Charlie Blackmon: Deep League Waiver Wire

Today’s look at the Deep League Waiver Wire could be very well be construed as sacrilege.

Charlie Blackmon | 0% Owned (Y!) | 1% Owned (ESPN)
While our very own Carson Cistulli is very high on Charlie Blackmon and probably owns him in every league imaginable, it doesn’t mean you should copy him and do what he does. Frankly, you should do the opposite, most of the time.

To my knowledge, Blackmon progressed through the minors unnoticed by 99.9% of fantasy owners, and there may have been a good reason. Blackmon entered the Rockies minor league system after being drafted in 2008, and he immediately showed most of the same skill set we are expecting to see from him in the majors. Those skills, while somewhat impressive, don’t carry a whole of lot of flash and have led to Blackmon flying under the radar. Throughout his minor league career, Blackmon has kept his strikeout rate to a minimum, allowing him to consistently hit .300 or better. The outfielder also stole his fair share of bases, even if his success rate was generally underwhelming. In terms of power, Blackmon started flashing some boom-boom during last year’s stint in AA, and he continued hitting homers in Triple-A this season. Overall, Blackmon’s minor league career looked okay, but he failed to show any overly impressive skill outside of his batting average.

He doesn’t project to be ownable in standard leagues, but if you’re in a deep league, Blackmon’s worth a waiver claim due to the lineup and ballpark he plays in. His minor league run may have been undervalued, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be a stud in the majors.

I had to think long and hard about writing this bit on Blackmon, because it does not show him in the most positive light and Cistulli scares the crap out of me.

Carlos Peguero | 1% | 0%
Let me make it clear that I am not a fan of Carlos Peguero the major league player; not in the least. I am a fan, however, of the power potential he’s shown and what it could mean for his fantasy value in the future if the Mariners are willing to live with his defense in left field. Peguero’s OBP is going to be quite bad, but he has a slugging percentage around .500 despite a strikeout rate north of 30%. His swing may have many holes, but if the big man makes contact, that ball is going to fly. If you’re in anything shallower than a dynasty league, don’t even bother. In fact, you probably shouldn’t bother even if you are in a dynasty league.