The last position on the diamond (officially) carries many of the same issues as the other positions on the diamond. The choices on the waiver wire range from decent players that simply can’t get on the field everyday to players that play everyday but simply aren’t living up to expectations. We’ve divided the list between young players and veterans in the past, but there are few young players on the right field list, so we will instead divide them between American League and National League guys.

This time, we will take a look at the top American League guys that are available on waivers. Keep in mind, we are looking for players that have 100 or more plate appearances and are owned by 25 percent or fewer players in Yahoo. As you might imagine, that has a way of limiting the playing field. Statistics are all as of June 6th.

To be perfectly honest, Murphy and Gomes are similar players. They were brought in by their respective teams (Indians and Red Sox) to be complementary players. Injuries to other players have allowed Murphy to play more often while Gomes has not been able to replicate the magic from last season. This is often what happens to World Series champions. The role players that performed so well suddenly can’t replicate their success.

That being said, both players are on pace to hit about 15 home runs this season. While those numbers wouldn’t give you the kind of starter’s numbers you would want, both might end up being decent bench players on your fantasy team. In particular, Murphy is on pace to drive in more than 90 runs. Of course, the question is whether he can reasonably keep that pace up or not.

When we look at the BABIPs for both players, we notice that there is not a whole lot of room for growth. Neither player is likely to decline, but we won’t see a surge. Red Sox fans will probably hope to see one from Gomes, but that will only occur if his strikeout rate goes down. Still, his walk rate is making him somewhat productive, so he will continue to get playing time. If you play in a walk or OBP league then he might be a strong consideration for a bench slot because of his positional flexibility.

Murphy will also likely get regular playing time. His numbers are clearly close to the ceiling of what they expected when they signed him. His contact rate is above the league average despite a swing rate higher than normal on balls outside the zone. Presently, he is on pace to hit .280 (with a decent walk rate), 15 home runs, and approximately 90 RBIs. I’d say that’s pretty good production for a bench type player.

These two are a lot more similar than what we thought. They are essentially putting up the same power numbers and their real offensive value (ROV) are essentially the same. So, you could probably do just as well with one as you would the other. Personally, I would go with Murphy because he seems to be producing more runs and RBI.