Leury Garcia (OF, CWS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 8% of Yahoo! leagues

ANALYSIS: Leury Garcia has continued to hit well in his first crack at the full-time centerfield position in Chicago, and his hot start has started gaining some attention in fantasy circles. Garcia is hitting .276 with 22 runs, six home runs, 17 RBI and four stolen bases. Garcia has dramatically cut down his strikeouts, posting a 15.1% strikeout rate through a career high 159 plate appearances. He had a 26% rate last season in 50 PA’s, and a 31% rate in 155 PA’s in 2014. The dramatic decrease in strikeouts has kept his batting average at a sterling .276 with a .293 BABIP, a sustainable number for him this season. He posted a .294 BABIP last year, but only hit .229 thanks to his high strikeout rate. If Garcia can keep the strikeouts down, he is certainly capable of hitting around .280 on the year. Garcia has benefited from a high HR/FB ratio (22.2%) but even if that levels off, he should still crack double-digit home runs. While a 20-20 season seems a bit bold to predict for the 26-year-old, there is reason to believe that Garcia could post a 15-15 season with a respectable batting average, making him worth a flyer in 14-team leagues and beyond.