Nick Castellanos (3B / OF, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper / AL-Only Leagues (Especially Corner Infield Slots)

ANALYSIS: Nick Castellanos has some big shoes to fill this year, seeing as the last guy to man the hot corner in Detroit won two consecutive AL MVP awards. The young righty will not be taking home such honors this year, but he has shown signs of being a quality MLB third baseman and one of our fantasy baseball post-hype sleepers. He has struck out 52 times already, but that is not unusual for a young player who likely came up before he was truly ready, as most young players do in today's game. He also is not seeing a ton of pitches, as his 3.69 P/PA quotient ranks just 124th in baseball among qualifiers.

Still, with his proven ability to hit any pitch to any part of the field in the minors, his overall plate discipline should improve, and his numbers with it. Castellanos has been raking in Comerica Park, putting up a .317 AVG over 126 AB, but has struggled on the road, as he drops to a lowly .198 AVG away from home. Given the fact that the 3B position is loaded with talent on its own and guys like Miguel Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana also qualify, Castellanos is only really deserving of an add in deeper leagues that call for a CI player at this point. Continue to monitor his progress, though, as that could change as he further adjusts to major league pitching.