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Week 16 marks the last full week before the All-Star break. Some fantasy baseball managers are sitting on a throne at the top of their league standings and fantasy football can't come any sooner for the others. Three months is plenty of time to get back into the fight if the right moves are made or see your team falter if the right moves aren't made.
Below are some waiver-wire names who could turn things around for your fantasy teams this summer. Fantasy baseball has many peaks and valleys during the season and all it takes is one hot month for your team to get back into the thick of things.
We'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single digits who deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 16 -- July 8 through July 14.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Luis Garcia Jr., 2B, Washington Nationals (33% rostered)
Washington second baseman Luis Garcia Jr.'s bat has literally caught on fire after an extremely quiet month of June. In June, Garcia batted to the tune of .237 with two home runs and 10 RBI. In a short sample size in July, he's batting .529 with three home runs and eight RBI. Yes, Garcia is only 33% owned in leagues for a reason. He's an incredibly streaky hitter batting in the middle of a mediocre Nationals lineup. He has an ugly .208 batting average versus left-handed pitchers, which limits his ceiling and playing time.
Despite all of that, fantasy baseball isn't always about predicting what a player will do for your team down the road; sometimes, it's as simple as what have you done for fantasy baseball now. Now, Garcia is hot, red-hot, and with a respectable .278 batting average to go with 10 home runs and 12 stolen bases, he has the ability to provide a little bit of everything that you need for your team for the last half of the season. The five-year veteran has a .298 batting average against right-handed pitchers, which should be enough to make fantasy managers comfortable rostering him moving forward.
Luis Garcia Jr over his last 13 games:
.306 AVG
5 HR
14 RBI
9 Runs
3 SBpic.twitter.com/tFj9y3d5ub— Kirk Snyder (@dynastyinfo411) July 6, 2024
Brooks Lee, SS, Minnesota Twins (32% rostered)
Young switch-hitting rookie shortstop Brooks Lee was called up from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday for his first taste of major league action. Since his call-up, Lee has looked right at home in Minnesota, boasting a 7-for-14 line with a home run and six RBI in just four games. The eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft has shown off the bat-to-ball skills he was drafted for early and often in 2024. Prior to his call-up, Lee provided a robust .350/.412/.585 in 123 at-bats for the St. Paul Saints.
With the oft-injured Royce Lewis (groin) on the injured list again, Lee should get plenty of run time to see what he can do at the major league level and potentially stick there after Lewis's return from injury. He's already rostered in 32% of leagues, which means fantasy players are quickly seeing the potential the No. 13-ranked MLB prospect can bring to their fantasy rosters for the final stretch of the season. It's only a matter of time before Lee's on-base skills put him at the top of the Twins lineup. By then, it may be too late for you to make your move.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Colt Keith, 2B/3B, Detroit Tigers (19% rostered)
Detroit second baseman Colt Keith has turned the calendar page on his atrocious June and has pulled off an absolute 360 in doing so. After ending the month of June with a .220 batting average and with two home runs and five RBI, Keith has punished the ball in July to the tune of a .375 batting average with three home runs and five RBI in just six games. The young rookie has piled up four multi-hit games and has accumulated 20 total bases after only finishing with 27 total bases in June.
The 22-year-old slugged 27 home runs in Triple-A Toledo last season with a .306 batting average. He has legit pop, showcasing that power with the pair of 400+ feet home runs he blasted against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Keith has the minor league and draft pedigree to be a potential league-winner for any team willing to take a chance on him for the last half of the season.
Colt Keith now has three straight multi-hit games and three home runs in his last two games.#RepDetroitpic.twitter.com/n7I0iV4MOr
— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) July 6, 2024
Paul DeJong, SS, Chicago White Sox (14% rostered)
Chicago White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong has been on a resurgence this season. Don't get me wrong, his season overall is nothing to write home about, but for the veteran 30-year-old, it's been a massive improvement and easily his best season since he blasted 30 home runs back in 2019. He's currently slashing .233/.284/.445, which means adding him in any OBP leagues would be unwise, but in a traditional batting-average-only league, DeJong could be your guy if you need some power in your fantasy lineup.
His .233 batting average is right there with his career .229 average and well over the .187 line he's averaged the past three seasons. On another note, DeJong is currently on a one-year deal with a team that is inevitably going to be selling off all of its short-term players at the trade deadline. DeJong could be traded to a team in dire need of a shortstop like the Los Angeles Dodgers or even a team in need of a power-hitting designated hitter. That makes him a player you should be adding sooner rather than later.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch List
Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland A's (2% rostered)
The Oakland A's are dead in the water in the standings yet again this season, but that doesn't mean they don't have anything to look forward to in the future. One of those things they can look forward to is their No. 1 prospect and MLB's No. 50-ranked prospect shortstop, Jacob Wilson.
The son of former All-Star Jack Wilson wasn't projected to make his MLB debut until 2025 and it's possible that still may happen if the A's are in no rush to start the clock on the 22-year-old. That being said, the A's hands could potentially be tied if he continues hitting over .400 deep into the summer months.
One of the best pure-hitting prospects in the game has scorched minor league pitching to a .461/.494/.731 slash line with seven home runs. He's not going to light up the basepath, as evidence of his two stolen bases, but his pure bat-to-ball skills with only 13 strikeouts to go with 10 walks will make up the difference.
He's still an Oakland A, and even if he does make his big league debut this season, it will most likely be at the bottom of one of the worst lineups in baseball. If you're in dire need of batting average and/or OBP, I highly recommend keeping an eye on Wilson moving forward.
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