Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images. Pictured: Jesus Aguilar.
I was listening to the “Bernstein and Rahimi Show” in Chicago when Dan Bernstein gave an interesting and scary fact about this season.
As of May 6, a 2021 baseball game averaged 7.75 hits per game. The average has not been below eight since 1909. Some of the players that will appear below this season will not have the prettiest slash lines ever, but we are experiencing one of the biggest offensive outages in baseball history.
Now that you know you are witnessing history, time for some waiver adds. Have other questions regarding roster construction? Find me on Twitter at @_jeff_hicks_.
Pick Them Up
Jesus Aguilar — 1B, Miami Marlins
Yahoo: 72%, ESPN: 76%
Aguilar is second in RBIs and top-10 in slugging after starting the season in a power slump. There is only a 10-point gap between his BABIP and batting average. His adding window is about to close.
Adam Frazier — 2B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Yahoo: 39%, ESPN: 79%
MLB is experiencing its lowest hitting output in decades, so adding Frazier helps. He has rebounded from his odd 2020 season and is batting .299 while contributing three stolen bases and 14 extra-base hits.
Asdrubal Cabrera — 1B/2B/3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Yahoo: 30%, ESPN: 30%
Cabrera is 35 and posting a 134 Weighted Runs Created Plus.
If he maintains his pace, it will be his fourth at age 30 or older. Arizona, as a team, possesses the ninth-best offensive WAR in baseball, and Cabrera is firmly entrenched in the middle of the Diamondbacks’ lineup.
Omar Narvaez — C, Milwaukee Brewers
Yahoo: 39%, ESPN: 29%
Narvaez has been activated from the 10-day IL and should be added to your fantasy rosters.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. — 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Yahoo: 77%, ESPN: 62%
Chisholm is on a rehab assignment and will rejoin the Marlins in short order. If he was dropped, snag him before your league mates see he is back.
Worth A Look
Tyler Naquin — OF, Cincinnati Reds
Yahoo: 59%, ESPN: 69%
Run production has slowed from his hot start, but Tyler Naquin is still hitting.
His walks are up and his strikeouts are down while improving his batting average from near the Mendoza line to .260. If he keeps hitting, the production and at-bats will be there for Naquin.
It’s good to be proven a little wrong about him.
Robbie Grossman — OF, Detroit Tigers
Yahoo: 25%, ESPN: 26%
Adding Grossman hurt the short-term value of players such as Victor Reyes, but the well-traveled veteran has done well hitting leadoff for Detroit.
His 33:26 strikeout-to-walk ratio is what you want from the top of the lineup, even if the Ks are excessive. Add in 10 extra-base hits and seven stolen bases, and he is solid depth that sees guaranteed at-bats.
Josh Rojas — 2B/SS/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Yahoo: 71%, ESPN: 64%
Rojas does not have a home run or RBI since May 4, but over that time, he has 10 hits, six runs, one stolen base, and three multi-hit games.
The consistent contributions being spread throughout his stat line plays, along with his position availability, makes him extremely useful.
Jorge Polanco — 2B/SS, Minnesota Twins
Yahoo: 48%, ESPN: 55%
Jorge Polanco was bad last season and is on pace to exceed his walk, run, home run, and RBI totals from 2020 in 15 or so fewer games. Minnesota will take anything from any batter after a suboptimal start to this season.
Short-Term Solutions
Pavin Smith — 1B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Yahoo: 18%, ESPN: 35%
A .740 OPS from a corner infielder is not ideal, but the concern for him is with his walks. He only has two more than 2020 in 93 more at-bats. He continues to perform well enough, but the return of Christian Walker takes away a good amount of opportunity for Smith.
Freddy Galvis — 2B/SS, Baltimore Orioles
Yahoo: 10%, ESPN: 15%
Twos are wild for the veteran this week. He logged two hits, two runs, two RBI’s, and two walks in 11 plate appearances. Twelve of his 29 hits have gone for extra bases.
Andrew McCutchen — OF, Philadelphia Phillies
Yahoo: 63%, ESPN: 76%
The former NL MVP is riding a five-game run and walks streak. He has six hits, one homer, three RBI’s, and one stolen base over that stretch.
I love Andrew McCutchen, but he is a streaky hitter at this point of his career and can only be trusted as a fantasy fill-in who can be sabotage-dropped when he goes through his slumps.
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I Am Skeptical
Cedric Mullins II — OF, Baltimore Orioles
Yahoo: 79%, ESPN: 92%
Fantasy baseball players have caught onto the best stretch of Mullins’ stretch career.
I dig him as a player, but the power that he is currently supplying is going to run out of juice. He has crushed his career-highs in home runs, average, on-base, and slugging percentages.
Mullins, as a general hitter and base stealer, is what you should expect going forward. I would look for supplemental power elsewhere if you are on the fence for expectations of the 26-year-old.
Brandon Crawford — SS, San Francisco Giants
Yahoo: 23%, ESPN: 20%
I enjoy watching Brandon Crawford play as much as any non-Giants fan. I also know that his power surge is unsustainable.
He has topped 14 home runs once in his career: 2015.
Crawford has only two doubles this season, which is where I expect most of his slugging stats to land going forward. He is rarely known for hitting above .250, and his current.797 OPS would be the highest of his career.
Crawford’s durability and ability to log 500-plus at-bats per season is something that will keep him on my fantasy radar in case my middle infielders get caught up with injuries or COVID-19.