Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

May 18, 2019

Riley Mrack profiles Mitch Moreland as a waiver wire pickup or add target for Week 8 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season. His early season power numbers and spot in the lineup make him valuable in mixed leagues.

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ANALYSIS: If you were to predict at the start of the season who was going to lead the Red Sox in homers by mid-May, a few names would have popped into your head, but one of them likely wouldn't have been Mitch Moreland. With 12 homers on the season "Mitchy two-bags" has transformed into "Mitchy four-bags" with his early-season punishment of the baseball. Not only is he leading the home run charge in Boston, but his 30 RBI also lead the team and place him third in the AL among first baseman in this category.

Slashing .222/.310/.556 so far this season, Moreland's average and on-base percentage leave more to be desired, but his slugging percentage currently sits at an all-time high. His .188 BABIP is exactly .100 points lower than what it was in 2018 when he hit .245, and his career BABIP sits at .283. With these numbers inevitably leveling out, it's a guarantee that Moreland bumps his average and OBP up especially since his walk rate is sitting at a career-high 11.7%.

The left-handed swinger is setting new bests all over the place with a 53.5% Hard Hit%, 93.2 MPH Exit Velocity, and 17.5% Barrel%, all top-10 numbers among major leaguers. Moreland has kept his approach the same this year only upping his fly ball percentage slightly while keeping his plate discipline metrics in check. His 29.3% HR/FB will be impossible to hold up although we may not see such a drastic regression if he keeps barreling up the baseball the way he is now.

The 33-year-old had an All-Star first half last season and is easily eclipsing his pace from 2018 already this year. If it wasn't for a lingering back issue in the second half, Moreland might have ended the season with a Silver Slugger trophy. If good health remains on his side in 2019, Moreland will continue to build on this early season offensive explosion especially batting in the heart of the increasingly dangerous Red Sox lineup. Roster Moreland with confidence as he'll remain fantasy relevant even if a few four-baggers get traded in for some two-baggers.