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In a shocking fantasy baseball development, there are still no 28 year-old sluggers in the prime of their career dwelling on the waiver wire. No, the waiver wire is a collection of toddlers and senior citizens; some poised to make their mark on professional baseball and some grasping on to the successes of years' past. This week's list will feature players of both kinds -- three young guns and a former keystone mainstay pushed to the outfield to prolong his career.
The first two players on this list have proven themselves in the MLB previously. Though the duration of their production may differ, they are both proven hitters who should be owned while they continue to see the ball well. The last two guys on this list have been sitting atop many league waiver wires for over a month now. They are both rookies and their low ownership is a sign that most fantasy owners don't trust the results that they are seeing. It's a fair assumption. Plenty of rookies come into the league guns blazing only to fade away over the course of a full season. However, both of these studs have been producing for the better part of three months now and it is time to make a choice. There's no time to wait on these guys.
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Week 16 Outfield Targets
Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals
Owned in 43% of Fleaflicker Leagues
Owners who reached for Randal Grichuk on draft day were sorely disappointed in light of the youngster's early season struggles. In 62 games this year, Grichuk hovered barely over the Mendoza line before being sent down to Triple-A on June 17. As a result, he was unequivocally dropped in most leagues. The hard-hitting outfielder was one of the more valuable waiver wire pickups of 2015, as the then 23 year-old produced an impressive .276/.329/.548 line with 17 homers and 47 RBI in just over 100 games. Since being called back to the Majors on July 5, Grichuk is right back on track. In his first ten games back with the big league club, Grichuk is slashing a dominant .342/.359/.737 with four moon shots. The cardinals outfield is starting to look a little crowded with the addition of a hot-swinging Tommy Pham, but Matt Holliday and Matt Adams are likely to be the two most affected by it. Grichuk's ownership is elevating faster than any other player in the league right now, so don't sit back on this guy. It's now or never.
Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Dodgers
Owned in 25% of Fleaflicker Leagues
It's no secret that Howie Kendrick's best years are behind him. After turning 33 last week, Kendrick has barely retained a starting job in the Dodgers crowded lineup. Well, at least it used to be crowded. Kendrick has been pushed out of his regular role at second base by fellow old-timer Chase Utley. In all fairness to Kendrick, Utley is and looks much older. Consequently, Kendrick has bounced around the field from second base to third, from first base to DH, ultimately landing a more regular job in left field. Keep in mind he hasn't seen time in the outfield since his All-Star campaign back in 2011. With Trayce Thompson and Enrique Hernandez both on the DL, Kendrick has become the only logical option in the outfield aside from utility man Scott Van Slyke. Now that Joc Pederson has returned, Kendrick may receive a day off here and there in favor of Van Slyke, but he remains the primary option at this point. He's been serviceable this year, shown by his .270/.330/.374 line. He's been especially hot as of late, going 18-for-40 in his last 15 games with a 1.161 OPS in that span. That's second in the MLB behind Jason Kipnis over the past two weeks. Get 'em while they're hot.
Tyler Naquin, Cleveland Indians
Owned in 22% of Fleaflicker Leagues
For Tyler Naquin to hold onto his starting job for the Indians, he must play better baseball than Juan Uribe. Quite a challenge, I know. Thus far, he has done just that. The 25 year-old rookie is quitely having a tremendous season for the surging tribe, evidenced by a .314/.376/.593 slash line in 62 games. The performance could be overlooked when the sample size was small, but with 191 Major League plate appearances under his belt, Naquin looks like he might be here to stay. Better yet, he's been getting hotter every month. He closed out the first half with four homers in his last eight games and has started off the second half with a bang. He's started every game while going 4-for-13 with a home run and four runs scored. Don't let this guy dangle atop the waiver wire for much longer. If this level of play continues, which his minor league numbers indicate it will, Naquin will likely be claimed by the end of the week.
Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins
Owned in 31% of Fleaflicker Leagues
In many ways, Max Kepler is the polar opposite of Tyler Naquin. First of all, and totally unrelated, he's German. Secondly, Naquin has proven himself a much better MLB hitter than Kepler. Just compare Naquin's .314/.376/.593 line to the .231/.306/.481 line of Kepler and there's no question as to who's had more success. Yet, Kepler is the more widely owned of the two. Why is that? Just take a look at the RBI totals. Despite witnessing 12 less at bats, Kepler is leading Naquin in RBI 34-to-23. The difference becomes even more staggering over the past month. In the past 30 games, Kepler has amassed an inconceivable 27 RBI compared to just nine for Naquin. The most shocking part of that statistic is that Naquin plays for the far superior club with much more potential for scoring runs. The difference is that Kepler bats fifth in the Twins lineup behind the competent duo of Miguel Sano and Brian Dozier, whereas Naquin dwells at the bottom of the order for the Tribe. It may seem trivial, but the numbers show that batting order placement has a huge impact on fantasy production. If you're still looking for a way to rationalize the stark contrast, comfort yourself with the fact that Kepler is more disciplined at the plate than Naquin, shown by his higher walk rate and lower strikeout percentage.
More Options: Curtis Granderson (55%), Cameron Maybin (54%), Joc Pederson (44%), Denard Span (40%), A.J. Pollock (40%), Lonnie Chisenhall (32%), Steve Pearce (27%), Michael Conforto (21%), Seth Smith (16%), Peter Bourjos (10%), Hunter Renfroe (4%)
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