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Welcome back to our fantasy baseball waiver wire hitter category boosters for Week 16 of the 2024 MLB season - free agent hitters to consider adding to help boost your team in HR, SB, RBI, AVG and Runs. Today we'll look at names like Colt Keith, Rowdy Tellez, Eugenio Suarez, Angel Martinez and more.
Is your fantasy baseball team in need of a boost in a specific category? Maybe it's a shot in the arm in runs scored or an influx of RBI? Monitoring how well you perform in each offensive category and addressing those categories in need throughout the season is a great way to keep your 5x5 roto team near the top of the standings!
There are dozens of waiver-wire articles across the industry each week, but how many of them break down the available hitters by which categories they are most capable of contributing? I aim to give you the top options this week for each of the five offensive categories. All hitters will be under 50% rostered on Yahoo and listed in order of my preference. Take heed: even terrible teams have useful fantasy players on them, so dig deep and find those bargains. Let's take a look.
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Runs Scored (R) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers (rostered in 40% of leagues)
Keith has been hot of late, and those who drafted him were disappointed by the slow start and cut him from their rosters. Sometimes it takes younger players longer to figure it out, and it appears that Keith has done that. He's hitting .382 with two home runs and four RBI in July thus far, but what catches my eye is the 10 runs scored over that span. He is now hitting .250 with eight home runs and five stolen bases. Roster him now.
Zack Gelof, Oakland Athletics (rostered in 45% of leagues)
Nine runs scored in his last 11 games, to go with a .282 batting average, two homers, eight RBI, and three stolen bases. Gelof is coming on strongly and should be rostered in most formats.
Harrison Bader, New York Mets (rostered in 14% of leagues)
Bader has a daily job and has eight runs scored in his last 12 games. He has also chipped in with six homers and 13 stolen bases. Bader seems to often be on the waiver wire, but he is a useful piece to your roster when he is healthy.
Also consider: Zach Neto (LAA), Jacob Young (WAS), Rowdy Tellez (PIT)
Home Runs (HR) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Rowdy Tellez, Pittsburgh Pirates (rostered in 10% of leagues)
Tellez is an afterthought on draft day but always contributes during the course of a season and finds himself on fantasy baseball rosters. This year is no exception. With more regular playing time, the burly first baseman has been hitting home runs: two in the last week of June, and four more in the early going of July. Tellez hit .333 in 66 June at-bats and is hitting a robust .393 in July. If you need power he's a great addition right now.
Heston Kjerstad, Baltimore Orioles (rostered in 38% of leagues)
Kjerstad is off to a good start this time around and looks to stick in the loaded Baltimore lineup. The rookie outfielder is hitting .319 and has three home runs and 12 RBI in 55 plate appearances. Yes, there are lots of mouths to feed here, but the left-handed hitter should be on the strong side of any platoon situation and should stay in the lineup if he continues to hit. The strikeout percentage is a little high at 29.1% but he offsets that to an extent with a 10.9%BB%. He should be added in most fantasy formats.
Rece Hinds, Cincinnati Reds (rostered in 30 % of leagues)
Hinds has two home runs in 12 at-bats for the Reds after being recalled earlier this week. He brings a blend of speed and power to the table, and if he keeps hitting, the team will find a place for him to play daily. The outfielder is worth a shot right now if you are in need of an outfield boost.
Also consider: JJ Bleday (OAK), Joc Pederson (ARI), Lawrence Butler (OAK)
Runs Batted In (RBI) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Nathaniel Lowe, Texas Rangers (roster in 38% of leagues)
Lowe is among the MLB leaders with 15 RBI in the last two weeks, to go along with four homers and a .333 batting average. Note below that Lowe also makes good contact and walks at a high percentage as well. He looks like he is starting to come around and could be a valuable player for your team.
Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs (rostered in 41% of leagues)
Busch continues to quietly have a very good year for the Chicago Cubs, hitting .275 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI, with four of those in the last three games. He strikes out often, at 31.6%, so that is something to consider depending on your league context. Busch also has a .365 OBP which is another point in his favor as well. The fact that he is playing every day helps as he has gotten into a groove. Busch also has first and third-base eligibility. Grab this valuable player if you need help at the corners.
Eugenio Suarez, Arizona Diamondbacks (rostered in 22% of leagues)
I remember when Suarez was a fantasy darling and players were trying to sneak him onto their rosters with late picks. Now he sits on the waiver wire in the vast majority of leagues, but should he be there? Suarez is hitting .295 with 11 RBI over his last 13 games. He is only hitting .208 on the season, but he has 43 RBI to go with that, and he may be heating up in the desert. He's worth a shot if you need a corner infielder and RBI help.
Also consider: Keibert Ruiz (WAS), Jose Iglesias (NYM)
Stolen Bases (SB) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Luis Garcia Jr, Washington Nationals (rostered in 44% of leagues)
Another player who did not get lots of love on draft day, Garcia Jr. has been mashing all year. He;'s hitting .277 with 10 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Readers of this weekly column know that I covet the guys who can get me double-digits in stolen bases and home runs, and Garcia Jr. has done that in the first half already. I will add that he has three homers and four steals in 33 July plate appearances. This player should not be on the waiver wire in any league.
James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers (rostered in 21% of leagues)
Yes, I feel your eye roll. And I understand it. Outman was recalled under the radar last week with an injury to Jason Heyward, and while he hasn't had a huge opportunity yet, it could be coming. Last season, Outman stole 16 bases while hitting 23 home runs. Despite the early-season struggles that resulted in his demotion to Triple-A, the skills are there for Outman to be a productive player. He's hitting .333 in July thus far. Could be worth a roll of the dice in many formats, although not shallow ones yet.
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels (rostered in 32% of leagues)
Neto is productive and still flying under the radar in most leagues. The shortstop has quietly moved up in the batting order (hitting sixth or seventh, which still feels absurd in this lineup) and is hitting .250 with 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases. Three of those steals have come in July. The Statcast isn't great, but sometimes, that doesn't matter, as a player can still be productive without great underlying skills.
Batting Average (AVG) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Andrew Vaughn, Chicago White Sox (rostered in 48% of leagues)
Vaughn just keeps hitting. A cursory look at his stats shows a player hitting .240 with 11 home runs, a mediocre stat line. He hit .337 in June with six home runs and 20 RBI. The onset of July has seen that slow down, but he is still hitting the ball hard with a 77th percentile exit velocity (91 MPH), despite the .222 batting average. That will normalize again. This is a productive player who is on waivers in half of Yahoo leagues. Grab him if you need corner infield help. The key spots to me are in red below.
Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins (rostered in 42% of leagues)
Lee was recalled last week due to another Royce Lewis leg injury, and Lee has been spectacular. The second-rated player in the Minnesota system, Lewis is hitting a torrid .364 with two home runs, nine RBI, and five runs scored in 35 plate appearances. He is playing third base but also has shortstop eligibility. Lee is not known for much power (the highest home run total in his minor league career has been 16) or stolen bases (the highest stolen base total has been six), but he is well-known for an advanced hit tool. If you need a batting average boost, grab Lee if he is available in your league.
Noelvi Marte, Cincinnati Reds (rostered in 39% of leagues)
Marte is not fully back on the fantasy radar yet due to his slow start for the Reds. He's hitting only .176 right now with a homer and four RBI. It's important to remember that Marte needs to adjust back to major-league pitching after missing 80 games due to a PED suspension. There are signs he is becoming more comfortable at the plate; he had three hits Wednesday night, including a double. Now is a good time to get Marte before your league-mates notice he is available and roster him.
Also consider: Mauricio Dubon (HOU), Angel Martinez (CLE)
I hope this helps you out! Good luck and happy hunting, RotoBallers! You can always message me @mdrc0508 on X to complain about picks or make other suggestions!
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