Juan Uribe, Todd Helton and Omar Infante: Waiver Wire

In today’s edition of the Waiver Wire, we look at three players who have all been around awhile.

Juan Uribe | 53% Owned (Y!) | 53% Owned (ESPN)
While Uribe isn’t exactly a stud, he does have value in all fantasy leagues. Uribe is eligible at every infield position other than first base, and while his batting average will end up hurting you, his power translates well to the middle infield. Over the past two weeks, Uribe has hit three homers while lowering his swinging-strike rate significantly. His swinging-strike percentage is now the lowest it’s been since 2008, and is more like the rates he posted from 2003-2008, before he made the switch to the National League. In even better news, Uribe’s LD% is above 20%, up over 5% from last year. If Uribe can somehow hit .260, he’s a great option if you need some insurance in the infield, or if you simply need a starter with some pop.

Todd Helton | 12% | 19%
Helton has done two things well in an effort to rectify a terrible 2010. First, he’s decided that striking out is illegal and punishable by death. The 37-year old first baseman is having his second best season in the FanGraphs era when it comes to making contact, allowing him to reach base at a higher rate even if his BABIP dips. Second, Helton is hitting with more pop than he did last season. Helton hit only eighteen doubles last year, and he has already smacked seven doubles this year. Helton also has three homers thus far, though two of them were in one game. It looks like Helton could be back to his old tricks, so don’t be afraid to pick him up if you need a batting average bump.

Omar Infante | 44% | 40%
While Uribe has considerably more power than Infante, they still could have about the same overall value to your fantasy team. Infante is just as versatile as Uribe, but has a completely different stat profile. Infante should hit for a relatively high average if he can keep his line drive rate up, and while he won’t give you many homers or steals, he could score some runs. If you need a safer option, Infante is your man.