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2011 Fantasy Baseball Week Five Wavier Wire: Third Base Special Edition

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Welcome to Week Five of (Waiver) Wired and Baked – your weekly review of who shouldn’t be available in your league, but probably is. This week I’m going to do something a little bit different, and focus only on third basemen. With Pablo "Big Panda" Sandoval and David "Tasteee" Freeze going down over the weekend for 4-6 weeks, it’s time to look at other third base options.

I’ll still do the AL-only and NL-only special at the end, and don’t forget – these are players who are available in at least 50% of standard Yahoo leagues. We publish every Monday, and feel free to post comments and questions throughout the week and I’ll be sure to answer all.

Ryan Roberts (Diamondbacks) – 57% owned. Even though he’s over 50% owned, he’s the best option right now while you ride his hot streak. He’s clubbing home runs, hitting for average, and stealing a few bases. Eligible at 3B and OF, he should be your top choice.

Wilson Betemit (Royals) – 17%. Doing his best to keep Mike Moustakas in the minors a little while longer (much to the chagrin of those of us who are holding NA roster spots for him…), Betemit is currently crushing the ball to the tune of a .333 average, 12 runs and 14 RBI, and 3 steals to boot. Oddly enough, he only has one home run, which is where his best value had previously come from (witness his 13 homers in just 276 at-bats last year). I can’t imagine he’ll stay this hot for this long, but while he’s raking, he’s worth your time.

Jack Hannahan (Indians) – 12%. Everyone, including me,  is still waiting for this guy to wake up one day and realize that he’s actually Jack Hannahan. Y’know, the guy who in his two full seasons in the Big Leagues, hit a combined .216 with 13 home runs 66 RBI, with a spectacularly bad OPS of .635. Or, the guy who didn’t even appear in the major leagues in 2010. Or the guy who only started for the Indians because Jason Donald broke his finger and couldn’t begin the season on time. But for now, he’s a fine stop-gap…14 R, 14 RBI, 4 HR and a respectable .273 average. Grab him now before he wakes up…

Jhonny Peralta (Tigers) – 28%. Always good for double-digit homers and 75+ RBI, Peralta (who is also eligible at SS in most leagues) is in the midst of his typical slow start with just 1 homer and 11 RBI. But don’t be concerned – he has averaged 18 bombs and 79 RBI for the past six years. And anytime a player can be that consistent for six straight years, I’m buying – and you should be too.

Adam Kennedy (Mariners) – 3%. No, he’s not that good. But he does play every day, and will continue to do so for the Mariners until he, like Mr. Hannahan earlier, realizes that he is actually Adam Kennedy. He’s hit safely in 13 of his 16 starts this year, has 6 runs and 7 RBI to go along with 2 homers and a .279 average. Scraping the bottom of the barrel? Perhaps. But he’s better than waiting for Chase Headley or Sean Rodriguez to find their potential.

AL Only Special – Robert Andino (Orioles) – 1%. Playing for the injured JJ Hardy, Andino has found his batting stroke, hitting .333 for the season. He won’t give you much else, but plays every day (are you sensing a theme here?), and won’t kill your ratios. There aren’t many hitters on the wire, and you could do worse, especially at a weak position like shortstop.

NL Only Special – Kameron Loe (Brewers) – 4%. Now setting up for John Axford, Loe is averaging a strikeout per inning, has vultured 2 wins, and sports a decent-enough ERA and WHIP (3.37 and 1.35, respectively – and really only the product of 2 mediocre outings). Anyone next in line is probably on your radar, but don’t be fooled into thinking its Saito, Braddock, Kintzler, Hawkins, Stetter or Green – its Loe.

Percentages taken from Y! Sports.

Written by Jesse Mendelson exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com. Find and follow Jesse on Facebook.

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(April 11, 2011 – Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson, Wired & Baked
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