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In a season that's been mostly dominated by pitchers, there sure doesn't seem to be a shortage of middle infielders doing interesting things for fantasy. Thanks to an influx of young talent over the past two seasons, there are plenty of high-upside options on waivers that should be more rostered in fantasy. However, they can't seem to crack the 50%-rostered threshold because shortstop may be the deepest position in fantasy baseball, while second base also doesn't lack for high-end fantasy options.
This means if you are in the market for an upgrade up the middle, there are options aplenty. Below are some of the most intriguing players making noise for fantasy managers that are still widely available. Everyone listed should be rostered in more leagues, and now may be the last chance to pick up a particular Pirates prospect who has seen his rostered rate skyrocket over the last couple of weeks.
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 13 -- June 17 through June 23.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates (47% rostered)
In the intro, we alluded to Nick Gonzales, and the fact he's still available in roughly half of fantasy leagues feels criminal. Gonzales has been a revelation for the Pirates since he was called up and now is the time to act in fantasy if he's still out there in your league.
In 29 games since being recalled, Gonzales is batting .304 with four homers, 23 RBI, 14 runs scored, and two steals. This hot stretch is after he crushed Triple-A to the tune of a .358 BA with a whopping .608 slugging percentage. Yes, Gonzales was bad in his first stint in the majors, but that's ancient history now and he's showing all the signs of a budding star. The 25-year-old is a former top-10 overall pick in the MLB Draft and is living up to his prospect pedigree in his second chance with Pittsburgh.
Nick Gonzales makes it a brand new game with a two-run homer! pic.twitter.com/qqf1qGKoak
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 6, 2024
Davis Schneider, 2B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays (33% rostered)
The bad news for Davis Schneider is he's batting .230 on the season. The good news? It's not 1950 and we have better ways of evaluating a player's worth besides his number of hits divided by at-bats. Schneider is one of the best hitters that casual baseball fans don't know about thanks to his elite on-base ability mixed with great quality-of-contact metrics.
Let's start with Schneider's .323 on-base percentage. We can note that it's almost 100 points higher than his batting average and it led to Schneider getting an extended look as the leadoff hitter for the Blue Jays. With a sturdy 11% walk rate and a chase rate under 20% for his career, we can expect Schneider to keep getting on base, which immediately gives him plenty of fantasy value in points leagues or in leagues that value OBP.
Schneider isn't all walks, though; his Statcast page shows that we should expect better results moving forward based simply on how well he hits the ball. His 15.2% barrel rate ranks in the 93rd percentile in all of baseball and his 89.6 mph average exit velocity is a full mile-per-hour higher than league average. Simply put, Schneider is in store for a big summer, and he can be had off waivers right now in two-thirds of fantasy leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels (18% rostered)
There hasn't been much to cheer about for the Angels this season, but one bright spot has been the play of 23-year-old prospect Zach Neto. Neto was rushed to the majors -- he played only 37 games above High-A before making his MLB debut last season -- and it showed early on in his career as he was clearly not ready for MLB pitching by hitting just .225 last season. It's been a different story in 2024, however, and Neto is giving Angels fans a glimpse into the future.
Through 67 games this season, Neto has nine homers and eight steals to go along with 54 runs-plus-RBI. His batted-ball metrics largely support his success thus far, as his barrel rate and expected slugging percentage both rank better than the league average. He's flashed his power potential with a 110.6 mph max exit velocity already this season. Neto isn't without warts, as his OBP currently sits below .300 thanks to a minuscule walk rate. Still, in deeper leagues, Neto offers plenty of upside and should get plenty of playing time as the primary shortstop for the rebuilding Angels.
Zach Neto Homers In Three-Hit Day https://t.co/hkJnBnHBJE
— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) June 13, 2024
Luis Garcia, 2B, Washington Nationals (19% rostered)
Earlier this season, I had high hopes for former prospect Luis Garcia taking a major step forward and taking over the everyday second-base job in Washington. Unfortunately, Garcia's shortcomings vs. left-handed pitching have held him back as he's batting under .200 vs. southpaws and frequently finds himself on the bench when the opposing starting pitcher throws left-handed. Alas, that leaves Garcia as more of a matchup play for deeper leagues in fantasy.
This week, the matchups line up well for Garcia, as the Nationals are currently slated to face six right-handed pitchers this upcoming week. That makes Garcia an intriguing sleeper, as he's got a .433 slugging percentage, a .146 ISO, and a 113 wRC+ vs. RHP. That's a fancy way of saying Garcia is an above-average hitter vs. righties. He could be in for a big week ahead and is worth starting in fantasy, at least for Week 13.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch List
Paul DeJong, SS, Chicago White Sox (19% rostered)
Normally in this space, we'd highlight a prospect worth stashing. Given the struggles of most rookies being called up this season, let's look at a veteran making the most of an opportunity to play for a bad team. Paul DeJong hasn't been fantasy-relevant for a few years now, but he landed with the White Sox this past offseason and is taking full advantage of the everyday at-bats available to him on Chicago's south side.
As of mid-June, DeJong ranks sixth among qualified shortstops in slugging percentage and his .242 ISO ranks second to only Gunnar Henderson. That power has led to 13 home runs, which, you guessed it, ranks third among all shortstops. Now, DeJong is far from a must-start player in fantasy thanks to an elevated strikeout rate and his lack of speed. If you need power, though, he's your man to grab off waivers.
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