Outfield of Dreams. Building a Fantasy Baseball Outfield from the Waiver Wire

It is pretty tough to compete in your fantasy baseball league without a strong crop of outfielders who are performing at a reasonably high level. The best part about the outfield position on your roster is that it enables you to put together a nice balance of home runs, stolen bases and batting average. You can mix-and-match your way to success in multiple categories. The key is to identify your needs and address them through trades or the waiver wire.

Each fantasy baseball league is governed by its own set of rules and regulations. Some require you to roster 3 outfielders, regardless of which position in the outfield they actually patrol defensively. Other fantasy baseball leagues require one each of a left fielder, center fielder and right fielder. Others still require more than 3 outfield slots. Regardless of the rules in your fantasy baseball league, putting together a well-balanced outfield is often a key ingredient to success.

Depending on the depth of your league, you may be able to address a few of your fantasy outfield needs from the waiver wire. Let’s take a look at some players available in the majority of fantasy baseball leagues that may help you out in certain categories:

 

Josh Willingham (OAK) – Position: LF Availability: 90%

Health has been an issue in the past for Willingham but when he’s in the line-up, he delivers as his 8 HR and 31 RBI in 47 GP will attest. Oakland’s leading slugger in 2010 was Kevin Kouzmanoff (16 HR), so the Athletics need Willingham in their line-up as much as you do.

Offers Help With: HR, RBI

Brandon Belt (SF) – Position: LF Availability: 95%

Recently recalled from Fresno where he was raking Triple-A pitching, don’t let that .192 BA from his big league stint in April scare you too much. Although he does not qualify in the OF yet, he will soon enough as he will get the bulk of his playing time in LF. The only impediments to his playing time in LF are his bat and Pat Burrell. Since Burrell is perhaps the worst defensive player in the Majors, as long as Belt hits, he plays.

Offers Help With: HR, RBI

 

Corey Patterson (TOR) – Position: LF/CF Availability: 85%

Called upon to patrol CF when Rajai Davis went down with an ankle injury, Patterson has played himself into a starting role. With Davis back in CF, Patterson has moved over to LF and continues to produce. A 5-for-7 performance including a 14th inning walk-off HR against the White Sox on May 28th sure didn’t hurt his cause either.

Offers Help With: R, SB

Jason Bourgeois (HOU) – Position: LF Availability: 85%

Currently on rehab assignment after landing on the DL with a strained oblique, Bourgeois may be one to keep an eye on. He was 2nd in the NL in base stealing when he injured himself on May 7th.

Offers Help With: SB, RBI

Laynce Nix (WAS) – Position: LF Availability: 80%

Used almost exclusively against RHP, Nix has delivered. Although he isn’t likely to maintain the .308 AVG (career BA is only .248), however the pop seems legit (7 HR, 20 RBI in 111 AB).

Offers Help With: HR, RBI

Nyjer Morgan (MIL) – Position: CF Availability: 95%

Morgan recently returned to the Brewers line-up after 2 stints on the DL (quad, broken finger) and figures to get the majority of starts against right-handed pitchers. Since he is hitting RHP to the tune of .414 on the season, this is one platoon player that you can use to your advantage.

Offers Help With: SB, AVG, R

Carlos Gomez (MIL) – Position: CF Availability: 90%

Gomez’ struggles against RHP may mean a platoon with Nyjer Morgan in CF for the Brewers but that is not necessarily a bad thing. As I mentioned in a previous post about platoon players and left/right matchups, moving players in and out of your line-up based on split stats can be very productive.

Offers Help With: SB, R

 

Garret  Jones (PIT) – Position: RF Availability: 65%

Although Jones usually sits against lefties (a .216 AVG vs. LHP since 2008 will have that affect),he is a decent play against RHP, delivering an impressive BA and showing some pop. For what it’s worth, Jones entered 2011 having led the Pirates in HR for 2 straight seasons.

Offers Help With: HR