Dalton Del Don reveals the best overall available hitters worth adding to the fantasy baseball waiver wire in Week 8.
Matos wasn’t in San Francisco’s immediate plans until injuries hit the Giants’ outfield, but he has made the most of his opportunity since being recalled a week ago. He recorded 11 RBI on Friday and Saturday – the same number that Ronald Acuña Jr. achieved throughout the season. He has twice as many RBI (16) in 26 at-bats last week than George Springer has in 159 ABs this year.
Matos has yet to walk, but he’s also struck out just once in over 30 at-bats, so batting average should be a strength. He struggled in Triple-A this year (66 wRC+) and doesn’t have much power/speed, but he will have a chance to score in the middle of San Francisco’s lineup. Still, we have to moderate expectations for home runs and steals for the 22-year-old, especially hampered by Oracle Park.
Matos is off to a torrid start after being recalled to the majors and his selection percentage has risen accordingly after the big weekend. It is still available in over 60% of Yahoo leagues.
Schneider hit the leadoff this weekend, with George Springer also in the lineup for the first time this season. His 141 wRC+ would rank among the top 25 among qualified hitters, and Schneider entered the top five in barrels per swing on Sunday, just behind Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani (you may have heard of them). Schneider is a 28th-round pick who seemingly came out of nowhere, but he posted a 142 wRC+ in Triple-A and a 176 wRC+ after his first call-up to the majors last season. In fact, Schneider was one of only nine MLB hitters to post over a 1,000 OPS in the second half. He can hit.
Schneider is 2B and OF eligible, ranks in the top 15% of the league in xwOBA and reaches the leadoff in Toronto. He shouldn’t be available in more than 75% of competitions.
Nootbaar’s batting average of .218 comes with an expected BA of .275, which is one of the biggest differences among all hitters this season. Nootbaar’s contact stats are impressive and his maximum exit velocity is in the top 8% of the league. He also suffered from it the highest percentage of pitches outside the strike zone were called a strike against him this year. Abnormally poor refereeing and a low .236 BABIP will certainly regress, and the projection systems are bullish, with Steamer predicting a remainder of the season of 126 wRC+. Nootbaar bats second against righties, and it’s safe to ignore his misleading batting average.
Nootbaar is available in 65% of Yahoo leagues and should be a productive fantasy outfielder in the future.
Fry would easily lead all catchers in OPS (1.005) and wRC+ (185) if he qualified, and his walk rate is in the top 2% of the league. He has become a fixture in Cleveland’s lineup in May, hitting .344/.475/.656 with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. Fry has shifted to the middle of the Guardians order behind hitters with strong OBPs, so he looks like an underrated fantasy asset.
Fry is currently the No. 12 fantasy catcher in just 77 plate appearances this season (Yainer Diaz was often drafted as a top-five C and has provided far less value than 166 ABs), yet he is available in nearly 85% of leagues, despite a new full-time role in the outfield.
Tyler Freeman, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Cleveland Guardians (18%)
Another beneficiary of Steven Kwan’s injury in Cleveland, Freeman has done well since moving to the top of the lineup. He’s quietly on pace to go 15/25, despite a .221 batting average that certainly appears to be rising. Freeman doesn’t strike out much (6:5 K:BB ratio over 52 ABs in May) and has solid exit velocity and quickness, so his modest .241 BABIP seems like a fluke. The Guardians have been one of the more aggressive base-stealing teams this season, so there is SB potential. Small sample size caveat, but the generally pitcher-friendly Progressive Field has been extremely favorable to hitters so far in 2024, including a whopping 41% increase in home runs.
Freeman shines at the top spot, is eligible for four positions and is widely available in fantasy leagues.
