Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups - Hitters and Pitchers (May 5 - May 11)

May 4, 2025

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 6 of 2025 (May 5 - May 11). His favorite free agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

The first month of the season is in the rear-view mirror, and we're already getting close to the 1/4 mark of the Major League season. It's hard to believe that over 30 games are in the books, but the Major League season always seems to come at us quicker than we want it to, and we often have to make quick adjustments to our fantasy teams to remain competitive throughout the season.

The players below are all under 40 percent rostered on Yahoo! leagues. Some of them might already be rostered in your leagues, but if they're available, I'd recommend considering them to see if they could be good fits for your fantasy teams.

Last week's recommendations were Noelvi Marte (CIN), Jordan Beck (COL), Agustin Ramirez (MIA), Hunter Goodman (COL), Reese Olson (DET), Matthew Liberatore (STL), and Bubba Chandler (PIT).

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Ivan Herrera, C, St. Louis Cardinals

47% Rostered on Yahoo

Alright, I'm cheating a little bit and going over my 40% rostered threshold for this one, but since he's a catcher and most leagues are single-catcher leagues, there's a decent chance Ivan Herrera is still sitting on your league's waiver wire right now. If he is, I'd suggest giving him a look because the potential is here for Herrera to be a top-10 value over the rest of the season or even top-5, given the current chaotic state of the catcher position with many big names struggling or underwhelming.

Ivan Herrera is close to returning from the IL and just went yard in Triple-A.

If he plays enough, the upside is here to be a Top-10 catcher ROS.pic.twitter.com/Mh5byfn9nx

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) May 1, 2025

In 24 plate appearances before landing on the IL, Herrera was slashing .381/.458/1.048 with four home runs. This was one of my favorite pre-season draft targets at the catcher spot, given how Herrera looked last season, along with the additional playing time opening up with Willson Contreras no longer catching in St. Louis. Herrera slashed .301/.372/.428 in 2024 with a 42.1% hard-hit rate, 9% barrel rate, and an 84.2% zone contact rate.

Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF, Baltimore Orioles

11% Rostered on Yahoo

Not a lot has gone right in Baltimore this season, but one hitter performing well so far is Ryan O'Hearn. In his first 86 plate appearances, O'Hearn is slashing .303/.384/.579 with six home runs and nearly as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (11). O'Hearn has been hitting the ball hard this season with a 12.3% barrel rate, 91.2 mph AVG EV, and a 53.8% hard-hit rate, all of which are above last year's metrics. He's also trimmed his strikeout rate to 12.8% and is running a 90.7% zone and 82.9% overall contact rate.

O'Hearn's overall value is limited because he is in a strong-side platoon role, but players in this role can still provide solid fantasy value if used correctly. The Royals face a lefty in Kris Bubic on Saturday but won't face another left-hander until next Sunday. I'd look to pick up and insert O'Hearn into my starting lineup this week. When he does start, O'Hearn appears to be entrenched in the cleanup spot for Baltimore.

Kyle Stowers, OF, Miami Marlins

17% Rostered on Yahoo

From a current Baltimore bat to a former Baltimore bat, Kyle Stowers needs to be rostered in more fantasy leagues right now. Stowers is coming off a two-homer game the other day and has four home runs this season with a .320/.391/.500 slash line in 115 plate appearances. While Stowers' profile still has a few issues, the positives currently outweigh the negatives.

Kyle Stowers belts his 2nd HR of the game in LA. pic.twitter.com/M9QT9DOuYr

— Marlins Radio Network (@MarlinsRadio) April 30, 2025

Those negatives are a 70.8% zone contact rate and a 65.4% overall contact rate. Both are below league average and will undoubtedly bring Stowers' batting average back below .300 moving forward. However, Stowers' quality of contact has been impressive so far with a 17.1% barrel rate, 50% hard-hit rate, and a .508 xwOBACON. He's also improved his walk rate from 6.2% to 10.4% and dropped his chase and strikeout rates from 32.6% and 35.4% to 27.8% and 28.1%, respectively.

Victor Scott II, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

33% Rostered on Yahoo

I'm a little surprised that Victor Scott II is still available in nearly 70% of Yahoo leagues. Like O'Hearn, Scott is only being used against right-handed pitchers and is hitting ninth when he does start, but he's also tied for fifth in the Majors with 11 steals right now while adding 15 runs, 14 RBI, two home runs, and a respectable .273/.336/.404 slash line. Scott's overall line so far is actually very similar to Jarren Duran's overall line.

If you add Scott, the reasoning centers around your desire to improve your team's ranking in the stolen base department. Scott is an elite runner with a 100th percentile sprint speed, which ranks third in baseball behind Bobby Witt Jr. and Byron Buxton. His quality of contact metrics isn't anything special, but Scott does have a 39.2% Sweet-Spot rate and an above-average air rate, which helps. But honestly, anything with the bat is just gravy on top of the buttery mashed potatoes (his stolen bases).

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians

33% Rostered on Yahoo

Listen, I get it. You see Kyle Manzardo's .214 average, and it causes you to keep scrolling through the waiver wire. But while the AVG is low and his .206 xBA isn't doing him any favors, Manzardo has improved in other areas and can provide a solid boost in the power department. Manzardo has already hit eight home runs this season in his first 117 plate appearances, which is three more than he had in 39 more plate appearances last season.

When looking at Manzardo's quality of contact metrics, his AVG EV is the same as last season at 89.1 mph, but he's increased his hard-hit rate from 40% to 43.1% and his barrel rate from 9.5% to 15.3%. Manzardo also sports an elite 68.1% air rate and 30.6% Pull-Air rate, the latter of which is the 11th highest mark in baseball. I expect the AVG to tick up a bit, as Manzardo's 79.6% zone contact rate and 73% overall contact rates aren't terrible or indicative of a .214 AVG.

Gunnar Hoglund, SP, Athletics

24% Rostered on Yahoo

After a long road in the minors due to his elbow surgery, Gunnar Hoglund finally made his Major League debut on Friday and struck out seven in six innings while allowing only one earned run. This comes after a solid six-start stretch in Triple-A to open the season when Hoglund posted a 2.43 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 6% walk rate, and a 26.1% strikeout rate across 29.2 IP of work.

Hoglund had 11 whiffs on Friday night, all of which came on his 4-seamer, sinker, and changeup. His changeup is probably his best offering with solid fading action, but his slider was also a go-to pitch for him in the minors that could miss bats. Hoglund has also demonstrated above-average or better command and control throughout his minor league career and walked only 6.1% of the batters he faced.

The upside isn't massive here, but Hoglund should get some run in this Athletics rotation and is worth a look outside of shallow formats.

Shelby Miller, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks

22% Rostered on Yahoo

Entering the season, there was a debate over the best Arizona reliever to draft/roster between A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez. Well, the current answer is neither, as Puk is out until the second half of the season, and Martinez just landed on the IL on Thursday with right shoulder inflammation after experiencing a notable velocity decline in recent outings. The next man up for saves in Arizona looks to be Shelby Miller, who picked up his first save of the season on Thursday. However, Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson might factor in as well.

Miller has been lights out this season through his first 13 appearances, posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, and a 30% strikeout rate while filling up his savant page with plenty of pretty red percentile ranking sliders. Miller is primarily a two-pitch guy with a 4-seamer that averages 94.5 mph and a splitter around 87, but he also will mix in a low-80s sweeper every now and then. Miller's 4-seamer has a .143 BAA so far, and he's yet to allow a hit on his splitter.

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