Week 2 is in the books and with it comes another addition of Waiver Flavor where I will take a look at a trio of third basemen who could be well on their way to career years as well as the top performing players at each other position that are likely still on the waiver wire and preview their upcoming matchups

Let’s get started!

Catcher

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Det - The injury to James McCann has opened the door for Salty to get some consistent playing time and he’s taken full advantage of this opportunity by hitting .263 with three runs, three home runs and seven RBI over the last seven games.  The power has always been there for Saltalamacchia which saw him hit a career high 25 home runs in 2012 for the Red Sox over 121 games and nine home runs last season over 200 at bats for the Diamondbacks and Marlins.  McCann is dealing with just an ankle sprain so he doesn’t figure to be out much longer, but with home runs in consecutive games for Salty and a solid lineup around him, you could do much worse at the catcher position for the time being.  The Tigers have matchups against the Royals and Indians this week who are generally known for having strong staffs, but also boast plenty of fastball pitchers which is a pitch Salty has no problem hitting.

Miguel Montero, CHC - Montero will see the majority of the playing time at catcher with Kyle Schwarber on the DL for the year and David Ross only catching when Jon Lester is on the mound.  The playing time is key given the offense around Montero in the lineup as well the fact that he is a lock for 15 home runs and a relatively solid average for the position.  Over the last seven days Montero is hitting .286 with five runs, one RBI and an OPS of .730. The Cubs are finishing up a series with the Cardinals and then head to Cincinnati which is a favorable hitter’s park and should provide opportunities for Montero to drive in runs.  He will face Jaime Garcia on Tuesday in which he is 2-for-2 with a home run in his career against.

Tony Wolters, Col - Wolters is getting the start at catcher with Nick Hundley on the DL with a concussion.  Wolters offers something to fantasy owners that most catchers don’t which is stolen base ability.  Over the last seven days Wolters is hitting .286 with two runs, one RBI and three stolen bases.  The three stolen bases do tie the most bases he has stolen over the past few years in the minors but in 2011 he did swipe 19 bases in Single-A.  Given that he plays his home games at Coors and the lineup around him there is certainly some upside here while he is getting in the lineup on a consistent basis.

First Base

John Jaso, PIT - Jaso has earned the starting first base job in Pittsburgh and over the last seven days he is hitting .400 with two runs, one RBI and an OPS of .928.  Throughout his career Jaso has been a solid player who has always found himself in a platoon behind the plate but when given the playing time he owns a career batting average of .265, an OBP of .363 and an OPS of .897.  The Pirates will limit Jaso’s at-bats against lefties but over the last three years he has hit .278 with an OPS of .807 against righties.  The Pirates are on the road this week with games against the Padres and Diamondbacks before heading to Colorado to start next week. While San Diego is far from a hitter’s paradise the next two matchups should give him plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.

Mitch Moreland, TEX - The Rangers are playing Moreland primarily against righties which is the smart play given his career splits against lefties.  While his numbers on the season are far from overwhelming he does have a three-game hitting streak going which he is 4-for-12 with three runs, one home runs and three RBI.  The sample size is small and it was against a less than impressive Orioles rotation, but this is still a player that hit 23 home runs with 85 RBI last season so the upside should be there and he could be hitting his stride.  The Rangers face the Astros and White Sox this week which could pose a tough test for Moreland, especially against the White Sox who have four lefties on their staff.

Brandon Moss, STL - Fantasy owners know that with Moss the batting average will be a killer but over the last seven days he hit three home runs with five runs and six RBI so while the .222 average over that span is less than ideal his production makes up for it.  The Cardinals offense is firing on all cylinders right now and Moss figures to get the majority of playing time against righties so for owners in need of cheap power on a good offense Moss is the man to grab.  The Cardinals finish up a series against the Cubs before heading on the road to face the Padres who have less than impressive pitching staffs.

Second Base

Omar Infante, KC-  Infante is far from an exciting player to own but at a position in second base that is relatively shallow he has proven during his prime years to be a reliable on base guy who can hit for a solid average.  Since coming to the Royals in 2014 he has struggled but for now he is healthy and hitting .350 with three runs and an OPS of .881 over the last seven days.  The Royals have matchups against the Tigers and Orioles this upcoming week whose pitching staffs have not been overly impressive to start the season.

Brandon Phillips, CIN - The Reds have Phillips hitting cleanup in an offense that should be much better as the season goes along.  Phillips has collected hits in all but two games this year and is hitting .268 with six runs, one home run, six RBI and two stolen bases on the season.  The Reds have home matchups against the Rockies and Cubs this week.

Enrique Hernandez, LAD - Hernandez has been one of the hottest adds over the past week after he tormented Madison Bumgarner for two home runs and four RBI last Friday.  On the season Hernandez is hitting .400 with five runs, two home runs and eight RBI. The Dodgers will continue to give him playing time and have him hit leadoff when a southpaw is on the mound which gives him greater value in daily leagues and seasonal leagues where you can make daily changes.  The Dodgers are on the road this week against the Braves and then to Colorado where plenty of runs figure to be scored.

Third Base

Travis Shaw, Bos - Shaw finally has third base eligibility in all formats so he lands here rather than first base like in weeks past.  Over the past seven days Shaw is hitting .400 with two runs, one home run, six RBI and an OPS of 1.178. Of course this should be no real surprising seeing as Boston is on a 10-game home stand and Shaw hit .319 with an OPS of .952 at Fenway Park last season.  Boston begins a three-game home series against the Rays on Tuesday before heading back on the road against the Astros and Braves.

