Alright, ladies and gents, I’m back. After taking a much-needed hiatus, I’m fully refreshed, recharged, and ready to hit the ground running. I’ll do my best to keep up the top-notch work of my illustrious colleague, Mr. Blake Meyer. He’s been a staple around these parts for some time now, and we’ll truly miss him. His weekly waiver report was excellent and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors!
The waiver wire has been my specialty for the last five years. Since 2020, I have been tasked with covering the weekly waiver wire pickups by category column, but now I have a little more free rein, and I tend to run with it.
You’ll see players week to week that you may be surprised to see or maybe have never even heard of before. But believe me when I tell you the key to winning this crazy thing we call fantasy sports is to get ahead of the trends. If I can shed light on a player before everyone else does, then I’ve done my job, and you’ll be the wiser for it. Hopefully, I can help make you guys some money and, perhaps even more importantly, earn you some bragging rights by season’s end.
I’ll be focusing on players who are currently rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues that can and should help you in the immediate future. I’ll try to stick with 10 new players each week unless there’s someone who absolutely requires repeating. Some weeks there may be more than ten, some less. But however many there may be, they will be worth focusing on as the coming week approaches.
That’s enough talk for now. Thanks for following along, and I look forward to bringing you the top waiver wire adds throughout the rest of the season. Without further ado, here are this week’s top waiver wire pickups as we head into the All-Star break.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Tools
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 17)
Rece Hinds (OF – CIN): 46%
We have no choice but to start the list with Rece Hinds. By the time you read this, it’s likely too late, but seeing as he’s still rostered in just under 50% of leagues, I had no choice but to include him. No rookie has started as hot as Hinds since, well, ever. No MLB player ever has recorded five extra-base hits in his first two big-league games. He followed that performance up with back-to-back games with a stolen base and concluded his fifth major league game with a grand slam. He now has this feat to add to his name as well.
Rece Hinds’ 7 extra-base hits are tied for the most by a player in his first 5 career games (since at least 1901), with:
2018 Rowdy Tellez
2014 Jorge Soler
2012 Will Middlebrooks
2008 Chris Dickerson https://t.co/LrUJsZ4dKg— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 13, 2024
The knock on Hinds is he strikes out too much and didn’t hit that well in the Minors. My answer to that is, who cares? As long as he’s performing like this, he’s a must-start in all leagues. Ride the wave for as long as it takes you. The Reds definitely will.
Colt Keith (2B, 3B – DET): 48%
The Tigers’ lineup leaves a lot to be desired, but Keith has been a man among boys. Entering into the season, expectations were high for the Tigers’ third-ranked prospect. So much so that the organization signed him to a six-year guaranteed contract before he even stepped foot on a major league field. After struggling in April, as most sluggers did, Keith hit the ground running in May, mashing for a .342 average over 24 games. The competition adjusted, and he cooled off in early June, but by the end of the month, he had started to rake again. Keith collected 16 hits over the last two weeks of the month and then exploded in July.
Over his last ten games, while regularly batting second, the 22-year-old phenom registered a .351 average with four homers, nine RBIs, 12 runs, and a stolen base. Not bad for a rookie on a team that struggles to score runs.
After crushing 27 home runs and batting well over .300 last year in Triple-A, his performance is hardly surprising. As a left-handed hitter, he’s been hammering off-speed pitches, leading to .493 SLG (which includes a forgetful April). Keith sits occasionally against southpaws but when a right-handed heavy schedule hits, you will want this young man in your lineup.
Michael Toglia (1B, OF – COL): 6%
Toglia isn’t for everyone, as his average will likely bring you down, and he’s not going to swipe any bags. But the former Bruin hits dingers. After crushing nine taters in Albuquerque, Triple-A, the six-foot-five first baseman launched 12 more long balls in 161 Major League at-bats. Since his most recent call-up, Toglia has amassed eight home runs and 21 RBIs over 127 at-bats. That pace translates to 38 homers and 99 RBIs over a 600-at-bat season. Toglia will likely cool off at some point, but the homers and RBIs shouldn’t dip by much.
Another green flag working in Toglia’s favor is that half his long balls have come on the road away from Coors. He’s also equally split his home runs against righties and lefties (six each – although he’s had more plate appearances against righties). His 92.6 average exit velocity would rank in the top 10% of hitters if he qualified, and his 16.8 barrel percentage would rank in the top five. If your power numbers are lacking, the switch-hitting Toglia is a solid addition in deeper leagues.
MICHAEL TOGLIA OPPOSITE FIELD 2 RUN BOMB #Rockies
pic.twitter.com/4A6TTbORzb— PrimeMakar8 (@retro_colorado) July 10, 2024
Eugenio Suarez (3B – ARI): 24%
Suarez needed to start playing better to keep his job and he’s done just that. With the 21-year-old third baseman Deyvison De Los Santos crushing baseballs on a nightly basis down on the farm, Suarez looked all but cooked at the beginning of summer. But just as everyone was ready to write him off, the soon-to-be 33-year-old started to rake. Suarez has been up to his old tricks, launching balls into the seats while driving in droves. Over the last nine games, the Diamondbacks’ third baseman has crushed three home runs and driven in 12, with one of them coming against Max Fried in a 1-0 final.
