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Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup and add for Week 8 of the MLB season.
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues
ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays has been a mainstay in the No. 2 spot in the team's lineup lately. Going into Wednesday's action, he was riding a six-game hitting streak that has included a double, a triple and a home run.
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Hays is slashing .257/.319/.468 over 28 games on the year. He has five home runs, 15 RBI and 22 runs. There's strong reason to believe more power production is ahead. He has an 11.9% barrel rate, which is more than double any season-long barrel rate he's managed over his first three fractioned MLB seasons. And during those fractioned seasons, he was already producing home runs at a similar rate to what he's at now. He hit a total of eight home runs over 54 games from 2019 to 2020. He also has an average launch angle of 15.5 degrees in 2021, up from 11.5 degrees in 2019 and 11 degrees last year.
Anthony Santander (ankle) is nearing a return and that could cause Hays to drop in the order, but it's unlikely to hurt his playing time. Santander will likely take right field duties back from DJ Stewart, who has an uninspiring .216/.337/.318 slash line this year.
Hays is worth adding in all leagues of 12 teams or deeper for anyone who needs outfield help. He should provide solid power numbers and a good amount of runs at least for as long as he remains near the top of the order.
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