In 42 games and 110 at-bats, San Diego second baseman Alexi Amarista is hitting .273 with 16 runs, four home runs, 18 RBI and a pair of stolen bases. These are not exactly numbers that make you want to waiver wire to snatch him up, but what he has done lately may make you reconsider.

Amarista’s season average hides the .143 May he experienced.

In June and July he has combined to hit .333. His OPS is at .771 thanks to his .367 in May. In June it was 1.088 and is at .775 so far this month. Amarista had just two extra base hits in April and has had 10 since.

He had two runs and two RBI in his first 35 at bats. In his subsequent 75, he has 13 runs and 16 RBI. He’s not giving you the stolen bases that you would want from a second baseman, but that is something he can build on.

He did swipe 15 bags in 86 games for Triple-A Salt Lake last year.

Part of the reason for his success is his ability to hit both righties and lefties. He is hitting .290 against left-handed pitching and .266 against righties. His power has come more against right-handed pitching (.782 OPS vs. .742) though, to balance him out a bit.

Despite playing in a pitcher’s park, he has managed to hit .267 at home.

Not surprisingly, Amarista’s luck has changed. After a .172 BABIP in May, it has been .333 since. While I think his power outage in June was a fluke, I don’t think a solid average is unattainable.

Amarista is owned in 37.0 percent of ESPN and 12.0 percent of Yahoo! leagues. If you are looking for a boost for your middle infielder slot and need some help in the batting average category, Amarista could be a decent option.

 

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