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Welcome back RotoBallers! This article will discuss our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for the outfield in Week 14 -- June 24 through June 30. The time has come to start making those tough roster decisions and potentially cut ties with some of the struggling players who excited you on draft day. Trading in some of these early busts for players with more promising ceilings can be crucial to fantasy baseball success in the long run.
With the sample size becoming more substantial, we can start making better-informed decisions on the legitimacy of 2024 player performance. This article will highlight the guys who are trending upward and those whose standing with their team has changed significantly for one reason or another. At this stage, plenty remains speculative, but it's better to get out in front of the trends.
The names in this article are in order of rostered percentage and are not indicative of a confidence ranking. Rostered percentages can change quickly, so be quick to check your leagues for availability.
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Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Standard Leagues
Bryan De La Cruz, Miami Marlins (48% Rostered)
A recent power surge has made Bryan De La Cruz a key name to mention this week. After going yard three times in the last four games, the 27-year-old is up to 14 home runs on the season and is well on his way to surpassing his career-high mark of 19 long balls set in 2023. Overall, De La Cruz sports a respectable .744 OPS with a 108 wRC+, establishing himself as a crucial contributor in the Miami Marlins lineup.
Despite a bloated 25.2% strikeout rate, De La Cruz's underlying numbers support his power output. The impressive batted-ball profile includes a .494 xSLG, 11.6% barrel rate, and a 42.1% hard-hit rate. Further, De La Cruz's aggressive approach will stifle his walk rate, though a .268 xBA and a .346 xwOBA suggest there is room for positive regression with his on-base percentage.
Joc Pederson, Arizona Diamondbacks (44% Rostered)
Joc Pederson has been among the fastest risers in fantasy baseball lately, seeing his roster percentage nearly triple over the past week. The funny part of that trend is that nothing has meaningfully changed during that span. Pederson remains moderately limited by a strong-side platoon designation, while his outstanding production has been business as usual for the 2024 season so far. Overall, the 32-year-old is slashing .302/.399/.536 with 10 home runs and a 163 wRC+. Now that the word is out on Pederson, this may be the last call in many leagues.
Looking under the hood, Pederson's advanced numbers fully support his success. His batted-ball profile consists of a prolific 50.4% hard-hit rate alongside similarly impressive numbers, such as a .475 xSLG, 11.5% barrel rate, and a .282 xBA. The recent attention Pederson is receiving is absolutely deserved.
Jarred Kelenic, Atlanta Braves (34% Rostered)
Injuries to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II have thrust Jarred Kelenic into an everyday playing role and into the leadoff spot for the Atlanta Braves. The 24-year-old has thrived in his new role, hitting safely in eight consecutive games. Overall, Kelenic is up to a .268/.310/.426 slash line with a 108 wRC+ this season. The surface numbers don't exactly pop, but the former top prospect may finally be on the verge of realizing his potential in the big leagues.
Back-to-back days with a blast for Jarred Kelenic! pic.twitter.com/qkg23Qy7x8
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2024
Kelenic's success includes some worthwhile batted-ball metrics, including a 45.8% hard-hit rate, 9.9% barrel rate, .433 xSLG, and a 40.5% sweet-spot rate. It's hard to argue against the results when he puts the ball in play, but strikeouts continue to be a limiting factor in Kelenic's offensive approach. His 29.6% strikeout rate in 2024 is only a modest improvement from his ugly career mark. Still, Kelenic has seemingly turned a corner this month, cutting his strikeout rate to 25.4% en route to a .825 OPS and a 131 wRC+. If that trend continues, look to Kelenic as a breakout candidate.
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates (12% Rostered)
The flip side of "breakout candidate" is "he's still surprisingly pretty good." That's where Andrew McCutchen comes into play. The 37-year-old ex-MVP is undoubtedly beyond his prime, but contrary to his modest roster percentage, he's still surprisingly pretty good. McCutchen sports a .735 OPS with 10 home runs and a 110 wRC+ on the season as he defies aging expectations.
