Angel Genao

Cleveland Guardians infielder Angel Genao's underlying metrics make him an intriguing player to target on the waiver wire, especially in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. On the surface, Genao's stats look mediocre at best. In 27 games since his promotion to the majors on August 5, he is slashing .255/.314/.362 with two homers, six RBI, 12 runs, a 6.9% walk rate, a 12.7% strikeout rate, and 92 wRC+. However, a few things stand out as reasons why managers should be optimistic about Genao going forward. First of all, the 92 wRC+ is slightly below league average, but not by much. That could very easily trend upward as he gets more games under his belt. Additionally, his 12.7% strikeout rate reveals that he's seeing the zone well and putting the ball in play. That strikeout rate ranks in the 93rd percentile among MLB batters. Finally, what the box score won't show is that Genao has been producing a very high quality of contact. His 91.0 mph average exit velocity, 52% hard-hit rate, and 33% squared-up rate all rank within the upper echelon of hitters. All of these factors help solidify Genao's case as a late-season waiver wire pickup. He's available in 96% of leagues and has eligibility at second base, third base, and shortstop.