2011 Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 Free Agents That Can Improve Your Roster
We all love looking at the available free agents in our Fantasy Baseball leagues, but often times have trouble deciding if a player is worth a spot on our roster.
Being just about 50 games into the 2011 Major League Baseball year we know what players have been slumping and need to be dropped, but with so many available free agents it can be hard to make the executive choice on whom to pick up.
I'm going to look at the top 10 players (who should be available on waivers) that have been on the up and coming of late and should be worthy of a final roster spot.
My list includes all positions, including starting pitchers and relievers.
*All of my stats are from ESPN Fantasy Baseball Leagues, but the percent owned should be very similar on other league sites.
10. Charlie Morton
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Charlie Morton has won three of his last four trips to the mound for the Pirates, and in the process has made himself fantasy relevant (27 percent owned).
Morton has gone at least seven innings in his last three plate appearances, including a complete game against the Reds a week ago, giving him two complete games for the year.
Mortorn has a 2.61 ERA, with an overall record of 5-2. It's unlikely that Morton can keep winning games with the Pirates less then stellar hitting, but he pitches into the late innings often enough to make him worth a spot in your pitching rotation.
9. Justin Turner
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Justin Turner has put together a nice year for the Mets; hitting 330 with 20 runs batted in.
Turner is one of the better contact hitters you'll find on waivers and is worth a pickup if your in need of a boost in average.
Turner is not going to give you much else other then a good average but there is really nothing wrong with having a guy like that.
Justin is only owned in 52 percent of leagues but that number has been climbing over the past week, up 32 percent from seven days ago.
8. Brandon League
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Brandon League has thrown five consecutive scoreless innings in his last four games, picking up four saves in the process.
League did have a tough start to May; losing four in a row at one point but he appears to be on his way up.
League has been given the opportunity to notch more saves since David Aardsma has been out of the line-up and he looks like he should be a solid reliever the rest of the season.
Brandon is owned in 83 percent of leagues so if you can snatch him up off the waivers now is the time.
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7. Michael Morse
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Michael Morse can bring value to nearly any Fantasy baseball team and he can start at either first base, right field or left field.
Morse has had a monster May, hitting .392 with 20 hits including five home-runs and 11 runs batted in.
If Morse can keep these numbers up he will become one of the more popular waiver pick-ups in the coming weeks so make the move on him before someone else does.
Even if he fails to keep these numbers going, you can reap the benefits while he's still hot.
6. Kelly Johnson
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The fifth year veteran Kelly Johnson got off to a rough start in April, batting just .180 but has since picked it up hitting .242 in May.
Johnson has recorded at least one hit in eight of his last nine games, including three home runs in that span.
With Johnson appearing to be out of his April slump, he can provide some value at second base in all hitting categories.
Johnson is now 79 percent owned so his recent successes at the plate have him valuable once again, if your in need of some infield help Johnson could be your guy.
5.Yunel Escobar
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Yunel Escobar has been on bit of a tear of late, batting .285 in the month of May while notching at least one hit in 10 strait games.
Escobar has scored 29 runs, and more importantly has already matched his home run total from all of last year with five and is on pace to hit 15 by years end.
If Escobar is available in your league (84 percent owned overall) jump on him while he's there, It's hard to find productive Shot-Stops off waivers but Yunel appears to be just that.
4. Jon Jay
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If your in need of a contact hitter, second year right fielder Jon Jay should be on your roster.
Jay is hitting .350 for the year and has recorded a hit in eight strait games while having multiple hit games in three strait.
Jon won't give you much more in any other categories other then average, but it's nice having a guy on your team that you can count on for at least one hit a game.
Jay is only owned in 20 percent of leagues but that number will continue to rise with him hitting like he has been of late so grab him while you can.
3. Fernando Salas
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Second year reliever Fernando Salas has now recorded five strait saves in as many tries and is rocketing up the ranks on the waivers.
Fernando is currently owned in 90 percent of leagues so grab him immeidialty if you can.
If Salas can keep up this pace he will have around 29 saves at the end of the year so he should be targeted by most fantasy managers, especially if you find yourself losing the save category every week.
2. Jonathan Lucroy
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Second year catcher Jonathan Lucroy is putting together a great year for the Brewers with a batting average of .333 to go a long with five home runs and 24 runs batted in.
Lucroy is on pace for 15 home runs with 74 runs batted in.
Most leagues will have J.P. Arencibia and Yadier Molina available as well, and if you are having trouble deciding between the three I would run with Lucroy as he has been the more consiseant of the three since mid-April.
It's hard to find steady hitting catchers but that's exactly what Lucroy has been so don't hesitate to put him on your rosters.
1. Erik Bedard
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Erik Bedard has recorded two wins in his last three starts including a no decision where he struck out nine, giving him 23 strikeouts in his last three games.
Bedard may not have a great record playing for the mariners but he is probably one of the best free agent starting pitching options you'll find.
He should continue to produce strike-outs for his owners with and the wins are a great bonus.
Bedard is only 60% owned but that number is up 47 percent from last weeks so if you need a little help in your starting pitching rotation, Bedard is a solid option.
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