Opening Day kicked off Sunday… or Monday, depending on your definition of Opening Day. With it, the seemingly never ending obsessive-compulsive hobby known as fantasy baseball also kicked off this week. With MLB being a game-to-game, day-to-day proposition, we’ll keep you on top of potential waiver wire pickups that might be under your radar. Today we look at three second baseman owned in 50% or fewer of Yahoo! leagues (with one at fewer than 10%) worth consideration. It’s the first week of the season, so you shouldn’t be desperate enough to rush out and get any of these guys right away. Instead, consider these more names to monitor.
[Jeff]
Steve Pearce, Toronto (15% owned)
A few years ago, Pearce was a hot fantasy baseball commodity. Fast forward to today, and a position change and a team change have him off of most fantasy radars. However, he has the same skills and multi-position eligibility in the potent Blue Jays offense. It’s an extremely small sample size, but he started off the season well, going 3/5 in Toronto’s opener.
Joe Panik, San Francisco (12% owned)
A concussion derailed Panik’s 2016 campaign, but he was exceptional at the plate last season. He was one of two players who had more walks than strikeouts in 2016 (with Ben Zobrist). He’s destined to be this year’s D.J. LeMahieu, a guy who does a little bit of everything with a high batting average. He won’t blow you out of the water, but he is going to be provide enough solid production to be a glue guy for your lineup.
Cesar Hernandez, Philadelphia (9% owned)
Hernandez swung at everything to begin the year, right up until he became one of the most patient hitters in baseball. He’s going to get you a decently high average with little-to-no pop but with nice speed. He’ll contribute well enough to be a MI in deeper leagues. He was thrown out on just under half of his steal attempts last year. If he learns when to steal and doesn’t give himself up, he could steal 25 bags. That is, if he keeps his good plate discipline and his high average. Don’t go out and snag him already, just keep an eye on Hernandez. He’s mostly glove and is nowhere near patient enough at the plate.