So let’s get one thing straight, Christopher Morel is so good at baseball. I get it, he played out of his mind in the first half of 2022 and then had a pretty drastic fall from grace in the second half. I understand that. What he’s proven to us so far this year, though, is that he was worth the add in every single league that he had been available. And if you followed my waiver wire priority adds last week, you’re likely reaping the rewards right now.
These waiver wire articles have been so fun to do. When I write them, I try and focus on guys that will offer legitimate sustained value for longer than just the week ahead. This may cause me to miss a player or two, like Nolan Gorman, because I would rather be right than hasty. But overall, it’s well worth it. Being sure of the roster moves you make is important to a successful fantasy baseball season.
We’ve reached the point in the season where sample sizes are big enough to get a real feel for how a player is going to produce. With that being said, let’s go ahead and hop into some of my favorite waiver wire additions for week eight.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets
Check out our top fantasy baseball waiver wire targets of the week.
Waiver Wire Priority Additions
He was one of my priority addition recommendations last week and he returns for the second week in a row. The only knock I have on him so far is the fact that he hasn’t taken a walk in 11 games. Outside of that, all there is to see is the upside. In his 11 games so far he’s hitting .372 with four doubles, two home runs, and just seven strikeouts. He’s barreling the ball up at a 12.1% clip and his .380 xwOBA and .336 xBA show he can sustain a lot of this production. The average will certainly regress a bit because of his high BABIP, but Schmitt is putting up numbers that make him viable in both category and points leagues.
Ezequiel Duran (2B/SS/3B/OF – TEX)
I do and don’t like adding guys like Duran to this list. Because on one hand, he’s owned in 63% of Yahoo and 65% of Fantrax leagues. Not really waiver wire worthy. The reason he’s here, though, is the fact that he’s owned in just 15% of ESPN leagues which is criminally low. The question mark around Duran was whether or not he would see consistent playing time once Seager came back. Since that’s happened, Duran has gone 6-10 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI, and a stolen base. They’re going to find playing time for him and ESPN leagues need to find time for him on their roster.
The real James Paxton is back, baby! The Big Maple is finally healthy and showing why he was so beloved by Mariners fans before moving on to greener pastures. In his two starts, he’s flashed that dominant fastball. Averaging 96.2 MPH currently, the highest fastball average he’s had since 2016. In fact, 2016 is the only time he’s had a higher average velocity on his fastball. Pair that with the 12 inches of vertical break that it gets (60% above league average) and you have a legitimate out pitch. He lines up next against the Angels and as long as he’s healthy, he’s worth an addition in all leagues.
James Paxton, K'ing the Side. pic.twitter.com/0NWv3UMK7X
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 13, 2023
It’s been a season of hot and cold streaks so far for Soler, so when you see he’s hot you need to add him right away. Batting average has never been his strong suit, but since May 4th, Soler has hit .283 with six home runs and 14 RBI. For the season as a whole, his power numbers have been just as impressive. His 19.1% barrel rate, 114.8 MPH max exit velocity, and .561 xSLG are all in the 93rd percentile or better. He’s currently headed to Colorado for a four-game series where he may very well come away with a handful more home runs. He’s worth an add in all leagues this week.
Deep League Additions
We had a stretch there where we wondered if Burger even had a chance to get everyday at-bats for the White Sox. They’ve since realized they’re a dumpster fire and should keep the hot-hitting corner infielder in the lineup, much to my excitement. In 29 games he’s hit .292 with six doubles, a triple, and 10 home runs while driving in 23. He’s done all of this while making impressively hard contact. His 118.2 MPH max exit velocity is the second highest in baseball. His 14.6 BRL/PA% is the ninth highest in baseball. He’s hitting .423 with three of those home runs over the last week and has quickly become an under-rostered gem.
Admittedly, De La Cruz was on my “must-own” list of players before the season. Other than his strikeout rate being a little higher than you’d like to see, there isn’t much to complain about. He’s currently in the middle of a 14-game hitting streak where he’s hitting .373 with five doubles, three home runs, nine runs scored, and nine RBI. He’s also swiped a couple of bases in the process. He has an upcoming four-game road series in Colorado which should boost his power numbers even further and cement him as an option in more than just five outfield leagues.
He’s played just two games, but Vientos has already shown enough to be worth an add to your fantasy baseball roster. He’s more of a 12+ team league addition at this point, but if he keeps making the contact he has been, that will change. In 38 minor league games this year he hit .333 with 11 doubles, 13 home runs, and just a 20% strikeout rate. Since being called up he’s already hit a home run and has an average exit velocity of 96 MPH. The Mets will need to find him at-bats, but getting in on him early will pay off when he goes on to hit 20+ HR this year.
So far, #Mets rookie Mark Vientos has made crazy hard contact. In 2 games, his batted batted ball events look like this:
99.6 MPH
107.5 MPH
103.6 MPH
102.7 MPH
50.3 MPH
102.6 MPH
105.8 MPHHe has just 2 hits so far, but that power is real#LGM
pic.twitter.com/nYIKhPriL0— Blake Meyer (@Buhhlockaye) May 21, 2023
It’s hard to target pitchers for deep leagues because pitching this year has been so inconsistent, but it’s only right we have at least one on the list. Lorenzen fits that bill. He lines up as a two-start pitcher in week 8 and is set to face the Royals and White Sox. Two teams that are on the easier side of things as far as pitching matchups go. In his last three starts, Lorenzen has gone 20 innings while giving up two runs and striking out 11. He’s given up one or fewer runs in four of his last five starts all coming against quality opponents. He may also be the only pitcher in baseball who throws seven different pitches. All but his sinker have a 20% whiff rate or higher. He makes a great streaming option this week and beyond.
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