Brandon Crawford (SS, SF) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 34% of leagues

ANALYSIS: On the heels of a putrid April, San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford has been one of May’s hottest hitters. Since the calendar flipped, he is slashing an absurd .449/.459/.652, with nine multi-hit games (including five with at least three hits).

That line is supported by a .509 BABIP, so it is obviously not sustainable, but Crawford has been hitting the ball hard enough that at least some of his production over recent weeks could stick around through the inevitable regression.

Crawford has a hit in all but two games this month and has had either a run scored or RBI in seven of his last 10 games. While his BABIP is unsustainable, he does have a career-best 28.7% line drive rate and also has a career-high with his 40.3% hard hit ball rate. Furthermore, Crawford's 38.5% ground ball rate is the second-lowest of his career (37.9% in 2014).

The fact that Crawford is hitting the ball this well and only has a .148 ISO shows that there should be more extra-base hits than the 15 he has this season, and even if his average ends in the .270s rather than the .300s, Crawford's potential for 40-45 extra base hits should make him a suitable MI in deeper leagues.