Suarez hasn’t finished a season with less than 79 RBIs or 22 home runs since 2016 (not including the shortened season where he still produced a whopping 15 home runs and 38 RBIs). He’s a steady run producer, and while he strikes out way too much, his career double-digit barrel rate should keep the homers and RBIs coming.
Lars Nootbaar (OF – STL): 28%
Nootbaar was high on a lot of lists coming into the season, but the injury bug struck, and he was left for waiver fodder. Now once again fully healthy, the Cardinals outfielder represents a possible stat stuffer. Capable of filling up the stat sheet on a nightly basis, Nootbaar can boost your numbers across the board. In four games since his prolonged absence, the USC alum has registered five hits, including a home run.
Last season, Nootbaar exhibited an exquisite eye at the plate, resulting in a 14.3 walk percentage. All those walks combined with a decent average, Nootbaar scored 74 times in just 117 games. He also hit 14 home runs and stole 11 bases. The Cardinals have struggled to score runs this year, but with their key elements finally starting to produce and their top-on-base weapon back in the fold, look for Nootbaar and company to do damage in the second half.
Esteury Ruiz (OF – OAK): 21%
The leader in stolen bases last year should return immediately following the All-Star break. The speedy Ruiz has been on this shelf since mid-May but now he’s finally back rehabbing. In two rehab games in Triple-A, Ruiz far has already collected three hits and one steal. He didn’t do much before he went down with a wrist injury but the A’s are still trying to figure out if he is part of their future. Ruiz should see plenty of opportunity once he returns and is worth a flier for those in dire need of steals.
Rowdy Tellez (1B – PIT): 16%
Tellez is another player who looked to be on his way out before recapturing his swing and going on a resurgence. The man who hit 35 homers for the Brewers just two years ago has produced a .350 average since June 1st while swatting seven home runs. Tellez has 22 RBIs in that span and has increased his xwOBA from the low .200s in April to nearly .400 in July. Tellez has been hitting to all fields and has been a monster against righties, slugging over .600 against them since summer began. He still plays for the offensively challenged Pirates, but if Bryan Reynolds can continue to reach base, there’s a good chance Tellez will continue to knock him in.
Luis L. Ortiz (SP, RP – PIT): 18%
Injuries have forced Ortiz into the starting rotation, where he looks like he should have been all along. In two starts, the righty hurler has allowed just one run over 12 innings. He also registered a 0.67 WHIP with 12 Ks. What’s perhaps even more impressive are the teams he shut down and their locations. The first came on the road in Cincinnati’s bandbox of a stadium, and the second came against the red-hot Mets, who had scored 14 runs just two days prior.
Ortiz possesses a solid five-pitch mix featuring a slider he heavily relies on. That offering, along with his 96+ heater, has produced a .213 batting average, a .211 xBA, and a wOBA of .263. He’s on tap to face the White Sox on Saturday, and my money is on more of the same.
Jose Soriano (SP, RP – LAA): 16%
Soriano pitches for the Angeles, so he won’t grant you many wins, but in deeper leagues, he possesses value. Besides his 100-mile-per-hour heater and filthy splitter, Soriano does what very few triple-digit arms can do: he gets ground balls. Soriano’s fastball sinks, and it doesn’t just sink like other successful sinkerballers out there. Soriano’s sinker averages nearly five more inches of vertical break than the league average. That puts him near the top of the league in that category. The extra sink on the ball has led to an astounding 60.6 GB%. With so many ground balls and a walk rate under 10%, Soriano has been able to maintain a very solid 1.18 WHIP.
His ERA is mediocre for fantasy purposes at 3.87, and despite throwing exceptionally hard, he doesn’t strike out a lot of hitters. That said, he’s kept his team in nearly every game he’s pitched, and with such a nasty repertoire, he’s unlikely to suffer a blowup game. Soriano’s lack of wins and K’s should keep him on the waiver wire list in shallow leagues, but with Oakland coming up after the break. He’s worth a look in deeper ones.
José Soriano, Hammers. ???? pic.twitter.com/v0qKks0TM5
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 3, 2024
Andrew Heaney (SP, RP – TEX): 26%
Heaney is a notoriously streaky pitcher, and after witnessing his outing against the top-scoring team in baseball last week, I knew it was time to pick him up. The Rangers have been turning it on lately, winning seven of their last 11 games, and Heany has fit right in, dominating over his last several starts. He’s been especially impressive of late, allowing just eight hits and two walks over his last 12.1 innings while striking out 17. He has surrendered more than two earned runs just four times since May 1st, and all of those outings were of the three-run variety. Heaney’s ERA over his last 13 starts is 2.95, and he deserves a look in all leagues, with him likely facing off against the White Sox after the break.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
