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Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 16 (2025). Undervalued hitters outperforming their ownership percentage and should be more widely owned.
We've reached the ceremonial mid-point of the Major League Baseball season at the All-Star break, but the fantasy season is already more than half over. The quick break is a good time to reset and evaluate your fantasy team's needs as you look to succeed down the stretch run and into the fantasy baseball playoffs, if your league has them. Whether the season has been a rough ride and you're barely battling to stay out of the basement or smooth sailing, every smart fantasy baseball manager is always watching the waiver wire to monitor any helpful additions.
Already this season, several top prospects have arrived in the majors, taking up a significant amount of teams' FAAB. In this post, we're not looking at the splashy, big-name additions that quickly get scooped off the waiver wire with high priority. Instead, we're diving deeper and looking at some bargain basement hitters who are available in many leagues but can still help if you've had big injuries or need a short-term fill-in for the next few weeks. These options won't cost a huge chunk of your budget and are good plug-and-play options that can be scooped and started in most formats.
Which widely available players should be on your All-Star break shopping list? Let's dive in!
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Drake Baldwin, C, Atlanta Braves
14% rostered
Baldwin is sharing playing time with Sean Murphy now that both catchers are healthy, but the rookie is making the most of his chances and getting enough work that he can be a very viable play behind the plate.
Drake Baldwin is one of my favorite young players and deserves so much more attention. His rookie season so far:
61 G (179 AB)
.275 / 11 HR / 31 RBI / .841 OPS
31 K : 19 BB4 DRS (13th among Catchers) pic.twitter.com/nw6z75CJe7
— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) July 10, 2025
He has 14 hits over his last 18 games with a .264 batting average, four home runs, 13 RBI, and a .393 wOBA. He has hit .308 in his limited chances against lefties with a .407 wOBA, and he has done especially well at Truist Park, where he has a .341 batting average and .430 wOBA.
The 24-year-old has always had plenty of pop. Last year, he had a 53.1% hard-hit rate in Triple-A that resulted in a .398 wOBA and 16 home runs. This season, he has 11 homers in 65 games in the majors with a 49.4% hard-hit rate and 10.9% barrel rate. He brings good power numbers for a catcher, and his xBA and xwOBA show his contact has been even better than his results.
Baldwin will likely continue to share time behind the plate, but he's getting work at designated hitter as well, which should get him in the lineup most games going forward. He has been one of the few bright spots in the Braves' batting order this year, and they'll continue to give him plenty of work in the second half.
Mickey Moniak, OF, Colorado Rockies
11% rostered
Moniak was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, and after several opportunities, he seems ready to realize his potential almost 10 years later. He's still just 27 years old, but the lefty is with his third major league team. He signed with Colorado as a free agent last offseason, and the rarified air of Coors Field and the aggressive style of new interim manager Warren Schaeffer seem to be an excellent fit for him.
In his 79 games this season, Moniak has a .257 batting average, 13 home runs, five stolen bases, and a .332 wOBA. Those numbers have been even better since June 1. In his 25 games since then, he is hitting .338 with five doubles, two triples, eight homers, and a .483 wOBA. In those 25 games, Moniak has a 45.6% hard-hit rate and a 19.3% barrel rate.
Mickey Moniak has 10 HR in his last 27 games.pic.twitter.com/fIV6tDps7k
— Kirk Snyder (@dynastyinfo411) July 6, 2025
Moniak has settled in as the team's typical No. 2 hitter against right-handed pitching, and if he stays in that spot behind Tyler Freeman, the two players should both be able to do damage in the second half. Moniak has good potential across multiple categories if he can continue to build on his momentum after the break.
In the short term, the Rockies offer several strong options to consider since they return to action with a six-game homestand against the Twins and Cardinals at Coors Field and play 12 of their next 18 games in Denver's rarified air. Moniak has hit .289 with a .963 OPS and a .402 wOBA at home this season, so he's a great option to snag to start the second half.
Victor Caratini, C/1B, Houston Astros
10% rostered
The Astros have used the switch-hitting Caratini behind the plate, at first base, and as a designated hitter this season, and he's been locked into the fifth spot in the order lately, while the Astros have been without many of their top hitters.
Caratini has stepped up and filled in the gap, hitting safely in nine of his last 10 games, including each of his last six in a row. Over those 10 games in July, the veteran is hitting .325 with four homers, 13 RBI, and a .410 wOBA. He has a 45.7% hard-hit rate and 14.3% barrel rate over that span, and one of those home runs was this moon shot from July 4 against the Dodgers:
Victor Caratini blows this game wide open with a GRAND SLAM 💪 pic.twitter.com/mGyCRYxwZh
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2025
Caratini brings good power potential, especially for a player with catcher eligibility. As long as he remains in the lineup daily, he is startable behind the plate in standard leagues. He is just a couple of homers from setting a new personal best, which he should be able to reach before he loses playing time after the return of Yordan Alvarez (hand) down the road.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF/DH, New York Yankees
24% rostered
Stanton has plenty of name recognition and a massive contract, but he is still on plenty of waiver wires after missing the first few months of the season due to injuries to both his elbows.
A few years ago, Stanton was one of the top fantasy sluggers in baseball, and seeing him on this "bargain" list would have been unthinkable. After that, it would have been unthinkable for other reasons, as it was unclear if he would ever regain fantasy value again.
He had such a long layoff at the start of this season and low production last year, so there were legitimate question marks on whether he'd have any fantasy value at all this season.
He made his season debut back on June 16 and stepped right back into the cleanup spot for the Yankees. From that premium spot in a high-powered lineup, he went 2-for-4 in each of his first two games back. He went 10-for-41 (.244) in his first 12 games but didn't hit a home run. His first long ball was on July 2, and since then, his power has been back in a big way.
See ya!
Giancarlo Stanton has 4 homers in his past 9 games 👀 pic.twitter.com/VmBkeMvoGk
— MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2025
He has only hit .250 in his nine games since then, but has four homers, a .431 wOBA, a 61.1% hard-hit rate, and a 27.8% barrel rate. His average exit velocity is 93.6 miles per hour, and he continues to rank near the top of the league in bat speed (if he had enough at-bats to qualify).
Stanton's swing looks fully healthy, and his power seems back after the elbow injuries. Even though he has a high strikeout rate and a low batting average, he's worth adding for the power if you can afford taking the hit in those categories.
Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B, Seattle Mariners
25% rostered
Since we've covered some catching and outfield options, let's fill in the gaps with a veteran in the infield who can give your squad a boost. The switch-hitting Polanco has been streaky throughout his career, and he's been on a nice heater to start July.
Polanco has 15 homers on the year with a .256 batting average, a solid .218 ISO, and a .338 wOBA. His batting average and wOBA are both huge improvements after he hit only .213 with a .287 wOBA in 118 games last season.
Over the last nine games before the break, the 31-year-old hit an impressive .333 with a 50% hard-hit rate, a .500 wOBA, and a handful of home runs. His pinch-hit home run on Sunday sparked a four-run rally that helped the Mariners go into the break with momentum after a three-game sweep of the Tigers.
Jorge Polanco gives the @Mariners the lead in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/SV2HBW2F62
— MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2025
Polanco will look to resume his heater after the break and should continue to be a steady bat in the middle of the Mariners' order in the second half. He doesn't have as high a ceiling as some of the newcomers in the second half, but he's a solid professional hitter who can be a reliable contributor for as long as he stays hot.
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