Brian Dozier & Gregor Blanco: Deep League Waiver Wire

It’s Wednesday, or “hump day”, as the cool kids say, so you know what that means, right? Time to feel sorry for all you deep leaguers out there. The funny part about writing this weekly column is that I am reminded how crazy deep mixed and Only leagues are. When you get excited about picking up the players I highlight, you know your league is deep. So who looks tastiest one the free agent buffet?

Brian Dozier | MIN SS | 9% Owned

Dozier was recalled about a week ago to act as the Twins starting shortstop, pushing Jamey Carroll into the utility role he belongs in. The 25-year old is not much of a prospect offensively speaking, but he may do just enough of everything to generate some value. He has typically made pretty good contact throughout the minors, though his strikeout rate has risen as he has climbed the ladder. Since his BABIPs have also been above league average, he may actually be a slight positive in batting average. And he has shown above average patience at the plate, so he isn’t a terrible choice to bat lead-off. He also has a bit of pop, but that will likely only lead to 5-10 homers, given a full season of at-bats. Last, he possesses above average speed, as he stole 28 bases last year and two during his short time at Triple-A this season.

Obviously, playing on a Twins offense that has scored the third fewest runs in baseball will result in RBI and runs scored opportunities that aren’t very impressive. But we’re also talking about a middle infielder here, so the bar isn’t very high. The bottom line is he shouldn’t kill you in any category and will be a decent all around contributor getting everyday at-bats.

Gregor Blanco | SF OF | 1% Owned

Blanco is apparently the new Giants starting right fielder and lead-off man. At age 28, he has only once eclipsed the 300 at-bat mark, and that was back in 2008 with the Braves. He sports excellent plate patience, as he has posted a career 12.9% BB%, though that comes with a K% right around the league average, which is too high for someone with no power. Because of his less than desirable contact skills, even a career .328 BABIP has only led to a .260 batting average. So, he is unlikely to contribute in that category. That leaves us with speed, which is his primary fantasy asset. He stole 24 bases over just 252 plate appearances in the minors last year, while he has swiped 29 bases during his Major League career. With a solid career on base percentage of .359 and speed while hitting atop the order, he should be a decent two-category contributor.