Chris Parmelee & John Mayberry: Deep League Wire

As long as you don’t own the player heading to the disable list, injuries could be a good thing. They open up opportunities for others and provide the chance for increased playing time. That is the theme of today’s deep league waiver wire. Even better, both these men have dual eligibility at both first base and outfield. Jackpot!

Chris Parmelee | MIN 1B, OF | 7% Owned

With a group that included Josh Willingham, Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Ryan Doumit and Parmelee between the three outfield spots and designated hitter, there wasn’t a guarantee spot in the everyday lineup for the latter. But a knee injury to Willingham that led to surgery should keep him out until sometime in August. As long as the Twins don’t continue to be silly by playing Clete Thomas, then Parmelee should receive near everyday at-bats.

Of course, I would be lying if I didn’t say that Parmelee has been a bit of a disappointment this season. Those his minor league power wasn’t overwhelming, he did enjoy a breakout at Triple-A last year that hinted at big things to come. Unfortunately, his HR/FB rate sits around the league average, while his ISO is barely above it. One problem is that Target Field kills left-handed home runs. Not surprisingly, his ISO is nearly double in away ballparks, while his HR/FB rate is more than double. His average home run + fly ball distance also doesn’t offer optimism for much more power than he has shown. But, his BABIP should rise a bit given a solid batted ball profile and increased playing time should boost all his counting stats.

John Mayberry | PHI 1B, OF | 5% Owned

Ryan Howard’s knee injury will keep him out until late August to early September, freeing up at-bats for several Phillies. The most obvious beneficiary is recent call-up Darin Ruf, but he is owned in 11% of CBS leagues, so he just missed the cutoff. But Mayberry also has some first base experience and Ruf posted a disappointing .339 wOBA at Triple-A this year as a 26-year-old. So Mayberry could see a significant increase in at-bats, whether it’s facing lefties as an OFer or starting at first versus right-handers if Ruf doesn’t cut it.

Mayberry has excellent power, as he sports a career ISO of .192, while the speed he showed back in 2011 has returned. If you extrapolate his numbers over around 550 at-bats, you’re left with about 18 homers and 15 steals. That kind of power/speed combination is rarely available in the free agent pool. Unfortunately, he’s not going to hit for average given his penchant for popups, but with a .253 career mark, he won’t kill you. And sometimes that’s all you care about when adding someone as a temporary fill-in for your injury ravaged team.