Top 5 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 8)

Something about diving deep into the waiver wire each week has started to become therapeutic. No matter what else has gone on that week, no matter how bad my teams have played or how long my work days have been, kicking back and diving into my research is soothing. It’s become my little baseball-filled paradise escape and it will never get old.

Now, sometimes that baseball-filled paradise is chock-full of high-performing players ready to set your leagues on fire. Other times we have to dig deep to find even the smallest performers who can help give your lineup even a slight boost. This week feels like the week we find some “bangers” as the kids like to say. Now that I’ve officially turned 36 I feel like that’s a phrase that fits my age bracket.

Full disclosure, I’m writing the majority of this article Friday evening as opposed to Saturday night like I traditionally do. It’s my birthday weekend so me and the family are headed out to camp and fish all weekend in the sunshine (which we don’t get much of in Washington). By the time you read this Sunday, there may be a game’s worth of data unaccounted for with some players. Let’s hope that the data is good rather than everyone going 0-4 with four strikeouts.

It’s also going to be formatted a bit differently than I traditionally do. Next week we’ll get back to our favorite by all position groupings but this time we’re just flat out going with my favorites. Without further ado, let’s dive into my favorite fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups of Week 8.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 8)

David Fry (1B, C, OF – CLE)

CBS: 12% | Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 5%

David Fry is a player who has been on my watch list for a few weeks. I’ve avoided adding him to this list due to playing time issues. Yes, the numbers had been good but when a guy is only playing three days a week it becomes tough to recommend adding them. Thankfully, Fry has hit his way into the lineup a bit more lately so he becomes rosterable at least for now. He’s still going to be sat on random days, but you’re not going to find another player with eligibility at catcher, infield and outfield. He’s got at least one hit in his last seven games including two doubles and a home run. As long as he plays, he makes for a good second catcher in two-catcher leagues.

Shea Langeliers (C – OAK)

CBS: 42% | Yahoo: 17% | ESPN: 5%

This spot almost went to Ivan Herrera. Instead, it’s going to go to maybe the hottest catcher in baseball. This is nothing new for Shea Langeliers. He’s your prototypical “when he’s hot, he’s hot and when he’s not, he’s not” type of player. And right now, he’s hot. In his last 14 games, he’s hitting .264 with five home runs, four doubles, two triples, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored. This is even more impressive when you look outside the surface-level stats. In that timeframe he cut his strikeout rate down to 15%, he’s made 88% zone contact and he has an absurd 23% barrel rate. He may not stay hot forever, but he’s on a heater right now that shouldn’t be ignored. He’s worth an add in any league you feel you need the help in.

Jon Singleton (1B – HOU)

CBS: 13% | Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 2%

Jon Singleton is here for one reason and one reason only. Power. One of the hardest things to find on the waiver wire every year is a player with the potential to eclipse that 25+ home run threshold. Singleton doesn’t do much, but he does have the ability to do that. In his last 14 games, he’s hit four home runs and exactly zero other extra-base hits. He combines excellent zone contact (91.1%), with good quality contact (44.7% hard-hit rate) and the ability to pull fly balls at a well above-league-average rate (11.1%). If he continues to do that he has the potential to put together a 2022 Giancarlo Stanton season when he hit 31 home runs and just seven doubles. He’s not great in a points league, but in deep 12-team or larger roto and category leagues, he has some utility.

Jon Berti (3B, SS, 2B, OF – NYY)

CBS: 4% | Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 1%

The corner infield section became the battle of dueling Jons completely unintentionally. For as much power as Singleton brings to your lineup, Jon Berti brings that same vibe but with only speed rather than raw power. He was just activated off of the injury list four games ago and has already come back with a bang. In that timeframe, he’s registered multiple hits twice, scored a run twice and stole two bases. He’s coming off of back-to-back seasons where he led baseball in steals for one and just missed hitting for .300 in the other. He’s going to bat near the bottom of a potent lineup that will allow him to contribute in multiple categories with ease. He won’t go yard, but Berti makes for a great multi-category contributor for the time being.

Dairon Blanco (OF – KC)

CBS: 3% | Yahoo: 2% | ESPN: 1%

We’ve already got a power guy in Singleton and a speed guy in Berti, so why not add a guy with the potential to do a bit of both? Dairon Blanco isn’t necessarily known as a power guy, but he’s got enough to make it interesting. And he proved that on Thursday racking up three hits, a home run and two stolen bases. He is coming off a 2023 season in which he stole 71 bases in 118 games with 25 XBH. He’s seen an increase in barrel and hard-hit rates this season and is starting to profile like a poor man’s Maikel Garcia. If he continues to get consistent at-bats he becomes a great option in roto/category formats moving forward.