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Five fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, sleepers, and trade targets for Week 9 -- undervalued hitters outperforming their rostership and should be more widely owned.
As we head into Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season, several underowned hitters offer sneaky value on the waiver wire.
Gabriel Moreno brings solid contact and growing power behind the plate, while Connor Norby and Kody Clemens offer versatility and emerging bats. Brett Baty is showing signs of life at third base, and Carlos Narvaez is flashing potential in limited action.
These players are flying under the radar but could provide a real boost to savvy fantasy managers.
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Gabriel Moreno, C, Arizona Diamondbacks
32% rostered
Looking for a catcher? Moreno is an intriguing option. Not only is he hot right now, slugging .708 across his last seven games, but he has also posted respectable numbers in 2025 for Arizona.
Slashing .276/.335/.421 with a 111 wRC+, 12 extra-base hits, and 15 RBI, Moreno also keeps strikeouts to a minimum, with 27 in 158 plate appearances. The 25-year-old is a former top prospect who was acquired by the D-backs from the Toronto Blue Jays in December 2022.
Gabriel Moreno since May 1st:
.319 BA
.347 OBP
.879 OPS
.219 ISO
52.6% Hard-Hit%
7.9% Barrel%He also has 4 Blocks Above Average, 3 Framing Runs, 1 CS Above Average and a 1.92 pop time.
He is still only 25 years old. Complete package.
— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) May 20, 2025
Since then, he's accrued 7.1 bWAR with Arizona, earned a Gold Glove Award, and owns a .744 OPS in 253 games with the club. This season, he's averaging a 92.5 exit velocity, which places in the 89th percentile in MLB.
Moreno makes a lot of contact with his compact, right-handed swing, allowing him to maintain a solid batting average. That said, he's walking less than he did in previous seasons, with his BB% dropping from 11.7 in 2024 to just 7.6 in 2025. However, he's only one homer away from matching his total (five) from last season in 193 fewer PAs. Moreno is just getting started -- grab him while he's still available.
Connor Norby, 2B/3B, Miami Marlins
12% rostered
It was only a matter of time before Norby got going in 2025 after an oblique injury kept him sidelined until April 17. His former Orioles teammate and trade partner, Kyle Stowers, has stolen the show in Miami, but Norby was the real headliner of the deal.
He hit nine homers in 45 games as a rookie following the trade, quickly making Baltimore look foolish in departing with him. Norby has a .285/.323/.439 batting line this season and has slugged .542 with a homer and seven RBI in his last seven games.
Last night, Connor Norby went 0-for-4 against the San Diego Padres, ending a nine-game hitting streak that started back against the Rays on May 16th.
Over that stretch, he hit .378 with 14 hits, 3 doubles, 1 HR, and 9 RBIs (the best nine-game stretch Norby has had all year) pic.twitter.com/tbziGCacIV
— Marlin Maniac (@MarlinManiac) May 28, 2025
He's tallied 35 hits, 12 for extra bases, in 130 plate appearances this year. The 24-year-old has eight multi-hit games on the year, including a trio of three-hit games. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound right-hander makes consistent contact with a simple, compact swing.
While his .386 BABIP suggests he's getting somewhat lucky, Norby's speed has allowed him to beat out multiple infield singles. His underlying numbers indicate that he's not hitting the ball particularly hard, but his .334 wOBA and 110 wRC+ are above average.
Brett Baty, 2B/3B, New York Mets
7% rostered
Baty was optioned to Triple-A on April 24 after a rough 19-game showing that saw him strike out 19 times and total just 19 bases in 58 plate appearances. It was disappointing after the 25-year-old had an excellent spring training that allowed him to start the year at the MLB level.
Baty must have seen the writing on the wall because since he was recalled on May 5, he has resembled a different player. He's batted .296 with a .914 OPS, five home runs, and 13 RBI in 18 games. Perhaps the minor league stint was a wake-up call for the former first-round pick.
Brett Baty stats in his last 25 games:
.306 BA
.948 OPS
16 RBI
6 HR#LGM pic.twitter.com/wHgtsUFroy— James Nolan (@JamesNolanFS) May 28, 2025
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza weighed in on Baty's offensive turnaround, saying, “He’s hitting velo, he’s hitting fastballs, he’s pulling balls, he’s staying back on breaking balls. Even his takes are different. It looks like he’s ready to hit, and then just shoving it down. For me, that’s a sign of a good hitter.”
It's understandable why fantasy managers are hesitant to add Baty. He's had an extremely hot-and-cold big league career. Baty could revert to his April form. This might simply be a hot streak. However, Mendoza's assessment suggests that Baty's recent performance is the real deal. He's raised his OPS+ to 123 alongside a .326 wOBA and 111 wRC+. This could be Baty's last stand as a Met, and he's making it count. Fantasy managers should, too.
Carlos Narvaez, C, Boston Red Sox
7% rostered
Not much has gone right for the Red Sox this season, except for Narvaez, who the rival New York Yankees traded to Boston in exchange for RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and future considerations in December.
The 26-year-old has been one of the most productive hitters for Boston, earning more playing time behind the plate, especially as Connor Wong continues to struggle offensively. Narvaez is slashing .291/.359/.468 in 156 plate appearances in 2025, with 10 doubles, five homers, 17 RBI, 15 walks, and 36 strikeouts.
Carlos Narvaez is...
• tied for 3rd among ALL PLAYERS in Defensive Runs Saved (best among catchers)
• tied for 4th among all catchers in WAR
• 24-for-71 with a .968 OPS since April 18th with 4 HRs in that time, the best OPS by any catcher in that time pic.twitter.com/mIU80rT07i
— Mike Monaco (@MikeMonaco_) May 20, 2025
So, why is he only 7% rostered? Right now, Narvaez is still considered Wong's backup on the depth chart, but if the Venezuelan backstop continues at this pace, the Red Sox will have no choice but to make him their primary catcher.
He's too valuable, worth 1.8 fWAR alongside a 131 wRC+ and .363 wOBA. If he had enough at-bats to qualify, he'd be second on the team in batting average, third in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging percentage.
Kody Clemens, 1B/2B/3B, Minnesota Twins
3% rostered
The Philadelphia Phillies traded Clemens to the Twins for cash on April 26 after appearing in just seven games for the club in 2025. Clemens had been with the Phillies since 2023, and his early performance with Minnesota suggests that a change of scenery and more opportunities were needed to awaken his bat.
Since arriving in the Twin Cities, the 29-year-old son of legendary MLB pitcher Roger Clemens has batted .304 with a 1.087 OPS, 15 XBH, and 12 RBI in 65 plate appearances.
Kody Clemens isn’t getting talked about enough
Through 68 PA:
5 HR
.288 AVG
.373 OBP
.661 SLG
96.6 MPH EV
64.3% Hard-Hit%He also pairs that with above average bat speed a 72.9 MPHpic.twitter.com/JdspCpodNG
— Inside The Diamond (@InsideTheDiamnd) May 28, 2025
Clemens is putting up video-game numbers, as exemplified by his 191 wRC+ and .438 wOBA, but a .387 BABIP in 22 games with Minnesota. His incredible run probably isn't sustainable, and he's likely to regress to his career .211/.264/.410 batting line sooner rather than later. Still, one can't deny that he's been a revelation for the Twins, and rostering him amid his hot streak isn't a bad idea.
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