Categorically Speaking is designed specifically for Rotisserie GM's. The information is great for all fantasy baseball formats, but for those of you who could use some help bolstering a specific roto category, this is for you. We're going to pay close attention to players who might be readily available on your waiver wire or who you might target in non-blockbuster trade talks.If you've got mashers on your fantasy baseball team like Chris Davis or Dan Uggla who only seem to be able to hit the ball 425-plus feet and not much else, you may be hurting in the batting average category. Here are four options who may be on your league's waiver wire to remedy that issue.
Juan Pierre, Dodgers - Forced into action when Manny Ramirez was suspended, Pierre is as hot as any hitter in big league baseball right now. He's batting .408 over the last month and has even swiped eight bases. His days are numbered as Ramirez will return on July 3rd, but you can surely grab him off of the waiver wire in your league and ride this lightning bolt while you can. He's only owned in 62% of fantasy leagues right now.
Freddy Sanchez, Pirates - Sanchez has 11 hits over his last five games and is currently hitting .326 on the season. He's not a big home run hitter with only four, but he has 17 doubles which has his slugging percentage up at .505. If your league uses that stat, Sanchez is extra delicious. He's currently owned in only 50% of fantasy leagues and is in the top-5 among second basemen for batting average with 100 or more at-bats.
Jason Kubel, Twins - You could pretty much have written it down in March. Kubel will hit in the low to mid .270's with 15 to 20 home runs. The home run prediction still looks spot-on, but what's Kubel doing batting .340 headed into June? There aren't dramatic changes in his strikeout and walk rates. And his ground ball, line drive, and fly ball numbers are somewhat normal too. He is, however, enjoying a 39.3% hit rate, which is way out of the norm. You can go ahead and grab Kubel off the waiver wire (he's only owned in 41% of fantasy leagues) but don't expect this good fortune at the plate to last all year.
Cristian Guzman, Nationals - The fact that Guzman is only owned in 44% of fantasy leagues amazes me. Hitting for a high batting average is nothing new to him. Last season he batted .316 over 579 at-bats and in 2009 he's raking at a .340 pace. Guzman doesn't steal much or do anything at all resembling power, but he'll bring your team's batting average up and score you a lot of runs.
