Josh Phegley (C, OAK) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 34% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Josh Phegley has struggled to throw together a complete season of adequate work on offense in the MLB, even going so far as to earn the nearly cruel nickname "PTBNL". However, this season, Phegley has been strumming a different tune on offense with the keys to the kingdom at backstop in front of fellow veteran Nick Hundley. In 118 AB, Phegley has been raking for a career-best slash of .271/.317/.466, and is already on pace to obliterate his previous career-best home run total for a season (nine), as he has already crushed five. The former Indiana Hoosier has also been heating up lately to the tune of a .280/.379/.440 slash over the past two weeks.

His plate discipline is still questionable at best with a 19% strikeout rate and 4% walk rate, but he has been making his money in the quality of contact department. Though his 20.2% soft contact rate is a bit more high than would be ideal, his 36.2% hard contact rate is some of the best swinging of his career, and is taking long-distance flight when applied to his aerial-heavy GB/FB ratio of 0.50. With a resulting ISO of .195, it is no wonder that Phegley has been able to spearhead the Oakland revitalization effort at the plate. Producing such offensively well-rounded figures and career-peak power at a position with an infamously shallow characterization is worthy of an acquisition across a wide latitude of leagues.