Austin Lowell | Sun, Sep 8th 2024, 7:57am EDT

Top 9 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 24 (2024)

Three weeks to go in the fantasy baseball season and for those of you still in it, you deserve a medal. It’s no easy task lasting until the end and winding up in the winner’s circle. As we all know, the baseball season is a half-year marathon and that’s not including the months of planning beforehand. But don’t quit now. You’re so close. A few right moves could place you over the top, so follow me as we journey forth into the realm of waiver wire pickups for week 24.

These next nine players are all rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo leagues and deserve your attention now. There is a nice variety for you to choose from this week, including some younger players taking the league by storm and a few veterans finding their stride. Whatever your need, we’ve got you covered. Without further delay, here are this week’s top waiver wire selections.

Top 9 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 24)

Porter Hodge (RP – CHC): 29%

I don’t normally repeat players but when I initially spoke about Porter Hodge it was in tandem with Jose Lopez. With Lopez now on the injured list (IL), the closing job should be Hodges’ alone. Hodges put the finishing touches on Wednesday’s no-hitter, lowering his ERA and WHIP respectively to 1.75 and 0.89. The power righty also has 45 strikeouts over 36 innings. Hodge is a must-add if you need saves.

Brendan Donovan (1B, 2B, 3B, OF – STL): 48%

Brendan Donovan’s been a machine for the Cards lately, hitting in seven of his last eight games. The 27-year-old from Germany has a career batting average of .276, so a continual climb is likely on the horizon. Although he bats left-handed, Donovan hits both lefties and righties well, plus his glove will likely keep him in the lineup on a nightly basis. He’s currently batting either fourth or fifth in the Cardinals’ lineup and is worthy of a shot for those in need of batting average or a boost at MI or CI positions.

Matthew Boyd (SP – CLE): 29%

Matthew Boyd has had such an up-and-down career. I was hesitant to add him this season. But after holding the Dodgers to just three base runners and one run over six innings, I was sold. It was Boyd’s third game in a row lasting six innings and his fourth out of five allowing just one run. Since Cleveland activated him, the journeyman lefty has registered a 2.20 ERA and 0.77 WHIP over five starts (28.2 innings). Boyd also struck out 26 while allowing just five walks.

Boyd had a few runs in Detroit where he pitched like an ace, especially in 2019. He struck out 238 in that year and was nearly unhittable for half the season. Cleveland’s known for developing great pitching and they may have just reinvented Mr. Boyd. He’s worth adding everywhere for his upcoming match with the lowly White Sox.

Seth Brown (1B, OF – OAK): 21%

Oakland’s been scoring in bunches lately and Seth Brown is a big reason why. The veteran outfielder is now 20 for his last 50 (.400 batting average) and 26 for his last 64 (.406). He’s launched four home runs over that span and driven in an impressive 20 runs. The lefty-swinging Brown has also recorded eight multi-hit games over his last 13 games. Brown was a solid fantasy contributor two years ago when he hit 25 home runs and drove in 73. He’s now surrounded by much better talent and will likely be an excellent source for RBI, home runs and possibly batting average down the stretch.

Mickey Moniak (OF – LAA): 6%

Mickey Moniak was a stud last year for the Angels. He finished the year with a .280 average, 14 home runs and 45 RBI over 85 games. His strikeout rate and balls-in-play average did hint at a slight regression this season, but the former number-one overall pick was still projected to have a productive year. After a subpar spring training, Ron Washington decided to start Moniak on the bench. The former top prospect never really got into a rhythm and therefore registered some very pedestrian numbers.

Now that the Angels are dealing with multiple injuries and their playoff hopes have long evaporated, Moniak is finally getting the chance to regularly contribute. The youthful outfielder has started nine out of the last 10 games and has performed exceptionally well. The former Philly has crushed five home runs since August 28th and has knocked in a whopping 11 RBI. He’s 11 for his last 33. With regular playing time, it’s not hard to imagine Moniak continuing to produce.

Connor Norby (2B, 3B – MIA): 50%

I mentioned Connor Norby a few weeks back, but his name bears acknowledging again. Norby can do a bit of everything on the baseball field. He can run, he can hit and he’s outstanding with the glove. The former Orioles prospect has been a standout since joining the Marlins (they acquired him at the trade deadline). Since the move, the 24-year-old has produced a .319 average with four home runs and two stolen bases. He’s also scored 16 times despite accumulating just 69 at-bats.

Norby is currently hitting in the two-hole with one of the better lead-off men in the league (Xavier Edwards) batting in front of him. Norby will likely be a solid contributor for batting average, runs scored and RBI during the coming weeks. He’s continued to come up clutch for the club and should be a regular top-of-the-order bat for the rest of the season. He deserves a roster spot in most leagues.

Cody Bradford (SP, RP – TEX): 49%

Cody Bradford just keeps rolling along recording outs. While not a household name by any means, the southpaw from Aledo, Texas has quietly been doing his job extremely well. Over the last month, Bradford’s allowed just nine runs over 32 innings of work (2.53 ERA). He’s kept the ball in the yard by allowing just three home runs and he rarely issues a free pass, surrendering six over his last five starts. Bradford’s ERA currently sits at just a smidge above 3.00. Perhaps even more impressive is his microscopic WHIP (0.87). He strikes out a decent amount of hitters, too, at a rate of 8.1/9. With all the other fine numbers Bradford creates, the latest lefty from Texas makes for a fine addition to any fantasy club.

Luis L. Ortiz (SP, RP – PIT): 38%

Luis Ortiz, like Bradford, is an outs machine. While he also doesn’t rack up a ton of strikeouts, Ortiz does a great job at missing barrels and inducing weak contact. If you can only take one, I’d focus on Bradford, but Ortiz is a fine consolidation prize. From the end of June to near the end of July, Ortiz allowed just three runners to score over 26.2 innings (1.01 ERA). He then went into a bit of a lull period, surrendering far too many home runs. However, after the cold spell, Ortiz put together back-to-back zero-run outings, lasting six innings in both. On the season, Ortiz’s numbers appear well above average as does his Statcast profile. His 1.11 WHIP will continue to be useful in nearly all league types. Add him before he takes on the Royals at home on Friday.

Garrett Mitchell (OF – MIL): 4%

Garrett Mitchell missed most of the season due to injury. It took him a while to get acclimated once activated. Now nearly two months removed, Mitchell is finally producing. Over the last week and a half, Mitchell stole three bases, hit two home runs and scored seven times. The 25-year-old outfielder even hit in the clean-up spot these last few days. Mitchell possesses the rare power-speed combo commonly sought after in fantasy leagues. He’s cooled off a bit of late but with mostly righties penciled in on the docket, Mitchell is worth a look in deeper leagues.

Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.

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