April is just about in the books, so it is time to really begin scouring the fantasy baseball waiver wire for those players that remain largely under the radar despite strong, first-month performances. Let's begin the search.

10-team leagues

Kevin Pillar, TOR OF (22% ownership), FAAB Bid - $18 – Unlike the rest of his team, something has clicked for Pillar offensively this season. Pillar came into Friday’s contest hitting .297 and then proceeded to go 4-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and a walk, bumping that already impressive average up to .326. There are a number of areas in Pillar’s game that has vastly improved. His ability to crush relief pitching is one of them. He’s slugging .744 against RPs, which ranks him 11th in all of baseball. Another improvement he’s been able to make up to this point is the fact he’s hit .376 at the friendly confines in Toronto, ranking him 16th among qualified players. His newfound offensive game is making him someone worth owning in all formats.

Hernan Perez, MIL 2B/3B/OF (34% ownership), FAAB Bid - $23 – It seemed as if all of this offseason's hype was for Keon Broxton, not Perez and boy has that been flat out wrong. Just over his last four games, Perez is 9-for-15 from the dish, posting seven extra-base hits, two home runs and seven RBI. Perez’s true value is his versatility. He’s three-position eligible and has a chance at being a 15 HR, 30 SB guy if he can ever shed timeshares at every position he plays.

12-team leagues

Alex Wood, LAD SP (9% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 – Wood flashed a boatload of potential back in 2014 but hasn’t looked the same since. That being said, Wood’s gotten off to a fast start in 2017 and looks like he could be regaining his form from a few years back. He’s striking out nearly one batter per inning and has posted a sub 1.00 WHIP. Rich Hill’s constant blister issues might force him to the bullpen and Hyun-Jin Ryu can’t get anybody out, which only bodes well for Wood’s case to stick in the rotation. His 8.2 career K/9 ratio is also something that fantasy owners can wreak the benefits of moving forward.

Delino DeShields, TEX OF (4% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7-9DeShields began the year virtually glued to the bench but has made the most of his opportunity of late and has seen a bunch of starts in LF. Just over his last two games alone he’s 4-for-7 with three walks, three runs and two stolen bases, which is exactly what you ask for and more from your leadoff hitter. DeShields’ .376 OBP this season would rank him among the 20 best in the AL if he were a qualified player. DeShields has played better than both Ryan Rua and Jurickson Profar this season, so we should expect DD to get a bulk of the playing time going forward.

Yonder Alonso, OAK 1B (4% ownership), FAAB Bid - $11 – Alonso has gotten off to an extremely fast start, belting four homers and 14 RBI which places him second on the team. Alonso has mashed fastballs this year especially, posting a .364 well-hit average, which leads the MLB. Alonso should definitely be someone you consider scooping off of the waiver-wire if you’re a Miguel Cabrera owner while he’s out. Alonso will also be an excellent player to plug into a corner infield spot, even an excellent option off of the bench.

15-team leagues

Alex Avila, DET C (6% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5 – Now we understand we’ve been suggesting a bunch of catchers of late, but the position isn’t deep and if you aren’t lucky enough to have a top-tier player, than mixing and matching could be the move for you. Avila is essentially in a timeshare with James McCann, but his ability to hit RHP could vault him ahead of McCann if he can’t lift his average north of the “Mendoza Line.” He’s first in well-hit average, slugging percentage, OPS and OBP among all part-time players.

Jose De Leon, TB SP (4% ownership), FAAB Bid - $6 – If you have an available roster spot to stash the 24-year old you should definitely do so immediately. He was able to throw live batting practice this past week and is on his way back to the mound. He’s projected to join the Rays stay by late May, maybe early June, so now’s the time to make your move. De Leon was flat out dominant at the Triple-A level in 2016, striking out 111 batters over 86.1 innings, good for an electric 11.6 K/9 rate. De Leon’s impact on the Rays will be immediate when he arrives to the show, and that impact will positively effect all those that decide to pick him up off of waivers.

 

*ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo

** FAAB bids based on $100 budget