Dalton Del Don reveals the highest broadly out there hitters price including on the fantasy baseball waiver wire in Week 8.
Luis Matos, OF, San Francisco Giants (36% rostered)
Matos wasn’t in San Francisco’s fast plans till accidents struck the Giants’ outfield, however he’s made probably the most of his alternative since getting recalled every week in the past. He recorded 11 RBI over Friday and Saturday — the identical quantity Ronald Acuña Jr. has totaled all season. He has twice as many RBI (16) in 26 at-bats during the last week than George Springer has in 159 ABs this yr.
Matos has but to stroll, however he’s additionally struck out simply as soon as over 30 plate appearances, so batting common must be a energy. He was struggling in Triple-A (66 wRC+) this yr and doesn’t possess a ton of energy/pace upside, however he’s going to get an opportunity to hit in the course of San Francisco’s lineup. Nonetheless, we should always mood expectations for homers and steals for the 22-year-old, particularly hampered by Oracle Park.
Matos is off to a scorching begin after getting recalled to the majors and has his roster proportion jumped accordingly off the massive weekend. He is nonetheless out there in additional than 60% of Yahoo leagues.
Davis Schneider, 2B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays (23%)
Schneider hit leadoff over the weekend with George Springer additionally within the lineup for the primary time this season. His 141 wRC+ could be top-25 amongst certified hitters, and Schneider entered Sunday ranked top-five in barrels per swing, simply behind Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani (perhaps you’ve heard of them). Schneider is a Twenty eighth-round decide who seemingly got here out of nowhere, however he posted a 142 wRC+ in Triple-A and a 176 wRC+ after his first name as much as the majors final season. Actually, Schneider was one of just nine MLB hitters to post a 1.000+ OPS within the second half. He can hit.
Schneider is eligible at 2B and OF, is in the top 15% of the league in xwOBA and is hitting leadoff in Toronto. He shouldn’t be out there in additional than 75% of leagues.
Lars Nootbaar, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (35%)
Nootbaar’s .218 batting common comes with a .275 anticipated BA, which is one of the biggest differences amongst all hitters this season. Nootbaar’s contact metrics are spectacular, and his max exit velocity is within the high 8% of the league. He additionally has suffered from having the highest percentage of pitches outside the strike zone called strikes against him this yr. Abnormally poor umpiring and a lowly .236 BABIP are certain to regress, and projection methods are bullish, with Steamer predicting a 126 wRC+ remainder of the season. Nootbaar hits second towards righties, and it’s secure to disregard his deceptive batting common.
Nootbaar is offered in 65% of Yahoo leagues and must be a productive fantasy outfielder shifting ahead.
David Fry, C/1B/OF, Cleveland Guardians (16%)
Fry would simply lead all catchers in OPS (1.005) and wRC+ (185) if he certified, and his stroll price is in the top 2% of the league. He’s change into a fixture in Cleveland’s lineup throughout Could, when he’s hit .344/.475/.656 with almost as many walks as strikeouts. Fry has moved to the center of the Guardians’ order behind hitters with sturdy OBPs, so he appears like an underrated fantasy asset.
Fry entered Sunday ranked because the No. 12 fantasy catcher this season over simply 77 at bats (Yainer Diaz was incessantly drafted as a top-five C and has supplied far much less worth over 166 ABs), but he’s out there in almost 85% of leagues regardless of a brand new full-time position within the outfield.
Tyler Freeman, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Cleveland Guardians (18%)
One other beneficiary of Steven Kwan’s harm in Cleveland, Freeman has thrived since moving to the top of the lineup. He’s quietly on tempo to go 15/25 regardless of a .221 batting common that appears certain to climb. Freeman doesn’t strike out a lot (6:5 Okay:BB ratio over 52 ABs in Could) and has stable exit velocity and pace, so his lowly .241 BABIP looks as if a fluke. The Guardians have been one of many extra aggressive base stealing groups this season, so there’s SB potential. Small pattern measurement alert, however the normally pitcher-friendly Progressive Area has been extraordinarily favorable to hitters thus far in 2024, together with rising house runs a whopping 41%.
Freeman is shining in the leadoff spot, eligible at 4 positions and broadly out there in fantasy leagues.
