Gordon Beckham & Ben Revere: Waiver Wire

by
September 24, 2012

It’s the final full week of the regular season, which means it’s championship week for a whole lotta fantasy leagues out there. Here are two positions players — one infielder, one outfielder — who could help put you over the top…

Gordon Beckham | 2B | White Sox | Owned: 12% Yahoo!

Beckham, 26, has been a colossal disappointment since the ChiSox selected him with the eighth overall pick in 2008, producing just an 84 wRC+ in over 2,000 career plate appearances. I suppose the good news is that time is on his side though, since he (theoretically) has yet to reach his peak years.

Anyway, Beckham has actually been quite productive with the bat for the last month or so, putting together a .303/.389/.505 batting line with five homers and nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (16) in his last 116 PA. The narrative I’ve heard is that moving to the bottom of the order upon the arrival of Kevin Youkilis sparked his bat, but the timetables really don’t line up. Beckham has shown these types of flashes before, that one great month that makes you think (hope?) he’s finally figuring it out. If you’re down a second baseman, maybe due to Dustin Ackley’s sore neck, the best available solution might be the first round bust on the south side.

Ben Revere | OF | Twins | Owned: 34% Yahoo!

Minnesota has a surprisingly good offense, mostly thanks to dynamic Joe Mauer (world’s quietest 142 wRC+) and Josh Willingham (also 142 wRC+) in the middle of the order. They’ve also gotten a big boost from the 24-year-old Revere, who has put up a 96 wRC+ this season after mustering a 77 mark a year ago. He’s assumed the right field job on an everyday basis while also filling in at center during Denard Span’s various injuries.

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Revere is a classic fantasy speedster who hits for average, swipes some bases, and does little else (fantasy-wise). He’s hit .293 across 514 plate appearances this season, thanks to a .322 BABIP that is right in line with what you’d expect from a player with his skillset. His 66.0% ground ball rate is the highest in baseball among qualified batters (it’s not all that close either) and actually down from the 68.0%+ he averaged in his first two years as a big leaguer. Revere has stolen 38 bases in 45 attempts (84.4%) and is a good bet to grab a handful more this week because the Yankees (their opponent for the next three days) are one of the worst teams in the league at controlling the running game.





 

Mike writes about the Yankees at River Ave. Blues and baseball in general at CBS Sports.

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