Nicky Lopez (2B/SS, KCR) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams

ROSTERED IN: 6% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Lopez has put together a solid season at the dish but due to his lack of power--he hit his first home run of the season on Thursday--he's drawn little attention. The 26-year-old infielder is slashing .277/.347/.354 with 12 doubles, five triples, one home run, 30 RBI, 49 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases over 328 at-bats. While he's not as dynamic as the injured Adalberto Mondesi, he's filled in quite nicely for him this year and is a perfect 15-for-15 on stolen base attempts. The Royals are one of the five teams to play seven games next week and Lopez should see some favorable pitching matchups against the Astros and the Mariners. As an added bonus, he'll get to face Luis Garcia again, whom he homered off of on Thursday.

Plate discipline is Lopez's greatest strength as his 13.5% Strikeout Rate (95th percentile) and 9.2 Walk Rate practically cancel each other out. He's also sporting an impressive 14.7% Whiff Rate (96th percentile) and 90.3% Z-Contact Rate. His sprint speed ranks in the 79th percentile and his recent bump to second in the batting order should lead to more run-scoring opportunities.

The Royals are slated to face four right-handers and three left-handed starters next week and while Lopez performs better against righties (.280/.361/.341 over 246 at-bats) he's not a liability vs. lefties (.260/.302/.354 in 79 at-bats). Zack Greinke, Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., and Logan Gilbert all look like plus matchups for the 26-year-old infielder. He should be a useful asset in OBP leagues and can provide help with runs and stolen bases.

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