This was expected to be the year of the steal in MLB, with new rule changes and bigger bases rewarding aggressive base running. And, not surprisingly, steals are way up. So why does my fantasy team only have one steal this week?! I think I need to read the advice I’m giving out below. Here are the best fantasy baseball steals options you can grab (hopefully) off of your waiver wire.
(only includes players rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues; stats listed are after Saturday’s games)
*All stats through May 6th
Go here for daily free MLB picks!
Best Fantasy Baseball Steals Options Rest of the Season
Jake McCarthy – Arizona – OF – 32% Rostered
(.143, 8 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB)
I’ll kick things off with a controversial selection – Arizona’s Jake McCarthy. Make that Reno’s Jake McCarthy. Yes, McCarthy is currently playing down in Triple-A after a disastrous start to his season with the Diamondbacks.
This after a rookie campaign where he came fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and swiped 23 bags. He’s currently raking in the minors, so hopefully, the call back up to The Show is forthcoming, and he will get back to last season’s form. Yahoo still predicts him for another 23 steals this season. So if you have roster space to be patient, get in on him.
Jon Berti – Miami – 2B/3B/SS/OF – 38% Rostered
(.270, 14 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 SB)
You had me at four-position eligibility. But the Marlins’ Jon Berti brings more than just position flexibility to your roster. Obviously, since this is a column about steals, Berti has you covered there. His five on the season has him just outside of the top 20 in MLB, and his 41 last season led the majors, so this is no fluke. He’s also enjoying a career-best year at the plate, so he won’t hurt you in other categories when you roster him.
Ji Hwan Bae – Pittsburgh – 2B/OF – 49% Rostered
(.244, 17 R, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 14 SB)
Pittsburgh rookie Ji Hwan Bae already has 14 steals, which is third in the majors. Yet he’s dipped below the 50% rostered mark lately, perhaps due to a minor ankle injury and a 0-6 and 2-10 slump. However, with four steals in five attempts over the past week and a projected 20 more swipes to come, get in on him while you can.
Myles Straw – Cleveland – OF – 22% Rostered
(.248, 13 R, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 8 SB)
Myles Straw has been a consistent source of steals over the past few seasons, with 21 last season in 152 games and 17 and 13 in two partial seasons before that. This year he has eight already, with another 19 or so projected still to come. The problem with him is he isn’t going to help you (and actually may hurt you) in other categories. But hey – you’re the one desperate for steals.
Josh Rojas – Arizona – 3B – 39% Rostered
(.271, 15 R, 0 HR, 18 RBI, 3 SB)
Josh Rojas had 23 steals last season, so you’d hope he has a bunch more thefts in him than the three he’s managed thus far this season. However, he is a guy who will help you elsewhere as well, as his 18 RBIs are second on the Diamondbacks, and he has a nice healthy batting average. The problem is he’s been sitting against lefties recently.
Other fantasy baseball steal options: Ezequiel Tovar, Adalberto Mondesi (stash on the IL), Brenton Doyle, Nate Eaton
