Nyjer Morgan and Chris Getz: Waiver Wire Fill-ins

Maybe it’s just me and the fact that my fantasy teams are being decimated with injuries, but do there seem to be a lot more than usual?  Obviously, when you lose a player for an extended period of time it can be a nightmare trying to find similar production.  But if you’re just losing a guy for a two week stretch and need a temporary stopgap to hold you over, then there’s still help to be found.  Here are a pair of guys that seem to be available in a number of leagues and are likely to help you out on a short term basis.

Nyjer Morgan |OF|  Ownership:  ESPN – 19.6%  Yahoo – 16%

OK, before I say anything else, I just want it on the record that I am NOT a Morgan fan and there’s a little piece of me that is dying inside for even recommending him or saying anything positive.   I dunno.  I feel like he’s Milton Bradley Lite.  But fantasy baseball is like a business and, as such, you have to just put personal feelings aside and do what’s best for your team, no matter what.  Using Morgan right now is that “no matter what.”

Since coming back from injury he suffered in early May, Morgan has actually been an fairly productive outfielder.  He came off the DL and immediately knocked Carlos Gomez back to bench duty and now plays roughly 5 out of every6 games.  During the month of June, he hit .308 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, 14 runs scored and 3 stolen bases and already in July, he’s hitting .375 with another home run, and another 4 in each the RBI and runs scored column.  He’s definitely being supported by an outrageous .394 BABIP which should drop, but not as much as you’d think since Morgan has always had a BABIP near .350 for most of his career.  Again though, we’re talking short run here, and Morgan could fit perfectly if you’ve got an outfielder on the DL or just slumping real hard.  He’s a solid contact hitter (83.8%) with good speed, a little bit of pop, and definitely on a run right now worth using.

Chris Getz |2B|  Ownership:  ESPN – 9.2%  Yahoo – 5%

Whether anyone else believes in this guy is irrelevant, so long as Ned Yost does, right?  When it comes to needing a replacement in the middle infield, it’s always nice to grab a guy who plays every day and can be somewhat productive.  Nothing crazy, but somewhat productive.  Getz’ numbers might not be the flashiest, but with 14 stolen bases he becomes a little more attractive as a temporary fill-in.  There’s really nothing standing out in his numbers that indicates either a huge breakout or a massive decline, so it seems relatively safe to assume that, so long as he’s playing regularly, he should probably put up numbers similar to his ZiPS RoS projections.  What I do see that I like is the fact that he has a 91.4% contact rate.  If his BABIP creeps a little closer towards .300, then he could stir things up a bit — maybe get on base more — maybe steal a few extra bases…?  Again, nothing huge, but just enough to get you by in a time of need.