Colvin and DeJesus: Better Than a Poke in the Eye

Let’s face it.  Sifting through the waiver wire at this point can be an exercise in futility.  I mean, if the guy is just sitting out there waiting to be snatched up by anyone desperate enough to have to employ his services for the final month of the season, how good can he really be? There is no “long term” anymore, so it’s time to turn that roster spot into a revolving door and start playing the hot bat.  They’re certainly not the be-all, end-all, but here are two that just might be of service for the home stretch.

Tyler Colvin, COL  |1B, OF|  Ownership:  ESPN – 15.7%  Yahoo – 16.0%

Colvin was already seeing the majority of playing time here in the month of August, but now with Michael Cuddyer likely done for the season and Eric Young, Jr. hitting the disabled list, he’s a virtual lock for every day at-bats.  And the fact that he’s swinging a hot bat right now only helps his case for a waiver claim.  Through 17 games this month, Colvin is batting .368 with nine runs scored, one home run, 11 RBI and a pair of stolen bases.  His walk rate is up, his strikeouts are down and the .435 BABIP certainly isn’t hurting anyone but the pitchers he’s facing.  Will he continue to hit this well?  Well, if he could sustain that kind of production throughout a season he wouldn’t be available now, would he?  But you just need him to hang on for a little while longer to help give you a nice late-season boost.  Take advantage of it while you can and if he starts to slow down, then drop him like a hot rock and move onto the next.

David DeJesus, CHC  |OF|  Ownership:  ESPN – 9.1%  Yahoo – 7.0%

Talk about built for the short run; DeJesus is the perfect example of a guy you want for just a few weeks while he’s hot and then send him back to the bench in favor of the next flavor of the month.  He doesn’t have much in the way of power and he certainly isn’t someone you’re picking up for a big speed burst either.  But right now DeJesus is playing with a bit of rejuvenated vigor that can only be attributed to the fact that he’s trying not to look like the old man in a sea of rookies that the Cubs have turned to in their meaningless final months of the year.  Save for the overblown 17.6% HR/FB, his numbers look very similar to what they were back in May, so he is capable of having a strong month here without everyone thinking that he’s going to completely tank it over the next two weeks.  If your last outfielder is stinking up the joint, then throw DeJesus in there for a quick change of pace.  The Cubs are running him out there each and every game and are giving him the opportunity to finish the season on a positive note. He’s not going to win you your league, but he certainly won’t help accelerate you losing it.