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Is your fantasy baseball team in need of a boost in a specific category? Maybe it's a shot in the arm in runs scored or an influx of RBI? Monitoring how well you are performing in each offensive category and addressing those categories in need throughout the season is a great way to keep your 5x5 roto team near the top of the standings!
There are dozens of waiver-wire articles across the industry each week, but how many of them break down the available hitters by which categories they are most capable of contributing? I aim to give you the top options this week for each of the five offensive categories. All hitters will be under 50% rostered on Yahoo and listed in order of my preference.
Take heed: even terrible teams have useful fantasy players on them, so dig deep and find those bargains. Let's take a look.
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Runs Scored (R) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Jose Siri, Tampa Bay Rays (rostered in 24% of leagues)
Players tend to shy away from Siri because of the low batting average and the strikeout numbers. But he posts good counting stats, with 11 home runs and eight stolen bases this season. Looking at a more recent sample size, Siri has hit .282 with three home runs and nine runs scored over his last 12 games. If you need runs, an occasional home run, and a stolen base and can tolerate the at-times poor batting average, Siri could work for your roster. Look at his baserunning value below and also the excellent barrel percentage.
Harrison Bader, New York Mets (rostered in 13% of leagues)
Bader is starting to catch on, and you can understand why: He hit .261 in June with four homers, 15 RBI, three stolen bases, and 13 runs scored, including six in the last week. He has been batting second for the Mets, which increases his number of at-bats and opportunities to score runs.
Jake Meyers, Houston Astros (rostered in 11% of leagues)
Meyers always seems to fly under the radar, mostly because people mistakenly think he doesn't get enough playing time. But he got 91 plate appearances in June and had two home runs, 10 RBI, and four stolen bases with 11 runs scored. His outstanding defense and baserunning prowess will keep him in the lineup.
Also consider: Austin Martin (MIN), Zach Neto (LAA), Jacob Young (WAS)
Home Runs (HR) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Zack Gelof, Oakland Athletics (rostered in 41% of leagues)
Gelof was a darling of analysts in the winter, with the thinking there being that he had 20/20 potential. After a rocky start saw him hitting .179 at the end of May, Gelof rebounded to hit .247 with six home runs, 12 RBI, and four stolen bases in June; these are very usable stats in most leagues. However, if you play in a league that punishes strikeouts, let the buyer beware: Gelof has a whopping 35.8% K% and struck out 35 times in 90 June plate appearances. His good glove and speed should keep him in the lineup.
Jhonkensy Noel, Cleveland Guardians (rostered in 16% of leagues)
Many FAAB bids were spent last weekend on Noel, whose calling card is power. To that end, Noel has hit 45 home runs in Triple-A Columbus in the last season and a half. He also has 1B/3B/OF eligibility, which makes him attractive in a wider variety of leagues. Noel strikes out historically about 24% of the time in his minor league career, so we will need to watch that in the major leagues. He has hit two home runs thus far for Cleveland, but he has struck out in seven of his 14 plate appearances, granted an extremely small sample size. See his career minor league numbers below.
Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies (rostered in 7% of leagues)
Very quietly in Denver, the dust has started to settle around Toglia. An injury to Kris Bryant opened up playing time, and last week, the Rockies designated Elehuris Montero for assignment. It appears as if they are going to give Toglia a real chance here. In June, he hit .238 with five home runs, 16 RBI, three stolen bases, and 12 runs scored in 89 plate appearances. Many fantasy players will look at the overall numbers, which include an awful .182 batting average, and make the mistake of passing a useful hitter on the waiver wire. If you need help at corner infield and need power, take a look at Toglia.
