Christian Walker (1B, ARI) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 30% of Yahoo! leagues

ANALYSIS: 

For a guy that started the season as one of the hottest rookies, things got ugly in the middle of the first half and Walker is now just 30% owned. However, Christian Walker has completely turned things around in July. From May to June, Walker posted a .298 wOBA while striking out 28% of the time. In July, that wOBA has risen to over .400, all the while getting unlucky with a .238 BABIP. Chase Field is always going to lend itself to hitters and that gets extreme in the summertime.

On the short term, Walker will face the Brewers, Orioles, and Marlins rotations next, so he’s worth an add even if just for a couple weeks to see if he can continue the dominance. The risk is low with a guy that’s still guaranteed to hit a few home runs and is part of an offense that’s put up the fourth most runs in baseball. He will consistently hit in the heart of the order and has as much upside as any first baseman on any given night. This July sample size is still a small one, so he may be worth waiting on in smaller than 12 team leagues if you’re comfortable at first base.