Cardinals Jedd Gyorko: Deep league waiver wire add
By Bill Pivetz
The Cardinals have a new third baseman in Jedd Gyorko. If you need a replacement or want to make a switch of your own, pick him up.
The National League Central is a close race, with 1.5 games separating the four teams. The St. Louis Cardinals needed to make a change if they want to get to first place. One of those moves came at third base. Jedd Gyorko is taking over for Matt Carpenter at third base. If you need a productive third baseman or corner infielder, pick him up.
This news is more about Carpenter losing the starting job. He’s been horrible this season. There are no other words to describe his season so far. In 136 plate appearances, he’s hitting .145/.294/.282 with three home runs, 13 RBIs, 12 runs, 38 strikeouts and 23 walks.
Carpenter had a decent season last year, hitting .241 with 23 homers and 69 RBIs. The lack of both power and contact is draining his fantasy value. He had a 117.5 ADP in ESPN leagues. A 12th-round pick should be able to provide either power or contact, like Khris Davis (10 home runs) or Odubel Herrera (.360 average).
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He’s been dropped in 11.1 percent of ESPN leagues over the last week, but still owned in 57.0 percent of leagues. With his performance, those leagues have to be dynasty leagues or re-draft leagues in which the owner isn’t paying attention anymore.
Gyorko started the season as the Cardinals utility option. He has since started the last three games. For the year, he has a .327 average with four home runs, seven RBIs and 10 runs.
If the move is a long-term idea, then he should be able to reach 20 home runs. I don’t think he’ll hit 30 like he did in 2016.
With the rate of strikeouts this season, Gyorko one of the few options with a low strikeout rate. He has 12 for the season and a 22.6 percent career strikeout rate. Fantasy owners are adding the new Cardinals starter, up 1.2 percent in ESPN leagues and two percent in CBS Sports leagues.
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Gyorko has been known to have multi-position eligibility. That will likely not be the case this season, playing primarily at third base. However, Kolten Wong isn’t hitting well so Gyorko may add a few games at second base. Gyorko is worth adding in all league formats with or without having second base eligibility.