Last week’s column could best be graded as an “incomplete” since two of the four players highlighted went on the disabled list – one on each side. As for those who stayed on the field, Brad Miller hit well (.939 OPS) but didn’t offer much in the way of category juice, while Julio Teheran had his worst start in over a month.

Onward and upward, friends.

Editor’s Note: To read about waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.

Week 9 Buys

Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds

There’s no question that Votto hasn’t been the same preternaturally gifted hitter we’ve come to expect in 2016. His strikeout and walk rates are trending in the wrong direction and he’s hitting just .213 on the season. However, he hit seven homers and totaled 38 R+RBI during the month of May, so there’s still production to be had here. And even if Votto is pulling more grounders into the shift, it’s unlikely that he’ll continue to run a BABIP 100 points below his career mark. That’s because he’s still hitting the ball hard and never popping it up. Further, there’s not much in his plate discipline data to support his current whiff rate.

Scott Kazmir, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Kazmir was excellent against the vaunted Cubs lineup last night, allowing only two baserunners and striking out seven in six innings of work. It was his third quality start in the last four games. Kaz has been homer prone so far this year, which has contributed to an inflated 4.38 ERA, but he’s striking out over a batter per inning and has a solid 1.21 WHIP. Perhaps most encouraging is the fact that only two qualified starters have a lower hard-hit rate.

Week 9 Sells

Jean Segura, 2B/SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

Segura was a pleasant surprise for many fantasy owners in April, but his production tailed off last month. The 26 year old hit .278/.301/.407 with just one homer and two stolen bases. Given that most of his peripherals haven’t changed much from the last two seasons (when he was one of the worst hitters in the game), that mediocre output is probably more realistic moving forward than what he produced in the opening month.

Jimmy Nelson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers

Going solely by traditional stats, Nelson is having a nice year. He’s 5-3 with a 2.88 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, which makes him a solid fantasy asset. Unfortunately, there are several signs that he’s not going to be able to maintain those tidy ratios going forward. He’s posting virtually the same middling strikeout and walk rates as last season and allowing more home runs and hard contact to boot. You can probably guess what’s keeping his surface stats shiny – the dreaded low BABIP/high strand rate combo. Keep him around for his date with the punchless Phillies on Friday, then move on.

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