Chris Carter and Matt Joyce: Waiver Wire

When making waiver wire moves at this point in the year, you like to have some sort of comforting reassurance that you know what you’re getting when you pick a guy up. With all the unproven commodities arriving in September, sifting through the names can be aggravating at times because you aren’t quite sure how they’ll perform or how much playing time they’ll even get. That’s why I like to stick with what I know and one of the things I know is that you’re simply not going to find that five-tool fantasy dreamboat that you and everyone else craves. Could you catch lightning in a bottle with a random pick-up? Sure. But your odds of that are probably as good as hitting a lotto jackpot and being able to move out of your mom’s basement and into a command center of your own. Most players that you find available right now have some sort of flaw but are more than capable of contributing in some fashion because they are seeing consistent playing time and have proven where they are most capable. Like these, for example…

Chris Carter, HOU |1B, OF| Ownership: ESPN – 33.3%  Yahoo – 24.0%

Sure, the batting average totally stinks. He’s hitting .216 on the year with a ridiculous 37.4-percent strikeout rate; something no one wants sitting on their team all year. But Carter’s all-or-nothing style has produced 25 home runs to date with 69 RBI and he is a relative staple in the Astros lineup. We usually train ourselves to ignore those with massive batting average struggles and high strikeout rates because of how it drags down the rest of our team, but with basically one month to go in the season, you have to realize that adding Carter to your lineup isn’t going to destroy you in that category simply because of the sheer number of at-bats your team has already accrued. One month from Carter is a drop in the bucket when it comes to average, but his four home runs and 15 RBI he’s produced in the last two weeks isn’t. He’s tallied at least four home runs with double-digit RBI every month this year with a bit of a power surge here in August. In looking ahead, the majority of the Astros schedule is filled with opponents who will be auditioning unproven hurlers and for some of the series against playoff contenders, he gets the benefit of playing in places like Arlington and Progressive Field. Don’t sweat the rates so much right now. Take the power where you can.

Matt Joyce, TB |OF|  Ownership: ESPN – 32.0%  Yahoo – 20.0%

OK, so the guy can’t hit lefties. Boo hoo. But in his “limited’ amount of playing time over the last two weeks, he’s managed to smack three home runs with eight RBI, 10 runs scored and bat .378 in the process. Sorry, but I’d much rather add that to my outfield than suffer through the garbage that full-timers like Logan Morrison or Ichiro Suzuki are bringing to the table right now. Joyce is batting .274 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI against right-handed pitching and beginning today, the Rays are facing 14 right-handed starters over their next 18 games. You have to want to take advantage of that. I mean, look at his other numbers — 13-percent walk rate with just a 17.3-percent strikeout rate, .370 OBP, .860 OPS, .216 ISO, 22.9-percent line drive rate, 14.9-percent HR/FB. That’s all against right-handed pitching. If I know I’m going to see something close to that level of production over the next 18 games, you’re damn right I’m picking that up and using it. Don’t let the fact that he’s a platoon player shake your confidence. With the way he’s been hitting in August and with what’s on tap for the future, he’s going to be in there a lot more than he isn’t. Enjoy.