Take a swipe at waiver steals

AS YOU prepared for your fantasy baseball drafts this season, speed once again was at a premium, and special attention to the category was necessary.

Close to 20 games into the regular season, Major League Baseball finds itself on pace for its lowest stolenbase total since 1974, when the league combined for 2,488 steals. To put it into perspective, we had almost 2,800 acts of theft in 2014, but the next three seasons saw the total dip closer to 2,500. With the number potentially dropping even further, fantasy owners need to dig deep and attack this category with a greater sense of urgency.

The price tag for a burner such as Dee Gordon is extremely high. If you find yourself with a surplus of starting pitching or saves, you can make a strong pitch. If you’re team is thriving with power, something everyone seems to own, it is going to take a premium bat for your trade partner to even consider one of their speedsters. Even a player like Tim Anderson, who was tied for the league lead with eight steals heading into Friday, is going to come at a high cost.

Though your waiver wire might look like Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, you can still find a few speed assets if you dig deep in the right places. The Nationals led the league in steals heading into Friday, and though Trea Turner will cost an arm and a leg, Michael A. Taylor will not. The White Sox also have been fairly aggressive, and Yoan Moncada has the green light each time he is on base. And the fact Cesar Hernandez leads the third-ranked Phillies with five steals should grab your attention.

Stolen bases may be at a premium, and it may take owning a burner to win the category, but just staying competitive won’t. Find the teams that have been the most aggressive and dig deep into their rosters. Grabbing the team leader is nice, but role players will more than suffice.