Deeper Hitter Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Waiver Wire Report for Week 8

We’re rounding around week eight of the fantasy baseball season. I know it takes some time to settle in, but there is no time to waste. Fantasy baseball necessitates hyper-vigilance, especially in deeper leagues where the waiver wires are quickly stripped of talent. This weekly article will outline the upcoming schedule, two-start pitchers, and a few waiver targets that are rostered in less than 5% of leagues.

It’s good practice to maximize at-bats and starts. A quick look at upcoming schedules for the eighth week of the MLB season could end up giving you the edge in this week’s play. There are plenty of two-start pitchers this week who should end up providing great value.

This article will discuss some deeper-league fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for week eight, May 15 through May 21. Often, guys who make hot starts typically extend them until at least June, so even if it is just the eighth week of the season, the waiver wires are the hottest they’ll ever be. Rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. Key point - this list will focus on rostered players in less than 5% of Yahoo! leagues.

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Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook

This week has some great schedules to target for fantasy. We still haven’t gotten a team with eight games, and there are two teams with five games on the docket. Most teams are playing six games, but the few teams that are playing seven are great targets for at-bats this week.

In this week’s weather report: clear skies for most of the country. New York City will get about an inch of rain on Friday. Atlanta is dealing with showers all week, but most of them are insignificant.

• 7 Games- LAD, NYM, STL, WAS, BAL, LAA, NYY, TOR
• 6 Games - MIN, MIA, CLE, HOU, SEA, CIN, COL, MIL, CHC, BOS, ATL, PHI, CWS, KC, OAK, TB, TEX, ARI, SF
• 5 Games - PIT, DET

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers

With the season settling in, there are starting pitchers of varying quality in this week’s two-start list. For more insight, check out Justin Raffone’s article on this week’s two-start pitchers.

• Merrill Kelly (@ OAK, @ PIT)
• Charlie Morton (@ TEX, vs SEA)
• Jameson Taillon (@ HOU, @ PHI)
• Hunter Greene (@ COL, vs. NYY)
• Connor Seabold (vs. CIN, @ TEX)
• Noah Syndergaard (vs. MIN, @ STL)
• Clayton Kershaw (vs. MIN, @ STL)
• Jesus Luzardo (vs. WAS, @ SF)
• Eric Lauer (@ STL, @ TB)
• David Peterson (@ WAS, vs. CLE)
• Bailey Falter (@ SF, vs. CHC)
• Michael Wacha (vs. KC, vs. BOS)
• Sean Manaea (vs. PHI, vs. MIA)
• Jack Flaherty (vs. MIL, vs. LAD)
• Jordan Montgomery (vs. MIL, vs. LAD)
• Patrick Corbin (vs. NYM, vs. DET)
• Josiah Gray (@ MIA, vs. DET)
• Grayson Rodriguez (vs. LAA, @ TOR)
• Dean Kremer (vs. LAA, @ TOR)
• Tanner Houck (vs. SEA, @ SD)
• Shane Bieber (@ CWS, @ NYM)
• Lance Lynn (vs. CLE, vs. KC)
• Michael Lorenzen (vs. PIT, @ WAS)
• Framber Valdez (vs. CHC, vs. OAK)
• Brad Keller (@ SD, @ CWS)
• Shohei Ohtani (@ BAL, vs. MIN)
• Pablo Lopez (@ LAD, @ LAA)
• Jhony Brito (@ TOR, @ CIN)
• Domingo German (@ TOR, @ CIN)
• Kyle Muller (vs. ARI, @ HOU)
• George Kirby (@ BOS, @ ATL)
• Yonny Chirinos (@ NYM, vs. MIL)
• Dane Dunning (vs. ATL, vs. COL)
• Alek Manoah (vs. NYY, vs. BAL)
• Kevin Gausman (vs. NYY, vs. BAL)

Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups

Ryan Noda (1B), Oakland Athletics

4% Rostered

Going into the season, few were focusing on Oakland's Ryan Noda. The Illinois native was expected to be a backup for fill-in Jesus Aguilar. And when top prospect Tyler Soderstrom eventually comes in, he'd be demoted to Triple-A.

But through 37 games this season, Noda is slashing .234/.419/.436 with three home runs, 21 RBI, and 10 runs. His OBP is because of a league-leading 21.8% walk rate. And with his 90.9 mph exit velocity and 13% barrel rate, the 27-year-old should end up as a double-digit home run bat.

Ryan Noda - Oakland Athletics (3)
pic.twitter.com/TJjiIJwVy5

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 29, 2023

Noda has now taken over Aguilar for the spot at first base. His role could change when Tyler Soderstrom debuts, but his performance this season has warranted a look in fantasy.

