Waiver Wire Guidelines: Searching For Outfield Help (Scott Schebler & More)

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

While it feels like outfield should be among the deeper positions, if you play in a five-outfielder format things tend to dry up quickly.  That’s why we often find ourselves digging deep in trying to uncover a potential gem.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at three outfielders who are potentially sitting on your waiver wire and try to determine if they hold value:

Delino Deshields – Texas Rangers – Outfielder
CBS Sports – 9%, ESPN – 2.4%, Yahoo! – 5%

When Jurickson Profar was taken out of the everyday lineup the thought was that it would be Ryan Rua who claimed regular playing time.  Instead it’s been Deshields, who is not only playing regularly but finding himself hitting atop the order and capitalizing on the opportunity:

• April 26 – 2-3, 1 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB
• April 28 – 2-4, 0 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB
• April 29 – 0-3, 0 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB
• April 30 – 1-3, 0 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB

Remember Deshields was a preseason darling and when given an opportunity to play he’s actually shown plenty of upside.  In 31 AB he’s stolen 5 bases and scored 7 runs, while also showing the underlying makeup to significantly improve upon his .258 average.  He entered the day with a 28.6% line drive rate, and while he may not maintain that he has the speed to continue posting an elevated BABIP (currently at .381).  He also has shown improved plate discipline, despite a 23.5% strikeout rate, as his SwStr% is 8.2% and he’s not chasing outside the zone (21.9% O-Swing%).

The perception continues to be that speed is harder to find, and Deshields has the potential to deliver while scoring an ample number of runs.  Now is the time to grab him and utilize him, before the rest of your league catches on.

Waiver Wire Guidelines:

• 10 Team Leagues – Monitor Closely
• 12 Team Leagues – Worth Consideration (if need speed)
• 14+ Team Leagues – Must Add
• AL-Only Leagues – Must Add
• Keeper Leagues – Must Add

Scott Schebler -Cincinnati Reds – Outfielder
CBS Sports – 12%, ESPN – 19.7%, Yahoo! – 27%

It’s been an amazing ride for Schebler, who is coming off a week where he hit .474 with 4 HR and 9 RBI.  That gives him 8 HR and 18 RBI on the season, which obviously holds value, but even with the strong showing he’s hitting a mere .244.

The problem is that he’s clearly swinging for the fences, and while the power has been there (26.7% HR/FB) it’s going to cost him any opportunity to hit for a strong average:

• Line Drive Rate – 11.7%
• Fly Ball Rate – 50.0%
• Swinging Strike Rate – 12.5%

While he has power he likely isn’t going to maintain this pace, meaning some of the home runs aren’t going to find their way over the wall.  When that happens, given the way he’s swinging right now, the numbers will get ugly.

Waiver Wire Guidelines:

• 10 Team Leagues – Don’t Add
• 12 Team Leagues – Streaming Add
• 14+ Team Leagues – Worth Add
• NL-Only Leagues – Worth Add
• Keeper Leagues – Worth Add

Eddie Rosario – Minnesota Twins – Outfielder
CBS Sports – 7%, ESPN – 2.8%, Yahoo! – 2%

He’s been hitting well overall, batting .268 with 2 HR, 8 RBI and 8 R over 86 PA, which you would think would make him a viable option in deeper formats.  That said, the metrics tell us a different story.

Just consider his 13.8% line drive rate, compared to a career 19.3% mark.  You would think that would indicate an improvement is coming, but it’s not like his career mark is overly impressive and he’s not likely to improve upon his .313 BABIP (and if he doesn’t improve his line drive rate his BABIP is going to fall).

His plate discipline is also atrocious, with a 13.8% SwStr% and 42.6% O-Swing%.  Throw in an inability to steal bases (17 SB in 914 PA in the Majors) and a 60.0% groundball rate capping his power potential and what exactly are we buying?

Waiver Wire Guidelines:

• 10 Team Leagues – Don’t Add
• 12 Team Leagues – Don’t Add
• 14+ Team Leagues – Streaming Add
• AL-Only Leagues – Worth Add
• Keeper Leagues – Streaming Add

Sources – Fangraphs, CBS Sports, ESPN, Yahoo!

Make sure to check out all of our updated rankings: