Luis Matos (OF, SF) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15

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ANALYSIS: After Mitch Haniger was lost to a fractured forearm on June 13, the Giants called up their top prospect Luis Matos to maintain their outfield depth.

Prior to his promotion Luis Matos had been on a tear in the Giants farm system. The outfielder started 2023 by reaching base safely in his first 17 games at Double-A Richmond. Matos only got better after being promoted to Triple-A, reaching base in 21 of his 24 games with Sacramento while slashing .398/.435/.685. 

Matos’s power grades are below average so the slugging he did in Sacramento shouldn’t be expected to carry over to the majors. It is instead Matos’s instinct for the strike zone that will make him a valuable hitter for the Giants and fantasy managers. Through his first 19 games, Matos’s batting average sits at .246 (just behind the league average of .249) but he walks at an 11.0% rate, which he is quite happy to do.

While a batting average that is a few points shy of the league-wide mark might not look enticing, Matos’s plate discipline so far indicates an upswing is on the way. Matos is swinging at fewer pitches outside the zone than the rest of the league contributing to a swinging strike rate of 8.6%, and is striking out at just a 13.7% rate. A sample size of 73 plate appearances is not much to draw on but as a minor leaguer Matos had a K rate of only 12.3%, indicating his eye really is that good.  

Having Matos’s fresh legs in center field every night might be what the Giants need to give their other outfielders the rest they need to stay off the injured list. If Luis Matos can maintain his above-average plate discipline his batting average and on-base percentage will rise above league averages as well. He is worth a speculative add in deep leagues or leagues that start five outfielders.

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