Waiver Wire: Chase Headley’s Surge

Jul 12, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees third baseman

(12) follows through on a hit against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

A major part of the Yankees recent winning streak and offensive dominance, has been the top to bottom production from their lineup. Chase Headley has been a major cog for them, and his recent surge may point a very productive stretch run.

Headley came over to the Yanks in 2014 and helped solidify the hot corner. A lot of fantasy owners may associate Headley as a perennial fantasy disappointment because he has failed to live up to the mammoth season he has in 2012.

2012 just seemed to be one of those years for Headley where everything clicked, and with a bit of luck, he was able to post stats that many had no idea he was capable of. That version of Headley will probably never return, but that does not mean that Headley is incapable of being a quality fantasy CI option.

Headley’s year has been up and down. He has intertwined two really bad months, in April he hit .232 and in June he hit .229, with two very solid months, in May he hit .275 and in July he has hit .377. Inconsistency is always frustrating, which is the primary reason he has still unowned in 50% of most leagues.

Like the Yanks, Headley has been absolutely on fire in July. As previously stated, in the month of July he has posted a .377/1 HR/13 RBI/ .921 OPS line. Over the last fourteen days, he his hitting a cool .400, and he looks to be finding his grove from both sides of the plate.

Everyone is well aware the advantages that Yankee stadium has and Chase Headley has been able to thrive there, .260/ 5 HR/ 18 RBI, so with more than half of his homers at home it certainly seems as though he is comfortable there. Add that with the fact that out of the Yankees next sixty games, thirty-three of them are at home only adding more value.

I have said it before that I am not one to chase crazy weeks, because they are impossible to maintain, but Headley has multiple things going for him. I have already touched on the value that his home games have, but add the fact that Headley has an assortment of pieces in front of him that will drive up his counting stats.

Outside of the Blue Jays, I hold that the Yankees have the best l-8 lineup in baseball. (Would be 1-9, but the abysmal Drew/Ryan combo is a bummer) Headley has found himself slotted into the seventh spot, leaving him a plethora of RBI opportunities, as the top half of the Yanks lineup has been effective all year.

Going forward I see Headley posting a nice stat line, making him a nice UTIL or CI waiver claim. Right now he has an average of .271, with 9 HR and 41 RBI. I see the average coming down closer to .265, but the homers should get to 15 and the RBI should approach the 60 mark. Leaving him with a projected line around, .265/ 15 HR/ 60 RBI, something that I would snag in a heartbeat off the wire.

Chase Headley is not the borderline top 10 fantasy talent that he posted in 2012, get that version of him out of your head, but for a guy that could post a quality stat line whilst being a part of one of the higher octane offensives in baseball, it just solidifies his waiver wire value going forward.