Marlon Byrd (OF, PHI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Leagues

ANALYSIS: Marlon Byrd had one of the best seasons among outfielders who don't get much recognition last year when he hit 24 home runs, 88 RBIs, and scored 75 times all while batting .291. This year he is on the dreadful 2014 version of the Phillies but he's doing his best to show he is still a capable hitter by hitting 16 home runs, 49 RBIs, and scoring 42 runs while batting a decent .267. The Phillies also shouldn't be deterring factor, as Byrd had the numbers he did last year primarily with the Mets, in a worse lineup and much bigger ballpark.  The one thing that scares me about Byrd right now is that his strikeout rate is nearly 10% higher than his career rate. That may serve to explain his .268 AVG this year, although for his career he has never been much of a high .AVG hitter. At 36 and 37 respectively, these years can not be called sudden breakouts for Byrd but as long as he continues to hit for power he should be owned in most leagues and all deeper formats. He could eclipse 30 HRs this season, and that plays anywhere.With all the people I hear talking about how their team needs more power, especially in a year that power is down across the league, Byrd is worth a long hard look and it's pretty crazy he's only owned in 61% of leagues.