By Dan O’Shea
Stolen bases are a stat category that some fantasy baseball owners take for granted, perhaps because some of the best base stealers can’t do much else to help your fantasy team.
Still, if you lose the SBs category on a frequent basis, it could be worth using a bench spot on one of those fast one-trick ponies, even just to activate him at the end of the week when you need a few SBs to get you over the top.
Here are some of the top SB specialists widely available in most leagues:
Tony Campana, OF, CUBS: No surprise here, as Campana leads all of MLB with 24 SBs. His average is, well, average at .261, and you will get absolutely nothing else for your money. He doesn’t even walk much. Available in 87% of Yahoo! leagues.
Rajai Davis, OF, TOR: Davis is third in the American League with 16 SBs, and is actually capable of an occasional extra-base hit – even a homer. Available in 89% of Yahoo! leagues.
Jordan Schafer, OF, HOU: Houston traded away one of the best base stealers in Michael Bourn, but they got this up-and-coming thief in the deal. He walks much more than Campana, and has 16 SBs even though he doesn’t always start. Available in 74% of Yahoo! leagues.
Juan Pierre, OF, PHI: The old man can still do it, with 14 SBs, and a .325 average that means he can help your team’s bottom line average even when he’s not running. Available in 84% of Yahoo! leagues.
Ben Revere, OF, MIN: He has 11 SBs, so he is a little further down the list, but nine of those have come in the last month. Plus, he’s hitting .328. Available in 79% of Yahoo! leagues.
Expert Wire
* Yahoo! Pick-ups of the Week leads off with Revere.
* Bleacher Report eyes the emergence of A’s slugger Brandon Moss.
* FakeTeams says it might be time to trade for Tim Lincecum, suddenly one of the worst starters around but probably destined for better things.
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Dan O’Shea is our man in fantasyland. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on June 20, 2012