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Working the Wire Week 2: Zimmerman Providing Healthy Returns

Brandon Funston
Ryan Zimmerman leads this week's look at our baseball collaborative piece
Ryan Zimmerman leads this week’s look at our baseball collaborative piece

With the season finally underway, now’s the time to pounce and be aggressive on the waiver wire. The Yahoo fantasy baseball crew is here to help identify the players to go after:

Q: Which infielder, owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, are you most interested in adding to your fantasy team?

Brandon Funston: RYAN ZIMMERMAN. I wouldn’t add Zimmerman with much hope that he’ll be viable long-term, because his injury track record just doesn’t support that notion. But he’s healthy right now, he’s only 32 years old and his track record also shows a lot of .280/25/90 type seasons. Ride the wave, and hope it lasts longer than it has in his most recent campaigns.

Andy Behrens: I really cannot understand why no one wants to own CESAR HERNANDEZ, but here we are. He’s a leadoff hitter with 30-steal upside and the man slashed .294/.371/.393 last season. His current batting average is no surprise. Hernandez clearly has the potential to assist fantasy owners in three categories, and he’s very likely unattached in your league.

Dalton Del Don: DEVON TRAVIS. He’s off to an extremely slow start but it’s health and not production when it’s come to Travis. He’s hitting leadoff on a Blue Jays team that should score a lot of runs despite their slow start. There’s 25/15 upside here.

Scott Pianowski: No one is going to bet on RYAN ZIMMERMAN staying healthy for a full season, but he sure looks hale now, and Washington has a loaded lineup 1-through-8. Go where the runs are. Go where the fun is.

DEEP DIVE: Which infielder owned in 20 percent or less of Yahoo leagues offers the most fantasy intrigue?

Funston: ZACK COZART. It’s pretty slim pickings in this percentile group, so I’m not looking for a long-term relationship here – just give me a player on a streak that I can tap into. Cozart, who is hitting nearly .500 (.481) through eight games, certainly qualifies.

Behrens: LUCAS DUDA has a 30-homer season on his resume, and he’s gone deep three times so far this season. We worried a bit about his health in the spring, but he’s playing every day and clearing fences. Give him a look, if you have a need for power.

Del Don: LUCAS DUDA. So I hate repeating Behrens, but Duda is the call here. He has a .833 career OPS against right handers. That’s useful.

Pianowski: The JOE PANIK stat line from last year is meaningless; he wasn’t healthy. He’s fully capable of hitting .300 or better, with some pop and the occasional bag. I also expect him to eventually be promoted in a San Francisco lineup that needs some answers.

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Q: Which outfielder, owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, are you most interested in adding to your fantasy team?

Funston: RAJAI DAVIS. I liked him as a draft-day sleeper given his difference-making speed and the fact that Oakland is giving him a full-time gig. He got off to a slow start, but has started to pick things up in the past week, hitting a HR and swiping the first of what will likely be 40-plus bases when the dust settles.

Behrens: GERARDO PARRA typically hits in the heart of the order for the Rockies, offering respectable pop and speed. He’s 12-for-35 as of this writing, and injuries have cleared a path to playing time. Add and enjoy.

Pianowski: The average isn’t pretty with DAVID PERALTA right now, but he’s giving you category juice (two homers, two steals). The Arizona lineup and park are monstrous assets, especially in the NL context. Some were worried that new manager Torey Luvullo wouldn’t favor the running game, but the Snakes are as aggressive as anyone through a week and a half.

Del Don: BRETT GARDNER. He’s hitting leadoff in a good park. Gardner already has five steals, and he should be owned in all leagues.

DEEP DIVE: Which outfielder owned in 20 percent or less of Yahoo leagues offers the most fantasy intrigue?

Funston: SHIN-SOO CHOO. He’s another veteran like Zimmerman (above) that you can feel pretty good about in those rare times when they are healthy. Choo owns a career .832 OPS and occupies a nice spot (No. 2) in the Texas lineup. He hasn’t done much to write home about yet this season, but he’s healthy, and I feel good about the likelihood of solid returns if he can stay off the DL.

Behrens: JOSH REDDICK is sitting out there unowned in 90 percent of Yahoo leagues, despite the fact that he’s off to a decent start and hitting in an excellent lineup. When he plays a full season, he’s usually good for 20-plus homers.

Pianowski: STEVEN SOUZA is unlikely to keep that .306 average, but if the walks hang around, he might stick in a key lineup spot. This is someone who clocked 33 homers and stole 19 bases over the last two years, without a full-time commitment. This could be the cheapest 20-20 season on the board.

Del Don: JORGE SOLER. He’s on the disabled list but anyone with this kind of upside should be owned.

Q: Which pitcher, owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, are you most interested in adding to your fantasy team?

Funston: JOAQUIN BENOIT. Free closer? Yes, please. Benoit has been promoted to Philly’s closer role after Jeanmar Gomez fumbled away the job, and Benoit has been rock solid this season and, for most of his career, for that matter.

Behrens: SEAN DOOLITTLE would deserve your attention even if he wasn’t in the closing mix for Oakland. But he’ll see plenty of ninth inning opportunities when the matchup tilts in his favor. He really needs to be universally owned in mixers.

Pianowski: What does signature significance mean to you? To me, it means you act after an 11-strikeout game, especially if it comes from someone with a pedigree. Perhaps LUIS SEVERINO is ready to make amends after a lost 2016 season. Give him a run against the White Sox next week.

Del Don: ROBERT GSELLMAN. He’s allowed 11 earned runs over his first 10.2 innings. But I considered Gsellman as a top-40 type starter before the season, and I see no reason to drop him much based on two starts. He has 13 strikeouts over the 10.2 innings, so I would treat him as one of the biggest “buy low” options out there.

DEEP DIVE: Which pitcher owned in 20 percent or less of Yahoo leagues offers the most fantasy intrigue?

Funston: CARTER CAPPS. I saw Behrens had Capps in this spot last week, and I’d like to second that vote. Capps is on a rehab assignment and should be back in the Padres’ fold soon. He’s got closer’s stuff and will make Brandon Maurer work to hold down that job.

Behrens: BRANDON McCARTHY is a quality starter (and a good dude) pitching for a team that’s going to win 95-plus games. What’s not to like? When healthy, he’s a totally useful fantasy asset.

Del Don: ZACH DAVIES. He sported a 135:38 K:BB ratio last year and is widely available because of a rough start in a small sample.

Pianowski: I can’t promise BRANDON MCCARTHY will stay healthy all year, but he’s a talented pitcher, in a big park, and supported by a stellar roster. Steer him from Colorado and maybe Arizona; enjoy the other stops on the schedule. He’s also the only athlete on Twitter that I can recommend following.

Follow the Yahoo crew on Twitter: Andy Behrens, Dalton Del Don, Brad Evans, Brandon Funston, Liz Loza and Scott Pianowski