J.P. Crawford (SS), Seattle Mariners

5% Rostered

You usually don't see everyday starters on contenders get to such low rostered rates. J.P. Crawford was faded by many after tanking near the end of the season. You don't hit under the Mendoza line in September/October without losing the trust of a couple of fantasy managers. However burned you were by Crawford in 2022, he's still well worth a pickup this season.

It's looking like a standard J.P. Crawford season, with a .234/.382/.342 with a home run, 20 runs, 16 RBI, and a stolen base. But the underlying metrics show a potential for a better Crawford. His 90.1 mph average exit velocity is a jarring five mph more than his 2022 number. There have been few dramatic changes in his standard statistics because his 28.6% sweet-spot rate is roughly four-and-a-half points less than his career average.

When the 28-year-old starts getting better contact, he'll be incredibly dangerous on offense. His 18.2% walk rate will protect him from challenges to his everyday starter status. His current production already warrants a pickup, but he should turn it up a notch.

Bo Naylor (C), Cleveland Guardians

2% Rostered

Cam Gallagher has a -45 wRC+. Yeah, that's a negative sign. And it isn't like he's just a benchwarmer; Gallagher has 40 plate appearances this season. I guess it's more of an accomplishment than anything to stay on a major-league roster with a .206 OPS, but his run should end soon.

Gallagher's eventual demotion will leave Mike Zunino as the only catcher on the 26-man roster. The 32-year-old vet is no chump, but his .179 batting average just isn't enough to be the everyday catcher for a team with championship aspirations.

Luckily for Cleveland, Bo Naylor has been waiting in the wings. The team's top offensive prospect is slashing .256/.399/.456 with seven home runs, 25 runs, and 28 RBI in 35 Triple-A games. Naylor is a solid offensive player, especially for a catcher, and his 20 steals in 2022 allow him to be a five-category producer.

Currently, Naylor is a better option than Gallagher and should present a challenge to Zunino for an everyday role. With 20 steals in 2022, Naylor's speed and power should bring fantasy production. Stash him before he soon cements himself as an everyday catcher.

Paul DeJong (SS), St. Louis Cardinals

3% Rostered

"The last thing any major-league team wants is Paul DeJong as their starting shortstop."

Had you brought up Paul DeJong going into this season, the response would be one of passionate rage. While no one deserves the hate that the 29-year-old has gotten these past few years, he was terrible in 2022. In 77 games, he slashed .157/.245/.286 with a 33.3% strikeout rate. With that kind of line on a contending team, tomatoes will be thrown in your direction.

But in 2023, he has been reinvigorated. He began the season with a stay on the injured list, but through 14 games since returning, he is slashing .340/.404/.596 with three home runs and six RBI. His hard-hit rate has skyrocketed to 54.3%, his sweet-spot rate has gone up to 45.7%, and his .314 expected batting average shows that DeJong isn't doing this because of luck.

A .401 BABIP means slight regression is in store, but DeJong has pushed himself back into fantasy relevance. Pick him up.

Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups

Leody Taveras (OF), Texas Rangers

5% Rostered

Taveras was nearly in danger of losing his job, but a stellar May has pulled the 24-year-old right back into it.

It was a pitiful start for him, slashing .204/.271/.315 with a 27.1% strikeout rate in April. Through nine games this month, Taveras is slashing .455/.500/.606 with a home run, seven RBI, and a stolen base. He is making better contact this season, with a seven-point increase in hard-hit rate. While he should cool down, he should never get anywhere as bad as his performance in April.

His great defense (2 OAA) and speed (95th percentile in sprint speed) will always keep him in the mix, though his offense should stay at rosterable levels in fantasy for the rest of the season.

Alex Call (OF), Washington Nationals

2% Rostered

With Victor Robles and Corey Dickerson on the injured list, Alex Call gets the call (sorry, won't do that again). His .238/.333/.349 stat line is admittedly uninspiring, but he got into a groove this week. In the past five games, the 28-year-old is slashing .350/.409/.450 with three runs, two RBI, and a stolen base.

If you need someone to plug into your outfield for the next week, give Alex Call a call (sorry, last time).

Dominic Fletcher (OF), Arizona Diamondbacks

2% Rostered

With Jake McCarthy's demotion to Triple-A, Dominic Fletcher was called up to give the 25-year-old outfielder a chance in the majors. He has made the absolute most of it with a .438 wOBA and 1.115 OPS in 11 games this season. Take advantage of the hot hand and start Fletcher this week.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers