Week 16 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

It is week 16 and the All-Star break is upon us. Don’t become complacent, regardless of your place in the standings. You don’t need to manage your active roster the next few days so take this opportunity to clean things up. Spend some time rummaging through the waiver wire to find assets to assist your endeavors. Consider making a couple of moves to keep your team competitive.

The corner infield spots generally offer power bats. However, waiver wire players sometimes come with less than stellar averages, so be reasonable with your expectations. In this article, I’ll discuss waiver wire targets for first base and third base in week 16. This week we cover a wide variety of players, including old guys, out-of-favor guys, rebound guys, and a Yankee.

Key points - the primary focus of this list is on players who are owned in less than 50% of leagues. Below are some names that might be available. I've included the recent performance below as well, so you can compare and make a better selection.

Week 16 Corner Infield (CI) Waiver Wire Targets

Albert Pujols (1B, LAA) 41% owned

Last 7 days: four runs, four HR, six RBI, .333 AVG

Albert Pujols is currently on the disabled list with knee inflammation but the well-timed All-Star break gives him the possibility of returning fully healthy for the second half. Even at 38 years old, Pujols continues to smack the ball with authority, with a Hard-Hit rate better than he has in the last seven years (42.2%). Unfortunately, he is swinging at more pitches outside of the zone (37.4%), but he does have better contact with pitches inside the zone (91.8%) as well as a better-than-average swinging strike rate (8.5%). Though he is currently on the DL, Pujols routinely slots in at the five-hole behind Andrelton Simmons, Mike Trout, and Justin Upton. His aged, but still good, batting eye combined with his spot in the lineup will provide plenty of RBI chances. Pujols is not the player he once was, but he has a chance of finishing the year with 25 homers and maybe even pushing for 30. For near-term planning, Pujols has home games against the Astros and White Sox coming out of the break and into next week.

Kendrys Morales (1B, TOR) 13% owned

Last 7 days: four runs, four HR, six RBI, .333 AVG

Age is not intended to be the theme this week, but like Pujols, Morales features this quality as well. Overall, it might be easy to believe that his bat is slowing down as his season stats do not look particularly impressive. Morales has a 9.2 BB%, 23.7 K%, and a .195 ISO. However, the last 30 days his performance is much more fantasy friendly. During that time, Morales had a walk rate of 13.2 % and a slash line of .308/.395/.646. It must be stated that his strikeout rate (27.6%) increased, but that also comes with an increase in ISO (.338). For those individuals that are concerned with his old-man bat, keep in mind he does have a 43.9% Hard-Hit rate to go with a 37% fly ball rate. Morales is a solid choice for owners just looking for power and potential OBP.  He will have home games against the Orioles and Twins to start the second half.

Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) 45% owned

Last 7 days: four runs, three HR, six RBI, .313 AVG

People continue to act like this is Double Dutch, standing on the sidelines waiting for the right moment to make their move. The problem is good moments and opportunities continue to pass by while they hesitate. Franco is doing his best to make things right. He is having better at-bats and hitting for more power. In the last 30 days, Franco has a slash line of .346/.407/.615 to go with a 9.3 BB% and 10.5 K%. If these stats were attached to many other names, they would have garnered much more interest from fantasy managers. I know skeptics are concerned with his 27.2% Hard-Hit rate, as am I. However, a .275 BABIP doesn’t indicate the rest of his stats were a result of dumb luck. At the very least, pick up Franco in an attempt to use the All-Star break as an opportunity to flip him for someone you are more confident in owning. If you acquire him, it might be worth noting he faces the Padres and Dodgers following the All-Star break.

C.J. Cron (1B, TB) 32% owned

Last 7 days: five runs, three HR, 10 RBI, .400 AVG

C.J. Cron is thankful to be in the month of July. He is working his way back from a terrible June in which he hit for a .130 batting average. In two weeks of July, Cron has a .405 batting average and has reduced his strikeout rate by 16.2%. Additionally, his Hard-Hit percentage has drastically increased from 28.9 in June to 55.2 in July. In the same time, Cron has changed his approach at the plate by hitting less ground balls and fly balls, while increasing his line drive rate from 11.1% to 37.9%. Cron seems to have made the adjustments that are allowing him to perform similar to his early season success.  He is worth a speculation add in most leagues. Cron starts off the second half with home games against the Marlins and Yankees.

Greg Bird (1B, NYY) 43% owned

Last 7 days: five runs, three HR, 12 RBI, .321 AVG

The short porch in right field of Yankee stadium is particularly advantageous for a left-handed hitter like Bird who has a 53.7% pull rate. The question then becomes his ability to make consistent contact. Bird’s contact percentage of 76.8 is average but his swinging strikes of 10.3% is below average and needs to be improved upon. Speaking of improvements, his .143 batting average against same-sided pitching leaves a lot to be desired. Avoid starting him against left pitching if you can.

Bird’s fans have been waiting for him to do something similar to his performance the last couple of weeks (four runs, two homers, 12 RBI), even with a .256 average. The Yankees host the crosstown rival Mets followed by a trip to Tampa Bay after the All-Star break. Assuming the team doesn’t return with an upgrade at the position, Bird should be manning the first base job in the second half.

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