Also consider: Jarred Kelenic (ATL), JJ Bleday (OAK), Joc Pederson (ARI)
Runs Batted In (RBI) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Heston Kjerstad, Baltimore Orioles (rostered in 36% of leagues)
It feels like we have been waiting on Kjerstad for years, yet he's only 25 and getting a solid crack at the major leagues here with the Baltimore Orioles. In 20 June plate appearances, Kjerstad had eight RBI with two home runs as well. He's hitting fifth in a stacked lineup and looks like he will play often against right-handers while sitting against left-handers. That's okay in many leagues as that is the strong side of a platoon. At Triple-A Norfolk, Kjerstad had 58 RBI in 56 games covering 258 plate appearances. Adding him on most teams makes sense right now. Check out Kjerstad since his late May call-up:
Jose Miranda, Minnesota Twins (rostered in 23% of leagues)
Has he effectively reached post-hype status here? Miranda is quietly having a nice season in Minnesota. He's hitting .296 with eight home runs, 37 RBI, two stolen bases, and 28 runs scored. A deeper dive shows us a .333 batting average, three home runs, 20 RBI, and 10 runs scored in 98 June plate appearances. With Alex Kirilloff on the IL and with Royce Lewis also nursing a leg injury right now, playing time seems assured. Add in that 1B and 3B eligibility in leagues, and you have a handy piece to your roster. Grab him before your league mates catch on.
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels (rostered in 34% of leagues)
I continue to be baffled by the lack of interest in Neto. The guy hit .256 with five home runs and 19 RBI in June, and yet he's rostered in so few leagues. For the season, Neto now has 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and 33 runs scored. He's playing shortstop every day and also getting a chance to hit in the middle of the order. He seems a surefire bet to get 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases with a batting average near .250. What's not to like here?
Also consider: Nathaniel Lowe (TEX), Luis Garcia (WAS), Joey Meneses (WAS)
Stolen Bases (SB) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Stuart Fairchild, Cincinnati Reds (rostered in 2% of leagues)
The big knock here is the share of playing time, but if you need stolen bases, Fairchild gets them when he plays. To that point, he has four in his last seven games.
Richie Palacios, Tampa Bay Rays (rostered in 3% of leagues)
Similar to Fairchild above, Palacios makes the most of his playing time. He does not have much power, but he steals bases when he gets playing time; he has 13 on the season thus far. Palacios walks at an 11.3% clip, so his OBP is .345 despite the .251 batting average.
Leody Taveras, Texas Rangers (rostered in 23% of leagues)
Taveras is hitting .353 over his last seven games, with two home runs and three stolen bases. With the desire to roster sexier names like Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford in Texas, Taveras is often the forgotten outfielder there, but he is a productive player at times.
Also consider: Sal Frelick (MIL), Zack Gelof (OAK), Jacob Young (WAS)
Batting Average (AVG) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Andrew Vaughn, Chicago White Sox (rostered in 43% of leagues)
Vaughn continues to mash for the moribund Chicago White Sox. He's up to .244 on the year, which is misleading because he hit .337 with six home runs and 20 RBI in June. The White Sox have him vacillating between the two and three spots in the order, which means he will get ample at-bats and opportunities to keep playing. He will play six games a week, usually spelled by Gavin Sheets once a week. Grab him now; people are starting to catch on. Look at Vaughn's June stats below:
Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins (rostered in 40% of leagues)
Santana is the type of reliable veteran who is seemingly always available on the waiver wire. But should he be available? The answer is no based on his June that featured a .337 batting average in 101 plate appearances with four home runs and 16 RBI. Roster him while he stays hot.
Elias Diaz, Colorado Rockies (rostered in 29% of leagues)
Diaz just came off the IL and was immediately reinserted into the Rockies lineup last weekend. He's hitting .307 on the season and has two two-hit games to his credit in the three games since his return. He has very little competition for playing time and should be in the lineup 5-6 times a week at the sport's most physically demanding position. Diaz can be useful in the right roster situation.
Also consider: Mauricio Dubon (HOU), Nathaniel Lowe (TEX), Jarred Kelenic (ATL)
I hope this helps you out! Good luck and happy hunting, RotoBallers! You can always message me @mdrc0508 on X to complain about picks or make other suggestions!
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