Nick Castellanos, Det - Castellanos is on fire for the Tigers right now, hitting .360 with four runs, one home run, five RBI and an OPS of .920 over the last seven days.  On the season the 24-year-old is hitting .357 with seven runs, two home runs and eight RBI.  In a lineup with plenty of mashers at the top Castellanos is thriving in the sixth spot in the order where he also seeing plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.  If he is a free agent in your league, now is the time to jump as it looks like he could be in for a career year.

Yunel Escobar, LAA - The new leadoff hitter for the Angels is certainly picking up where he left off in 2015 which saw him hit a career-best .314 for the Nationals.  Over the last seven days particularly Escobar is hitting .370 with two runs, three RBI and an OPS of .952.  The Angels offense figures to score plenty of runs with the likes of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun leading the offense which should allow Escobar to approach his first 100-run season if he continues to hit at this clip.

Shortstop

Aledmys Diaz, StL - The injury to Jhonny Peralta opened the door for Diaz to grab the Cardinals starting shortstop job and though Ruben Tejada has just come off the DL and may cut into his playing time Diaz has the better bat.  Over the last seven days Diaz is hitting .300 with five runs, one home run, three RBI and OPS of .933 while hitting at the bottom of the Cardinals lineup.  As long as Diaz continues to hit it seems unlikely that manager Mike Matheny cuts into his playing time other than the occasional day off.

J.J. Hardy, Bal - Hardy has turned in two straight disappointing seasons for fantasy owners but over the last seven days his bat has come alive as he’s hit .368 with three runs, two home runs and six RBI.  The two-homer game against the Red Sox is certainly something that should intrigue fantasy owners seeing as Hardy had turned in three straight 20 homer seasons prior to 2014 and 2015’s decline.  The Orioles have a home series against the Blue Jays to begin the week before heading on the road to face the Royals this upcoming weekend.

Alcides Escobar, KC - Escobar is not a very exciting player to own but he hits at the top of the Royals lineup and is capable of swiping around 20 bases at the shortstop position where quality fantasy player are lacking.  Over the last week Escobar is hitting .259 with three runs, one RBI and two stolen bases which is more or less what owners should expect from him on a week-to-week basis. The Royals have matchups against the Tigers and Orioles this upcoming week whose pitching staffs have not been overly impressive to start the season.

Outfield

Carlos Beltran, NYY - Beltran is really hammering the ball to start 2016 as he’s hitting .341 with six runs, three home runs and seven RBI.  While age and injury have certainly begun to catch up to Beltran his home ballpark and lineup around him should give him plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and still hit for power when in the lineup.  For those looking for some cheap pop off the waiver wire I would go and grab Beltran as the Yankees have home matchups against the A’s and Rays this week.

Nick Markakis, Atl - It’s no secret that the Braves lineup is woeful at best but over the last seven days Markakis has actually been really solid, hitting .333 with three runs, six RBI and an OPS of .938.  It’s been a long time since Markakis has truly held fantasy value but in deep leagues that count average and OBP he is certainly worth a look.  The Braves have tough matchups this week but will be at home against the Dodgers and Mets.

Melvin Upton Jr., SD - I know I am probably going to catch some flak for this but the facts are the facts and the fact is that Melvin Upton Jr. hit .320 with two runs, one home run, three RBI and two stolen bases over the last seven days.  In his prime Upton was a guy who would threaten 20 homers and 30 stolen bases but since leaving Tampa and heading to the NL he has struggled mightily.  Fortunately for him, the allure of a guy who can hit for some power while stealing bases is still valuable in fantasy and owners in deeper leagues should look to ride out this recent stretch.

Pitchers

Ian Kennedy, KC - Kennedy is off to a great start to his Royals career having gone 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA while striking out 14 over 13.2 innings and walking just three.  Kennedy has always been a solid strikeout pitcher and finished last year going 9-15 with a 4.28 ERA while striking out 174 over 168.1 innings for the Padres. His lone start this week will be a tough one against the powerful Tigers offense but he does have the fortune of being at home which is a much more of a pitchers park than if he had to face the Tigers in Detroit.

Matt Moore, TB - Moore has been impressive over the first three starts of his 2016 campaign, going 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP while striking out 21 over 18.1 innings.  The 0.98 WHIP is one of the lowest of Moore’s career and while it’s only three starts he did display similar control during spring training. If Moore is able to limit the free passes this season he has the ability to be one of the better fantasy arms this season given his talent level.  The Rays are on the road this week against the Yankees for Moore’s next start and while New York does have quite a few switch hitters it is much better for them to be on the right side of the plate than the left side of the plate where they can pull a lazy fly ball for a home run.

Joe Ross, Wsh - Ross was a popular sleeper candidate heading into 2016 and through two starts he is living up to the hype, going 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP while striking out 10 over 14.2 innings.  His next start will come on Wednesday against the Marlins who he held to one earned run over seven innings during his first start of the season.  With the Nationals figuring to contend for the NL East title this season Ross should be in line for a great first full season in the bigs.

Kevin Jepsen, Min - Jepsen is filling in as the Twins closer while Glen Perkins is on the shelf.  He picked up two saves last week and should hold down the closers role until Perkins returns however there is no exact timetable for when that will be and there is no guarantee that Perkins will be effective when he comes back so fantasy owners should snag Jepsen now.

Ryan Madson, Oak- The A’s are using a closer committee with Madson and Doolittle however Madson has gotten the last two saves and leads the team with four total on the year so he appears to be the man to own.  Madson was an effective closer for the Phillies all the way back in 2011 but arm troubles kept him out of baseball until last season where he was a setup man for the Royals.  There is an obvious risk of injury but given his track record the A’s will likely look to him to close out games for the time being.