Fantasy Baseball 2014: Waiver Wire Options; Edition Eight

Mitch Moreland

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

 

It’s actually insane the amount of injuries the baseball world has seen this year.

Insanity, I tell you.

And because players are dropping like flies, the waiver wire is serving as the take a penny, leave a penny cup at the cashier’s desk. Owners come in, grab a player to replace an injured star, and when that player returns to the lineup, back to the waiver wire goes the fill-in. It’s the circle of the fantasy life, and the injuries aren’t slowing down, folks.

Note: Ownership percentages are based off Yahoo! leagues.

Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers (9%)- Moreland will see everyday at-bats for the rest of the season (barring trade) with Prince Fielder shelved for the season with a neck injury. In 65 at-bats in May, Moreland is batting a strong .292 with 12 RBI, and so far this season, he has improved on both his chase and contact rate. The Rangers are also batting him third in the order, and even though Texas has their fair share of injuries, it’s still a very capable lineup, which will provide Moreland with ample RBI opportunity batting after guys like Shin Soo-Choo and Elvis Andrus. He is an ideal replacement for those who lost Fielder, but is also worth a look in deeper leagues, regardless.

Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants (29%)- Vogelsong had a horrible year in 2013, largely due to injury. However, after a rocky start, Vogelsong has settled in, failing to surrender an earned run in each of his last two starts. He’s now 3-1 with 46 strikeouts and a 3.20 ERA for the season, and while I wouldn’t recommend him in a standard, 10-team league, Vogelsong is definitely worth a look in deeper leagues. He’s finished as a top-40 fantasy pitcher in two of the last three seasons, and playing on an elite team like the Giants, there’s no reason to believe he can’t do it again this year. His strikeout rate is the highest since 2012, raising his swinging strike percentage by about three percent.

Khris Davis, Milwaukee Brewers (35%)- Don’t get me wrong, Davis is going to be an absolute headache to own this year, but when he’s on, it’s going to be a blast. And Davis is on right now, batting .417 with three home runs, four RBI and six runs over the past week. His batting average has jumped to .244, which won’t kill you with him. He’s still going to strikeout a ton, and is actually on pace to post the worst strikeout-to-walk ratio in the history of baseball. However, if you need power, Davis has clearly demonstrated that he can be a cheap source of 20-home run power, and the Brewers offense, when fully healthy, is one of the best in baseball. He also has three walks over the last seven days, and if he is changing his approach at the plate, this could be a great sign for the young slugger.

Jenrry Mejia, New York Mets (40%)- It’s taken almost two months, but it appears the Mets have finally found their closer. Mejia, who started the season in the rotation, notched his fourth save of the year on Tuesday night, and he’s been pitching well, allowing one earned run in eight innings and converting on all four of his save chances since taking over the job. If you need saves, they may not be consistent, seeing as the Mets are, well, the Mets, but surefire closers are rare to find nowadays, and Mejia is still available in 60 percent of leagues.

Adam Pfeifer is a lead fantasy columnist for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.


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