April 18: Starling Marte
Welcome to Pickup of the Day, where every weekday we'll pick an under-the-radar player whose immediate value is on the rise. The idea here is to identify a starter who can give you some solid innings off the scrap heap, a talented backup who's been given a chance because of a starter's injury, an unheralded regular with a favorable matchup, or a potential breakout player who's starting to put it together. Unlike regular waiver-wire advice, Pickup of the Day is geared more towards interim success, but hopefully we'll have the intuition to help you snag a waiver-wire gem a few times this season.
Pirates outfielder Starling Marte opened Wednesday night's 5-0 victory over the Cardinals with a leadoff triple, extending his current hitting streak to 10 games. He finished the evening 1-for-4 but still boasts an impressive .362/.393/.534 batting line over his first 61 plate appearances this season. The talented 24-year-old also has one home run, eight RBI, two stolen bases and 11 runs scored. Marte flashed great potential for the Bucs down the stretch last season and has carried over the good vibes into the early part of the 2013 campaign. He's owned in only 65 percent of standard Yahoo! leagues. Grab him now if he's still available in yours.
