Brad Miller and Chris Getz: MI Waiver Wire Help

Let’s face it, even in leagues of 10 to 12 teams, the waiver wire is looking pretty bleak. Every once in a while you get to fight for some hit, young rookie like we all did for Christian Yelich the other day, but beyond that, it’s about fill-ins and stopgaps as opposed to long-term solutions. The middle infield is particularly ugly on this front so you have to dig deep. You still won’t find that perfect guy you’re looking for, but you might find someone who will stick for the duration of the season such as…

Brad Miller, SEA |SS| Ownership: ESPN – 20.9%  Yahoo – 13.0%  CBS – 40.0%

It only took the Mariners a couple of years, but they finally rid themselves of Brendan Ryan at shortstop and found a fairly stable replacement in Miller. I won’t sit here and try to make Miller into something that he isn’t, but if you’re in need of some middle infield help, particularly in an AL-only league, then at least he’s going to play regularly and won’t kill you in batting average. And if you don’t use batting average and use on-base percentage instead, well then he’s actually an even better fill-in than originally thought. Miller does have a little bit of power and could hit you a few home runs along the way, but with a 12-percent walk rate and a strikeout rate under 20-percent, his biggest asset is his ability to get on base and score runs. Currently he has a .337 OBP and the Mariners have him batting in the leadoff spot where he actually has a slash line of .262/.357/.475 in 61 at-bats this season. The sample size is small and the numbers are by no means eye-popping, but he’s just 23-years old and in his first major league stint. With a full opportunity here, he is definitely capable of improving.

Chris Getz, KC |2B|  Ownership: ESPN – 0.6%  Yahoo – 1.0%  CBS – 3.0%

Getz is one of those guys we’ve seen for a few years now and has left us fairly unimpressed. But with the Royals second base situation looking so darn awful, Getz looks like he’ll play regularly for the duration of the season unless something cataclysmic happens in Kansas City. He’ll give way, at times, to Elliot Johnson and even Miguel Tejada, but if the Royals play six games in a week, Getz should be the starter for four or five of them. With a career slash line of .252/.310/.312, we have a pretty good idea as to what Getz is all about, but from 2009 through 2011, he also averaged just over 20 stolen bases per year, so he is capable of contributing to your fantasy needs. He just missed two games with a slight knee sprain and returned to the lineup Tuesday to steal two bases and he now has four over his last three games. He’ll see nearly all of his time at the bottom of the lineup, so runs scored might not be too abundant either, but he does appear to have the green light once he finds his way on-base. If he can find his way to 12 or 15 steals here in the second half, then he’ll be a serious help to you in the category and to your overall place in the standings.