Waiver Wire: April 13th

Time to take a look and see who might be available in your leagues and could be worth adding to your squad.  It’s still real early, but there might be a few choice names out there that can help, whether it’s short term or long term.  Here’s a few to think about…

David Freese |3B|  Ownership:  ESPN – 45.4%  Yahoo – 34%

After a shaky start to the season, no doubt due to the lengthy time off with the ankle issues, Freese has started to heat up.  After Tuesday night’s game he is 8 for his last 16 with 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 runs scored and 3 straight multi-hit games.  Despite his strong ISO numbers in the minor leagues, he’s really just sitting on mid-level major league power.  Nothing phenomenal, but solid for your corner infield spot.  You will get a decent batting average and solid OBP from him though.  His K% is right about at league average and he could stand to draw a few more walks, but he’s heating up right now and will play every day.

Josh Willingham |OF|  Ownership:  ESPN – 15.8%  Yahoo – 20%

What you see is what you get with The Hammer.  You’re looking at 20 HR power with a mid-.260’s average and a solid OBP.  You’re also looking at a pretty substantial injury risk as he’s averaged just 116 games/yr over the last 3 seasons.  Usually, it’s the cranky back to blame.  But when Willingham is healthy and in the lineup, he’s putting up solid power totals for your squad.  Great BB%, average K%, solid ISO, and a wOBA that is well above the league average.  The trick with him is to get him right now, maintain a serviceable backup, and ride him until he breaks…which could always be sooner than later, so you might as well take advantage of his totals now.

Chris Narveson |SP, RP|  Ownership:  ESPN – 23%  Yahoo – 34%

While all the attention is on the top 3 starters in Milwaukee, Narveson is quietly off to a tremendous start this season.  He’s thrown 13 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts allowing just nine hits and four walks in total and looked much more in control in his second outing.  Though not overpowering, Narveson mixes it up nicely from his 4 pitch arsenal.  His fastball sits in the high 80’s and is well complemented by an 80 mph changeup.  He also throws a nice slow-rolling curve and will occasionally catch hitters off guard with a slider, though he doesn’t throw that nearly as often.  He could conceivably maintain a K/9 somewhere around 8 and look slike he’s on th eright path to reducin ghis walk rate as well.  His FIP and xFIP from 2010 indicate that he was a better pitcher than the 4.99 ERA shows, and if the improvements we see right now continue, then he could have some solid mixed league value.  And let’s not forget the added bonus of RP eligibility…