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Welcome back, RotoBallers! This article will discuss our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for the outfield in Week 20, August 5 through August 11. With the fantasy trade deadline fast approaching, it's time to consider our waiver wire options more urgently. For most managers, it's not too late to turn your season around.
Roster spots and playing time are changing league-wide every day. Fantasy managers better be ready to stay on their feet all summer long and adapt to evolving situations. This article will highlight the guys deserving of more attention this week, including some names whose outlooks have changed remarkably following the passage of the MLB trade deadline.
The names in this article are in order of rostered percentage and are not indicative of a confidence ranking. Rostered percentages can change quickly, so check your leagues for availability.
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Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Standard Leagues
James Wood, Washington Nationals (50% Rostered)
Following the immense hype surrounding James Wood's promotion to the major leagues last month, the new toy shine has worn off in the eyes of some fantasy managers. Wood's roster percentage has dipped in recent weeks, and he is now available in roughly half of fantasy leagues. Despite his underwhelming .688 OPS overall, Wood remains one of the highest-ceiling players available on the waiver wire. He has hit safely in six out of his last seven games and appears to be establishing himself against big-league pitching.
Wood's early struggles in the majors should not overshadow his prospect pedigree. Wood is the top-ranked prospect in the Washington Nationals farm system and the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. His offensive profile features a unique combination of 60-grade speed alongside prolific 70-grade power. Wood produced a 1.058 OPS with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases across 52 Triple-A games this season, building off his 26-home run, 18-stolen base 2023 campaign.
Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies (38% Rostered)
Michael Toglia's name has continuously picked up steam in recent weeks. His hitting profile features glaring downsides, headlined by his .210 batting average and 33.1% strikeout rate. Still, while the lows can be hard to stomach, Toglia's highs are worth chasing. Through 65 games played this season, Toglia is slugging .500 with 19 home runs. He has etched out an everyday role in the heart of the Colorado Rockies' batting order, and there is reason to suspect that a strong second-half finish is in store for Toglia.
Looking deeper at Toglia's advanced numbers, he is a strong candidate for positive regression. The strikeout rate shows no signs of slowing down; however, Toglia's .242 xBA and .349 xwOBA suggest he is a much more well-rounded hitter than the surface stats tell us. Additionally, Toglia's batted-ball metrics are outstanding, including a .527 xSLG, 17.9% barrel rate, 92.6 MPH average exit velocity, and a 52.4% hard-hit rate.
Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners (17% Rostered)
Nobody could have predicted it, but Victor Robles has emerged as one of the most consequential hitters in a struggling Seattle Mariners offense. Over the past two weeks, Robles has secured himself a new role atop the Mariner's batting order. He is making the most of his new opportunity, slashing .367/.425/.557 with three home runs and 10 stolen bases across 34 games since joining Seattle. Robles feels like a player whose popularity is about to take a big jump over the next week, so act now if you hope to roster him.
Victor Robles, first pitch and upper deck. Wow.
Exit velo: 109.8 mph
Launch angle: 32°
Distance: 426 ft.
Hang time: 5.8 seconds pic.twitter.com/VgKvSrac1m— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) August 3, 2024
2024 has all the optics of a breakout season for the 27-year-old, and the advanced metrics support Robles' recent run of success. He sports an outstanding .371 xwOBA alongside similarly fantastic numbers, such as a .496 xSLG, a .283 xBA, and an 11.6% barrel rate. Robles is generating better contact than he ever has before in his career, and with his tremendous base-stealing upside, he is capable of contributing fantasy value across numerous categories.
Tommy Pham, St. Louis Cardinals (11% Rostered)
If you've been following this list all season long, you've seen Tommy Pham's name mentioned here before. Between making a delayed season debut and anchoring a horrible Chicago White Sox offense, Pham's contributions have flown under the radar. However, Pham has been as solid as ever in 2024 producing a .275 batting average with a 109 wRC+. And now, as part of a stronger St. Louis Cardinals lineup, Pham should see more run-producing opportunities moving forward.
Peeking under the hood, Pham's advanced numbers suggest he's striking the ball even better than what the surface results tell us. His fantastic batted-ball metrics include a .294 xBA, .449 xSLG, and a 90.8 MPH average exit velocity. Comprehensively, there is nothing to hate about Pham's entire hitting profile. He doesn't strike out at an exceptional rate and exhibits some truly elite pitch selection with his 19.8% chase rate. Pham doesn't have the ceiling as some others on this list, but he is about as reliable as they come.
Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Deeper Leagues
Joey Loperfido, Toronto Blue Jays (3% Rostered)
One player who has benefited massively from a post-trade deadline change of scenery is Joey Loperfido. Although he was beginning to etch out more playing time with the Houston Astros, there was an ongoing reluctance to commit to him as an everyday player. Now after joining the Toronto Blue Jays this past week, Loperfido has settled into a regular playing role and a spot near the top of the batting order. For the first time, he has the runway to succeed.
Joey Loperfido’s first #BlueJays hit?
1️⃣0️⃣6️⃣ MPH pic.twitter.com/27cpFsO1Hf
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 31, 2024
Admittedly, the .241/.299/.371 slash line Loperfido has produced in the majors does not inspire a lot of confidence. That said, keep in mind how infrequent at-bats can prevent any player, let alone a rookie, from establishing their rhythm at the plate. Instead, let's look at the minor league numbers. Loperfido generated a .933 OPS with 13 home runs and nine stolen bases over 39 appearances in Triple-A this season. That success built off the 25-home run, 27-stolen base campaign Loperfido produced in 2023. If you missed out on Lawrence Butler, Loperfido profiles similarly.
Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox (2% Rostered)
Miguel Vargas is another winner of the trade deadline. Although getting traded from a World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers squad to a historically awful Chicago White Sox team doesn't sound like a great career move, it does finally guarantee Miguel Vargas will receive regular playing time. Vargas was blocked in Los Angeles and has immediately assumed a regular spot atop the White Sox batting order.
Vargas has received sporadic playing time in the majors, playing a total of 132 games dating back to 2022, and the results haven't been anything to get excited about. He sports a middling .693 OPS with four home runs this season. Still, it's worth reminding ourselves of Vargas' potential. When he still carried prospect status in 2023, he was the third-ranked prospect in the Dodgers farm system and a top-40 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline. Vargas produced a 1.005 OPS over 41 games in Triple-A this season, up from an impressive .886 mark last year. We won't be blindsided by a sudden breakout.
Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins (1% Rostered)
Keeping with the trend of post-trade deadline outlook changes, Kyle Stowers is an interesting player to watch. With the Baltimore Orioles, he had seemingly no path to regular playing time or even a regular spot on the major league roster. However, after being dealt to the Miami Marlins, Stowers is now being given an extended look as an everyday player.
Stowers' name gets lost in the mix of the elite Baltimore Orioles farm system, but he offers tremendous power-hitting upside. The 26-year-old slugged .555 across 58 games in Triple-A this season, up from a .511 slugging percentage in 2023 and a .527 mark in 2022. Stowers isn't likely to emerge as a .300 hitter, but he has a ceiling fantasy managers will not usually find this deep on the waiver wire.
More Players to Consider
- Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees (46% rostered)
- Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles (45% rostered)
- Juan Yepez, Washington Nationals (43% rostered)
- Jarred Kelenic, Atlanta Braves (32% rostered)
- Joc Pederson, Arizona Diamondbacks (27% rostered)
- Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals (26% rostered)
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Pittsburgh Pirates (23% rostered)
- Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox (18% rostered)
- Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels (11% rostered)
More Deep-League Players to Consider
- Harrison Bader, New York Mets (9% rostered)
- Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates (7% rostered)
- LaMonte Wade Jr., San Francisco Giants (6% rostered)
- Jesus Sanchez, Miami Marlins (4% rostered)
- Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers (3% rostered)
- Trevor Larnach, Minnesota Twins (1% rostered)
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