Advertisement

High Fives: Houston's Lowrie buzzing on the Week 4 wire

As we head into Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season, Brandon Funston, Scott Pianowski and Dalton Del Don offer their top-5 takes on those players bucking for employment in fantasy leagues. Each week, we'll take a trip around the diamond to uncover the best help that your FAAB dollars can buy. Let's get to it ...

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today!]

Top 5 corner infield pickups among the under 50% owned crowd

1. Adam LindHe's been a mainstay on this list all season - hasn't had back-to-back hitless games yet

1. Adam Lind - Team is taking on water, but he isn't the problem; another homer Sunday

1. Adam Lind - The counting stats havent been there, but he has a .901 OPS and bats cleanup

2.  David Freese - He's been a top 10 corner, thus far, in terms of HR and combined R/RBI

2. Yonder Alonso- I talk myself into this guy once a year, not far from buzzy prospect days; even K-BB rate

2. Jimmy Paredes - Who knows how long this ride will last, but he's definitely worth owning to find out

3. Yasmani TomasWith Lamb on the DL, should be plenty of ABs in the near term

3. Jimmy Paredes - This year's Steve Pearce? This has Wiggy written all over it

3. Yonder Alonso - Despite playing in Petco, looks like he can be a help in BA

4. Joe Mauer -  Like I said last week, no power, but you know that the BA contribution should be solid

4. Andrew Suusc - We don't have a catcher area so I'll sneak him in here; cheap, useful DFS option when he starts

4. Steve Pearce - I'm still a believer despite the slump to start the year

5. Yonder Alonso -  He's drawing BBs at career-best rate, and there's counting stat upside in this potent SDG lineup

5. David Freese - The guys in front of him will be on base constantly

5. David Freese - Already up to four homers and is batting 4th/5th in the lineup

 

Top 5 middle infield pickups among the under 50% owned crowd

1. Jed Lowrie -  He looks like he's dialed in, and we've seen some hot streaks carry him pretty far in the past

1. Chris Owings - He'll swing at anything but getting confident on the bases 

1. Jed Lowrie - Has a .934 OPS and is hitting 3rd/4th in an improving lineup

2. Roughned OdorLike rest of TEX, off to a tough start, but I tryust his immense skills will show through before long

2. Brock Holt - Best super-utility player in the majors, has starts at five different posts  

2. Roughned Odor - Off to a slow start but has 15/15 potential

3. Adeiny Hechavarria He's playing over his head, but you can't ignore what he's done - top 4 MI in Y! game, thus far

3. Jed Lowrie - Whenever healthy, a fantasy-relevant commodity; 2013 can happen again

3. DJ LeMahieu - In Coors Field I trust

4. Brad Miller On a nice roll in past 8 games (10-for-23)

4. Wilmer Flores - Pop is legit, lineup promotion could be coming

4. Chris Owings - Plays in a good hitter's park and has four steals over the past seven games

5. Brock Holt - Little power, but can hit for average and run a bit, plus his versatility is the ultimate fantasy roster Band-Aid

