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It's about time to load up for the stretch run, fantasy baseball managers! September call-ups are sure to shake things up a bit when that time comes, but let's focus mostly on some veterans who can assist with rosters for this article.
Top prospects could aid fantasy playoff rosters in mid-to-late September, but who are some of the guys that can help drive us to the postseason first? With the trade deadline having come and gone in many leagues, the waiver wire is about all we have left to rely on to make difference-making moves.
Today, we'll be looking at hitters regarded for the pop in their bats who could be falling under the radar, some even in shallow leagues. Let's see what they can offer.
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Fantasy Baseball Hitters To Add For Home Runs
Jake Burger - 3B, Miami Marlins
Miami added some power at the trade deadline with Jake Burger in an effort to capitalize on Luis Arraez’s MLB-best .361 BA. Burger is producing at a high level in 14 games since joining the Fish, hitting .340 (18-for-53) with one home run, five doubles, and eight RBI.
LoanDepot Park is a significant downgrade to Guaranteed Rate Field in terms of home run ballpark factors. However, Burger boasts the fence-busting potential fantasy managers are unlikely to find in many other players readily available on waiver wires. Expect the lofty average to decrease, but be compensated for by power with Burger’s scalding 50.4% hard-hit rate. The 27-year-old leads the NL with 11.3 barrels per plate appearance, which puts him in the same breath as Shohei Ohtani and Matt Olson in this department.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B, Cincinnati Reds
It may seem like it’s just not happening for the much-ballyhooed hitting prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand this year. The 23-year-old is slashing a so-so .253/.320/.374 with three homers, two doubles, and 14 RBI in 91 at-bats since his mid-July call-up. But Encarnacion-Strand possesses clear untapped power potential at baseball’s most home run-friendly park since 2021. It’s an opportunistic scenario to make a post-hype pickup while the young infielder's rostered percentage remains under 50% on Yahoo.
With Jonathan India’s (foot) status becoming concerning after a recent shutdown, CES is locked into an everyday role with time to ensure he isn’t the odd man out when India or Jake Fraley (toe) is eventually activated. While CES’s 45.2% hard-hit rate is not outstanding, it remains well above the league average despite the mostly mundane returns. CES's 19.4% pull rate suggests he's not getting the bat around quickly enough, but he should only become more acclimated to MLB pitching over time in his first taste of big-league play.
Joey Gallo - 1B, OF, Minnesota Twins
One of the poster boys of three true outcomes hitters, Joey Gallo has functioned as a poor man’s Kyle Schwarber this season. Gallo owns a cringe-inducing .157 xBA and 42.2% strikeout rate. But with those cratering shortcomings, the 29-year-old is walking at an elite 14.4% clip. He is putting the barrel on the ball at a scorching 19.8% rate and hitting the ball hard at a career-high 55.0% pace.
If you need power stats, Gallo is clearly your guy. But his total lack of consistency leaves him as a very limited fantasy asset. He is nothing more than a punt-BA commodity while anchored near the bottom of the daily Twins lineup.
Tyler O'Neill - OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Tyler O’Neill’s 2023 season has shaped up as a mostly lost campaign after a lower-back strain cost him a month and a half of action. While the 28-year-old holds plenty of slugging potential, he also possesses speed upside no other player flaunts on this list.
O’Neill hasn’t been able to find much rhythm during an injury-ruined season, but there’s still time to find that groove in the box after going yard on Thursday. The speedy outfielder's impressive defense should keep him locked into the everyday Cardinals lineup. While his home run rate has only been average at 3.2% (as of Aug. 16), O'Neill registered a 5.6% clip in this facet spanning over 2018-2021 before the injuries began piling up. That rate of power could emerge at any point since he's swinging the bat fairly well otherwise.
Cal Raleigh - C, Seattle Mariners
Cal Raleigh is an honorable mention at the end of the list due to his 65% rostered rate on Yahoo. Since that figure is inflated by the scarcity of the position, we'll mention him despite the apparent lack of availability. Nonetheless, the 26-year-old catcher is tanking the BA category (.223), but he leads his position with 22 round-trippers this year.
Raleigh has occupied a premium spot in the Mariners order lately, and the switch-hitting backstop’s combination of slugging and defense keeps him planted behind the dish most days. Raleigh ranks as a top-10 roto league fantasy catcher and should be rostered in all mixed 10-team leagues regardless of build.
C.J. Cron - 1B, Los Angeles Angels
UPDATE: Cron was placed on the IL again on Friday evening.
Hopefully, C.J. Cron will see more pitches to hit upon Mike Trout’s (hand) return. The Halos will need to stay in AL Wild Card contention for that to happen, though. The 33-year-old Cron hasn’t shown much in his second stint with the Angels thus far, slashing an unimpressive .217/.280/.283 with one home run and five RBI across 50 trips to the plate. But with an xBA of .260, fantasy managers won’t have to punt that category like most other names on this list.
Cron’s 14.1% barrel rate remains very strong despite the lack of pop in his new digs to this point. Sure, he’s lost the Coors Field benefit for extra-base hits in general, but Angel Stadium isn’t actually that much of a drop-off when it comes to HR potential. And Cron’s .476 xSLG remains on par with his lifetime norm. Assuming the veteran slugger cleans up in the order behind Shohei Ohtani and Trout upon his comeback, Cron has a chance for some late-season fireworks in the fantasy playoffs.
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