Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 4)

April 18, 2025

Frank's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 4 of 2025. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters so far.

Welcome to our Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 4 of the 2025 MLB season. The focus of this article is to highlight players who could be on the verge of a breakout, citing current active hitting streaks along with leaders in batting average and isolated power (ISO). You will also find expected batting average (xBA) underachievers and overachievers.

In this week's edition, we'll dive into players like Jonathan Aranda, Michael Busch, and Trevor Story. You'll not only find out who is hot at the plate, but also which hitters deserve better results due to their quality of contact. This can not only help you find breakouts, but also buy-low targets poised to get out of their slump as well. You can even identify a few overachievers based on their difference between BA and xBA.

So without further ado, let's take a closer look at our breakout watch to help your fantasy baseball teams heading into Week 4. Each of these stats can help you in the contact, power, and speed categories.

Hit Streak Leaders

Data through 4/15

Brendan Donovan (11 games)

Donovan has hit in the three-spot in all but four games this season, putting him in a good position to be a source of runs. During this 11-game hitting streak, Donovan has gone 19-for-41 with six runs, five RBI, and one stolen base. This is an asset in batting average, as he has hit .280 or better in each season so far.

William Contreras (9 games)

The top catcher off the board in fantasy drafts has snapped out of a cold streak, as William Contreras has hit safely in nine consecutive games entering Wednesday's action. We've seen Contreras put up three multi-hit games with three homers and 11 RBI in this nine-game hitting streak.

Ozzie Albies (8 games)

The Braves offense is finally starting to wake up, with Ozzie Albies as one of the catalysts. The top-tier second baseman has homered three times during this eight-game hitting streak. When healthy, this is one of the best 2B options in fantasy baseball, so expect a bounce back as long as he can stay on the field.

Corbin Carroll (8 games)

Carroll looks poised for a career year, as we're seeing him show improvements in power, homering three times during this hitting streak, putting him at six for the season. Remember last year when Carroll got off to a terrible start due to a shoulder issue? That seems far behind him at this point.

Xavier Edwards (8 games)

Edwards came into the season as a middle-infield target for his batting average and stolen base upside, so it's not surprising to see him among the league leaders in active hitting streaks. The Marlins shortstop has gone 11-for-27 with six runs, three RBI, and four steals in this stretch.

Austin Riley (8 games)

Riley has been mashing lately, homering four times during this hitting streak. It's nice to see another Brave wake up from an early season slumber. There was never any need to worry about a hitter with such a strong track record like Riley, but it's encouraging to see him get on track.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 4/15

Aaron Judge (.474 BA)

What separates Judge from other power hitters is that he can still be an asset in batting average, as highlighted by his current stretch. We've seen the Yankees superstar put up a .300+ BA in two of the last three seasons. Buckle up your seatbelts because you're likely in for another wild ride on a historic season for Judge.

Austin Riley (.467 BA)

As we can see here, Riley is not only on an active hitting streak leaderboard, but batting average as well. Like Judge, Riley can be an asset in batting average as well, posting a range of .273 to .303 from 2021-23 before falling to .256 last season. There's a good chance Riley could get back to career norms in BA this year.

Jonathan Aranda (.450 BA)

Aranda has been a potential sleeper for the last couple of years because he's one of the best hitters in Triple-A, including a 165 wRC+ in 2023. We may be finally witnessing the breakout here, as Aranda has terrific batted ball metrics to go along with this recent hot streak, including a 21.6 percent barrel rate.

Tyler Fitzgerald (.444 BA)

Fitzgerald is a streaky hitter who fell in fantasy baseball drafts due to poor plate discipline and questionable playing time, but this is an interesting stretch because of a 15.8 percent strikeout rate (31.7 percent K% last season). If Fitzgerald can continue to improve on his strikeout-prone tendencies, there may be something here.

Griffin Conine (.438 BA)

Conine has three consecutive multi-hit games that include three runs and four RBI. We've seen the 27-year-old hit the ball hard this season, as highlighted by a 16.7 percent barrel rate. I recommend tempering expectations because there's not much of a track record here besides 20 HR power in the minors, but you can ride the wave while he's hot.

Bobby Witt Jr. (.435 BA)

It's nice to see one of the best players in fantasy baseball get back on track. Expect to see Witt on this leaderboard quite often this season, as he put up an impressive .332 BA last year. This is one of the few hitters who can be elite in every single category, giving him a chance to finish first overall in fantasy baseball.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 4/15

Jung Hoo Lee (.609 ISO)

It's quite surprising to see Hoo Lee on this list of ISO leaders because he's more known for his contact abilities. While you're not likely to get 20 HR, this type of hot streak is notable since it shows that Hoo Lee is far from a zero in power. The Giants outfielder has improved his barrel rate from 4.5 percent to 9.8 percent so far.

Taylor Ward (.577 ISO)

Ward is on one of his classic hot streaks that includes five homers in only six games. The Angels lineup is sneaky good with Ward joined by Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, and the emerging Kyren Paris. Don't forget that Zach Neto is on the way back soon. In other words, we could see the counting stats needed for a Ward breakout given the supporting cast.

Fernando Tatis Jr. (.571 ISO)

Tatis continues to establish himself as an NL MVP candidate, homering four times in his last five games. The quality of contact looks impressive, as Tatis has posted a 19.3 percent barrel rate, which is getting close to his career-high of 21.3 percent back in 2021. It appears that the Padres superstar is back to top form.

Cal Raleigh (.500 ISO)

Raleigh came into the season as one of the premier power-hitting catchers in MLB, so it's expected to see the Mariners catcher on this list. However, at the same time, it's encouraging to see him get rolling before the month ends because he did get off to a slow start.

Michael Busch (.462 ISO)

Here's another interesting name on this list in Busch, who looks like he's taking the next step as a hitter. After a Cubs debut that saw him put up a 119 wRC+ in 567 plate appearances, Busch has trimmed his strikeout rate from 28.6 percent to 22.5 percent this year. If Busch can break out, this lineup could be scary.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (.458 ISO)

Crow-Armstrong is known for his defense and speed, so to see him on a list of ISO leaders in the last seven days is intriguing. This is a player who has shown increases in bat speed so far, so there's a chance that his power is developing. If that can stick, you have 20-40 upside here.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 4/15

Trevor Story (4 SB)

The one player we'll highlight for stolen bases is the Red Sox shortstop, who has been running wild on the basepaths so far, racking up six steals in 19 games. Remember that this is the first full season for Story with the new rules, so there's a chance that he can set a career-high.

xBA Underachiever

Data through 4/15

Salvador Perez (-0.090)

Perez has gotten off to a slow start, but his .296 xBA is much better than his .206 BA, so don't worry about the poor performance so far. Remember that this is a player with an extensive track record as one of the best hitting catchers, so you can use this cold streak as an opportunity to buy low.

xBA Overachiever

Data through 4/15

Jose Altuve (+0.097)

Altuve is the interesting highlight of xBA overachievers, as his .203 xBA is much lower than his .300 BA. But even with this, you just have to trust in the strong track record here. I wouldn't recommend using this as a time to sell-high on Altuve, as he's still one of the top second basemen in fantasy baseball.

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