5. Tim Bechkam - Maybe there's a post-hype case here, not much blocking him

5. Odubel Herrera - Stolen bases are really hard to come by

Top 5 outfield pickups among the under 50% owned crowd

1. Denard Span - Likely the last call for Span - he's off the DL now, and hit .302 with 31 SBs and 94 runs in '14

1. Rajai Davis - Short side of platoon, but I'm not sold long-term on Anthony Gose (1 BB, 19 K)

1. Rusney Castillo - If you have roster space to stash him, he'll be worth the wait

2. Angel Pagan - Another of my High Five mainstays - a healhy Pagan will run and hit for average

2. Dexter Fowler - Is this the year his steal total (four already) matches his raw ability?

2. Coco Crisp - If you have a DL spot to stash him, he'll be worth the wait

3. Rajai Davis - Don't love that he's not a regular, but if speed is a need, you know he's going to push 40 steals

3. Jake Marisnick - Option for cheap steals, and No. 9 slot not as penal in AL

3. Justin Maxwell - There's potential for a real breakout here

4. Michael Saunders- Off the DL - Has nice pop/speed combo, and TOR top offense in MLB

4. Coco Crisp - Rehab progressing well, and he'll slot leadoff upon return

4. Carlos Beltran - Maybe he's done, but I'd give him a few more weeks before declaring so

5. Alex Guerrero - 12 RBI in 19 ABs is an insane line - is forcing LAD to find lineup room for his hot bat

5. Rusney Castillo - A slow-developing story, but Victorino is probably out of way

5. Alex Guerrero - There are few better ways to use an open bench spot

Top 5 pitcher pickups among the under 50% owned crowd

1. Carlos Rodon - Get him while you still can - once he hits his stride, it'll be sweet ride

1. Clay Buchholz - Come for the strikeouts, stay for the changeup and ground balls

1. Jimmy Nelson - Has a 19.1 K-BB% and a 12.2 SwStr%, so there's a ton of potential

2. Yimi Garcia- He was attractive enough for me to pick him up as a set-up man, but saves now look like part of the short-term mix

2. Jimmy Nelson - Why is he so far under 50 percent? All breakout arrows line up 

2. Drew Pomeranz - Has a 17:2 K:BB ratio over 17.0 innings with a 1.06 WHIP

3. Jimmy Nelson - As Salfino shows here, inducing a nice number of Ks and grounders

3. Chris Heston - Numbers jump out if you (reasonably) take Coors turn out of mix 

3. Yimi Garcia - He looks like the current favorite to close in L.A. until Kenley Jansen returns

4. Taijuan Walker - His last outing was solid - has all the tools to be a star

4. Brandon Morrow - I want a stake in every one of his Petco starts

4.Carlos Rodon - Patient owners will be rewarded in the second half of the season

5. Drew Pomeranz - ERA is up above 4.00, but the K:BB rate is stellar, as is the pitching environment of his home park

5. Yimi Garcia - Has set-up hero written all over him, might become preferred closer while Jansen isn't available

5. Ken Giles - When Jonathan Papelbon is traded, owners will be sprinting to add him

Top 5 song choices for when you came to bat if you were an MLB player

1. Volbeat: "A Warrior's Call" - "Breaking your record and breaking your bones, Born a warrior with a code, A champion feeding your face with a fist,
You will feel all his power"

1. Led Zeppelin: "The Immigrant Song - Announce your presence with a nod to the Hammer of the Gods

1. Metallica: "No Leaf Clover" - Love the opening with the symphony

2. Alice in Chains: "Man in the Box" - Gotta represent my Seattle roots, and this has a  chill-inducing intro

2. Anything by the White Stripes - Well, except for the overplayed Seven Nation Army. Black Math would work well

2. TV on the Radio: "DLZ" - Because they are good at making music

3. Aerosmith: Lightning Strikes "It's dog eat dog when you're meetin' your rival, In the combat zone it's a means of survival, Gonna get last licks on a suicide blitz, On a cloak and dagger night ,When the lightning strikes"

3. Anything from Who's Next - Okay, maybe not My Wife; Pete Townshend's happy accident is a perfect rock record

3. Radiohead: "The National Anthem" - I spent far too much time trying to pick which song of theirs to use here

4. Black Sabbath: "Iron Man" -  The creepy intro definitely provides a nice intimidation factor

4. Guitar-driven Radiohead - The trippy Kid-A stuff wouldn't work, but most of The Bends, OKC and In Rainbows would

4. Broken Bells: "The Ghost Inside" - Has a catchy intro

5. ACDC: "Thunderstruck" -  Really, there's plenty of ACDC songs that would fit the bill

5. Herb Albert: "Spanish Flea" - Swanky and silly, puts you in a good place

5. It doesn't matter because Josh Reddick already won this game