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Since returning from injury, Aybar has been one of the hottest hitters at short as he posted a slash line of .400/.432/.657 over the last two weeks. He has hit 2 HR with 5 RBI and 2 SB, contributing in all aspects of the fantasy game. If you need a SS, Aybar is the pickup for you.
Outfield
Jon Jay – St. Louis Cardinals
So you need to replace Melky Cabrera’s bat in the lineup, but have no clue where to turn? Introducing the former part timer Jon Jay who has one of the sweetest swings you will see from the left side of the dish. Jay has been moved into the leadoff spot for the Cards, and manager Mike Matheny has commited to giving him everyday at-bats. As long as he maintains his status as an everyday player, Jay should be owned in all formats. Over his last 2 weeks Jay is hitting .444 with 2 HR, 8 RBI and 3 SB. During that stretch he had 6 multi hit efforts out of 8 games, if you need outfield help, pick up Jay NOW.
Pitching
At this point of the season there are no stand out options at reliever that haven’t already been added. If you really need save help, check out Steve Cishek – MIA or Jim Henderson – MIL, although neither one of those guys is really a long term option
That is it for this week, for personalized fantasy advice, post a message in the forums where I am always ready to help our members with fantasy roster decisions.