It would be reasonable to assume that McCutchen has been somewhat lucky in 2024, but the advanced numbers absolutely disagree. Despite a career-worst 26.3% strikeout rate, McCutchen is producing some of his best batted-ball metrics of the past decade. Those marks include a .490 xSLG, a 13.3% barrel rate, and a 38.2% sweet-spot rate. His elite plate discipline has not waivered with age either, chasing on only 17.7% of pitches outside the strike zone and maintaining a 10.7% walk rate. McCutchen won't return to MVP form, but he is still a worthwhile fantasy asset.
Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Deeper Leagues
Jake McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks (10% Rostered)
Jake McCarthy is another Arizona Diamondbacks hitter who has performed well all season. He sports a strong .293/.376/.415 slash line with a 127 wRC+ for the campaign. While a strong-side platoon designation generally limits McCarthy, it is not as strict as some others in the Diamondbacks lineup, and the production has been worthwhile whenever he is out there.
McCarthy doesn't offer much in terms of power hitting, but a .273 xBA underscores his ability to hit for average. Combining that with a 17.7% strikeout rate and a 9.4% walk rate, that all amounts to a .336 xwOBA. In short, McCarthy frequently gets on base, and with his 12 stolen bases, there is underrated fantasy appeal to extract.
Joey Loperfido, Houston Astros (8% Rostered)
We've had several false starts with Joey Loperfido this season, but he may finally be on the cusp of regular playing time. Following his most recent call-up on Friday, Loperfido has started in consecutive games for the first time in over a month. He has seemingly passed over Trey Cabbage in the pecking order, and has outperformed Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon, putting pressure on the Houston Astros to give Loperfido an extended look.
Whatever the reason might be for Loperfido's inconsistent role with the big league roster so far, it is not performance. Across 16 games played, he has generated a .372/.413/.512 slash line with a 166 wRC+. The hot stretch picks up right where Loperfido left off in the minor leagues, posting a .933 OPS with 13 home runs and nine stolen bases through 39 games in Triple-A this season. Playing time remains the only identifiable factor blocking Loperfido from a potential breakout.
Trevor Larnach, Minnesota Twins (1% Rostered)
Consider it an opportunity that Trevor Larnach has not caught on yet in fantasy leagues. Despite a cold performance in May, he owns a respectable .741 OPS with seven home runs and a 110 wRC+ overall in 2024. A platoon role and time spent on the injured list have limited Larnach to only 45 games played this season, but he is capable of much better production than the surface numbers tell us.
Love watching Trevor Larnach this year#MNTwins
pic.twitter.com/75Fl5dCFEb— Twins Talk (@LetsTalk_Twins) June 17, 2024
The underlying metrics suggest Larnach may be the name to target if you have already missed the boat on guys like Joc Pederson and Ryan O'Hearn. In addition to an above-average 19.8% strikeout rate, Larnach is clobbering the baseball to the tune of a .508 xSLG, 44.1% hard-hit rate, 9.3% barrel rate, and a 91.9 MPH average exit velocity. There is significant positive regression in Larnach's future.
More Players to Consider
- Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles (44% rostered)
- Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals (42% rostered)
- Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox (35% rostered)
- Matt Vierling, Detroit Tigers (33% rostered)
- Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers (33% rostered)
- JJ Bleday, Oakland Athletics (26% rostered)
- Kevin Pillar, Los Angeles Angels (24% rostered)
- Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels (18% rostered)
- Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds (15% rostered)
More Deep-League Players to Consider
- Jake Meyers, Houston Astros (9% rostered)
- Tommy Pham, Chicago White Sox (6% rostered)
- Gavin Sheets, Chicago White Sox (6% rostered)
- Harrison Bader, New York Mets (4% rostered)
- Will Brennan, Cleveland Guardians (4% rostered)
- Brett Wisely, San Francisco Giants (3% rostered)
- Justyn-Henry Malloy, Detroit Tigers (1% rostered)
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