Wednesday’s Wide World of Waivers: Keeper/Dynasty Part 2

By Tom Huffman

Welcome back to Wednesday’s Wide World of Waivers. Last week Chris put forward four very good pickups to keep in mind for those keeper/dynasty leagues. This week I’ll be recommending four players to grab off waivers to give you a head start on your 2010 season. Obviously, they will all be better than Chris’ picks because I’m not a Mets fan. :)

Standard Mixed Leagues

Colby Rasmus, OF, STL

	Yahoo	ESPN	CBS
Owned %	7	6	33

	H/AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 Stats	115/452	70	16	51	3	.254	.307	.416

Did you honestly think I wasn’t going to recommend a Cardinal? Rasmus has enormous potential but he’s a very streaky hitter and while he showed flashes of stardom he was never able to put up consistant numbers this year. Rasmus should see even more AB next year with Ankiel gone and a year of major-league experience under his belt. His 2010 value is going to be dependent on where Rasmus hits in the lineup. If he continues to bat second his runs will remain high, but I wouldn’t expect him to steal many bases in front of Pujols. If Rasmus hits lower in the lineup his RBIs and SBs totals should rise. One thing is for sure, Colby fire is burning in the outfield, in 2010.

Mat Latos, SP, SD

	Yahoo	ESPN	CBS
Owned %	9	2	34

	IP	W	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 Stats	50.2	4	39	4.62	1.30

Latos started out his MLB career with 4 wins in his first 5 starts. From there things didn’t go so well. Still, I’ll take that from a 22-year-old that started the season in rookie ball. Latos has the talent to be a fantasy staple for years to come, and pitching half his games in San Diego only makes him more attractive. Latos still has some maturing to do but he’ll be a positive contributor along the way.

NL-Only Leagues

Eric Young Jr., 2B, COL

	Yahoo	ESPN	CBS
Owned %	1	1	6

	H/AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 Stats	13/50	7	1	1	4	.260	.340	.655

87, 73, 46, 62. Those are Young’s SB totals for the last four years in the minors. He also managed to hit around .300 and post an OPS above .800 as a second baseman. If you are looking at that and not imagining what Young could do with a full season with the Rockies then you should skip the 2010 baseball season. The only problem is whether Young will have a spot on the Rockies. If Young gets a shot at a full-time gig he’s going to be a favorite pickup in fantasy leagues come spring.

AL-Only Leagues

Nolan Reimold, OF, BAL

	Yahoo	ESPN	CBS
Owned %	5	4	29

	H/AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 Stats	100/358	49	15	45	8	.279	.365	.466

In only 104 games, Reimold put together a rookie season that most players would kill to have. That’s even more impressive when you consider he was playing hurt most of the year. Reimold’s 2009 season should have carved him out a full-time share of ABs next year. Baltimore’s lineup is filled with up and coming talent and Reimold is sitting squarely in the middle of it.

This is my last column of the year so it is bittersweet. I had fun writing and think I actually was a better fantasy player because of it. Chris will be back next week with his end-of-season review. I hope everyone enjoyed the columns, and remember to keep watching the waiver wire.

Tom Huffman is one of a growing number of fantasy experts who write for the Cafe. You can catch up with Tom in the Cafe's forums where he posts under the name of Pogotheostrich.