Corey Dickerson (OF, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson has made the best of his new home and has maintained his ability to be a reliable fantasy option. Tampa made the surprise move to cut a player who, a season ago, was their best hitter. A .282/.325/.490 slash line is strong, but there were enough warts there to warrant Tampa dumping his salary for little (read Fangraphs’ piece on the Rays’ bad fastball hitters, for example). In reality, he is a slightly above average hitter that could be actually be more effective on a per at-bat basis if he were deployed part time.

Pittsburgh likely was not expecting to add a player like Dickerson in the offseason, but he is there now and the Pirates will enjoy a luxury of having more outfielders than they need. Because of the depth, Dickerson likely will not get 600 at-bats over the season, but that’s ok, as he is best in good pitching matchups or as an injury replacement. He has a slightly better line against righties, so consider using him as a UTIL or OF5 when the situation favors it. Just like for Pittsburgh, he is a luxury for the fantasy team with an open roster spot, but he is still a good enough hitter to be owned in all formats. A .275/.320/.480 with 23 HR is a reasonable expectation for the season.