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We've flipped our calendars to June; are you feeling the heat yet? The baseball season waits for nobody and we're now roughly one-third of the way through a season that has, thus far, been very unkind to hitters. Yes, pitchers have dominated hitters to this point in the season, in part because league-wide home-run-to-fly-ball rate is down significantly from previous seasons.
| HR/FB% | HR/FB% |
| 2021 | 13.6% |
| 2022 | 11.4% |
| 2023 | 12.7% |
| 2024 | 10.8% |
What this means is that fly balls are turning into outs rather than home runs, significantly more often than most fantasy players are used to. The good news for hitters? HR/FB rate typically spikes in the summer months so, as the weather heats up, so should the bats. The hitters below are prime candidates set to take advantage of better-hitting weather as we barrel into the summer.
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single digits who deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 11 -- June 3 through June 9.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Davis Schneider, 2B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays (41% rostered)
The Blue Jays recently moved Davis Schneider up to the leadoff spot in the batting order and it's immediately paid dividends for the team and fantasy managers alike. For Schneider, it's certainly provided a boost to his counting stats as he's got 13 runs scored and 10 RBI in his last 14 games, including a six-game streak with a run scored. The 25-year-old has the perfect profile for a leadoff hitter as he's sporting a pristine 13.4% walk-rate which has led to a .354 on-base percentage, ranking him 28th among all qualified hitters league-wide.
It's not just elite plate discipline that makes Schneider an attractive fantasy option; his batted-ball metrics jump off the page as well. His 90.7 MPH average exit velocity is well above league average and his 14.6% barrel rate ranks in the 91st percentile in baseball. The 25-year-old seems to keep getting better with each passing month and he's earned himself regular at-bats with Toronto. Schneider is a player on the rise in fantasy and won't be this available in fantasy for much longer.
Joey Ortiz, 2B/3B, Milwaukee Brewers (42% rostered)
Not many players had a better month than Brewers rookie Joey Ortiz just had in May as he firmly established himself as a starter for Milwaukee. This past month, Ortiz batted .307 with a robust .977 OPS, which ranked 10th in all of baseball. He did all that damage thanks to a near 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio which helped raise his wOBA to .382, which ranks in the 92nd percentile in the league.
Toss in the fact Ortiz set a new career-best with a 111.5 MPH max exit velocity and his above-average sprint speed and we've got ourselves a potential five-category contributor in fantasy. This hot streak won't last all season, but Ortiz has all the tools to stick as an above-average player in the league. Right now, however, he's too hot to leave on waivers in any fantasy league.
Joey Ortiz last 7 games: 9-for-20, .522 OBP, 2 HR, 5 RBI…season OPS up to .958! Wow! pic.twitter.com/DgrY8thhEN
— Discuss Baseball (@discussbaseball) May 18, 2024
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (23% rostered)
Speaking of amazing months, Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn had his own incredible May as he slashed .309/.330/.469 for the month. This includes an ongoing 19-game hit streak in which he's got two homers, 11 RBI, six runs, two steals, and a .948 OPS. Better yet, the Cardinals have started batting Winn leadoff against lefties which should further bolster his case as a solid fantasy option.
What could hold Winn back is his pedestrian quality-of-contact metrics, as he doesn't hit the ball as hard as most of the higher-end shortstops in fantasy. What he lacks in power, however, he makes up for in contact ability (87.3% zone-contact rate) and speed as he's got 87th percentile sprint speed. Winn is a former top prospect who is still improving at only 22 years old. He's a great plug-and-play option in fantasy for those looking to ride the hot hand.
Masyn Winn's 18-game hit streak is the 2nd-longest rookie hitting streak in @Cardinals club history, trailing only Joe McEwing (25 in 1999).
Winn is 25-for-68 (.368) during the streak and has raised his average to .308. pic.twitter.com/vL1GT1jgUH
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 29, 2024
Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates (28% rostered)
Like Winn, Nick Gonzales is a former high-end prospect making noise in his second stint in the majors. Gonzales was once a top-10 pick in the MLB Draft, but struggled mightily last season as he batted just .209 with a sub-.300 OBP. He spent more time in Triple-A and it looks like something clicked for Gonzales as he's lighting the league on fire with Pittsburgh in 2024.
Now, it's only been 19 games, but Gonzales is batting .319 with a .536 slugging percentage. He won't sustain that pace all season, but he does have three homers and two steals while displaying improved contact skills from what he did last season. The Pirates are giving the 25-year-old an extended look as it's everyday 2B and so far so good for all parties involved. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues can get in on the fun as well since Gonzales is available in over 70% of fantasy leagues.
Waiver Wire Watch List
Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (9% rostered)
When the Diamondbacks placed their top-ranked prospect on the 60-day injured list during Spring Training, it felt like we'd never see him again. That's just how things go during fantasy draft season when every nugget of news is overanalyzed. Now, Jordan Lawlar (thumb) is playing in rehab games and could be back in the Arizona lineup sooner rather than later.
The Diamondbacks have gotten next to nothing from the shortstop position this season, so getting the ninth-ranked prospect in all of baseball could give the lineup a shot in the arm. Lawlar struggled in a cup of coffee in the big leagues last season -- he had a .129 batting average in 14 games -- but he remains a high-end prospect at only 21 years old. The time to stash Lawlar in fantasy is now as he could be a second-half breakout candidate for fantasy.
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