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We are not yet one week into the 2024 MLB action, but it's never too early to start submitting waiver claims. This article will discuss fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for the outfield in Week 2 - April 1 through April 7. Of course, it is too soon to give up on the struggling players that excited you during the draft. However, trading in some of your end-of-the-bench slots for players with more promising ceilings can be crucial to fantasy baseball success in the long run.
Given the brief sample size thus far, these selections will be based less on players' recent performances. Instead, this article will highlight the guys who either went overlooked in drafts or young players whose standing with their team has changed significantly for one reason or another. At this stage, everything is speculative, but it's better to get out in front of the trends.
The names in this article are in order of percentage rostered and are not indicative of a confidence ranking. In the first few weeks, rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability.
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Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Standard Leagues
Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels (50% Rostered)
Following a strong 2022 campaign, Taylor Ward was one of the trendier picks on draft boards heading into last season. Instead of delivering on the breakout performance fantasy managers had hoped for, Ward generated an uninspiring .253/.335/.421 slash line with 14 home runs and a 107 wRC+. He started to catch fire in the early summer, and his counting stats would have been better, though a sinker to the face abruptly ended Ward's season at just 97 games played.
2022 was not a long time ago, and we should not be so quick to dismiss Ward's exceptional metrics from that season - .361 xwOBA, .474 xSLG, and 12.4% barrel rate. His 2023 campaign started off slowly, but it's worth understanding that he caught steam with each passing month.
Ward posted a 79 wRC+ across 29 games between March and April, an 85 wRC+ in 24 May appearances, then a 99 wRC+ in 24 June games, and he finally caught fire in July with a 182 wRC+ over 20 games played. If the full season had played out, he might very well have put up some big numbers by the season’s end. Ward still has the upside of a core fantasy asset.
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox (49% Rostered)
After a brief taste of the majors at the end of last season, Ceddanne Rafaela has likely arrived in the big leagues to stay. The 23-year-old slashed .270/.319/.508 with three home runs during Spring Training en route to earning an Opening Day roster spot. With flexible defensive positioning, Rafaela looks to have an everyday role in the Boston Red Sox lineup.
Rafaela is the fourth-ranked prospect in the Boston farm system and the 73rd-ranked prospect in baseball. He has surprising power for his size, alongside excellent speed. With consistent playing time, Rafaela becomes an immediate 20-home run, 20-stolen base candidate for his rookie season.
Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners (23% Rostered)
Mitch Haniger hasn't been particularly relevant for fantasy purposes since 2021 when he smashed 39 home runs with a 120 wRC+. Since then, he's battled various injuries, playing in only 108 games over the past two seasons combined and failing to make an impact at the plate. Now back with the Seattle Mariners, Haniger is a candidate to bounce back at the plate this season.
If for no other reason, Haniger should be on everyone's radar because he is red-hot at the plate right now. We aren't meant to put too much stock in Spring Training performances, but Haniger is coming off the best preseason of his career.
Over 16 games, he posted a 1.288 OPS with five home runs. He didn't waste any time carrying over the momentum into the regular season, producing a two-hit performance with a long ball on Opening Day. Haniger is a name to monitor.
Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates (23% Rostered)
Henry Davis struggled during his first stint in the majors last season, generating a .653 OPS with seven home runs across 62 games played. Now, with some big league exposure under his belt, the 24-year-old is in a prime position to break out in 2024. Davis is hardly the first rookie to struggle, and he certainly has the peripherals of a worthwhile fantasy producer.
As a refresher, Davis was the first-overall pick in the 2021 draft. He was the third-ranked prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system heading into 2023 and the 57th prospect in all of baseball.
Davis posted a 1.015 OPS across 55 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023 before eventually getting called up. He's excelled at every level of the minor leagues, and it seems like it will only be a matter of time before Davis figures out major league pitching.
Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Deeper Leagues
Johan Rojas, Philadelphia Phillies (8% Rostered)
Johan Rojas fulfills a very specific fantasy need: stolen bases. He swiped 30 bags over 76 games in Triple-A last season and 62 stolen bases across 130 minor league games in 2022. Rojas won't offer much in terms of power-hitting, though he plays elite defense and has the ability to get on base consistently, creating a very real path to substantial playing time.
Rojas was productive during his first stint in the majors last season. Over 59 games, he posted a .302/.342/.430 slash line with two home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a 109 wRC+.
A .410 BABIP suggests there is regression behind those numbers, though the ability to hit for average is consistent with his minor league tenure. Rojas is worth a look, especially for fantasy rosters starving for stolen bases production.
Joc Pederson, Arizona Diamondbacks (4% Rostered)
If Joc Pederson can ever shake his perpetual strong-side platoon designation, he would automatically be rostered in way more leagues. The hope is that he can accomplish just that with a change of scenery to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Early on, it looks like the plan is to rest him against southpaws, but if he can continue to pour in four-hit performances as he did in his team debut, it wouldn't be shocking to see Pederson carve out something closer to an everyday role.
Last season, Pederson produced a respectable 111 wRC+ with 15 home runs across 121 games played. The surface numbers are not particularly attention-grabbing, but the advanced metrics paint a much different picture.
Pederson's impressive optics include a .366 xwOBA, .481 xSLG, 92.1 mph average exit velocity, 12.1% barrel rate, 52.2% hard-hit rate, and a disciplined 13.4% walk rate. There is a prolific upside here.
Lawrence Butler, Oakland Athletics (1% Rostered)
Lawrence Butler doesn't carry the same prospect pedigree as some others featured here, but he has the tools to be a fantasy stud. He slashed .284/.350/.475 with 15 home runs and 21 stolen bases across 89 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. The performance earned him a promotion to the Oakland Athletics major league roster, where he struggled to the tune of a 64 OPS+ over 42 appearances.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Butler is hardly the first rookie to struggle with major league pitching. A strong .364/.419/.509 preseason slash line may signify a development in his approach.
Butler is only 23 years old, and Oakland seems poised to give him every opportunity to succeed as a fixture in their lineup. Through the first few games of the 2023 season, he has started against both right-handed and left-handed pitchers, suggesting that Butler will not be subject to any strict platooning.
More Players To Consider
- Victor Scott II, St. Louis Cardinals (45% rostered)
- Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees (43% rostered)
- Whit Merrifield, Philadelphia Phillies (38% rostered)
- Parker Meadows, Detroit Tigers (24% rostered)
- Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers (22% rostered)
- Austin Hays, Baltimore Orioles (17% rostered)
More Deep-League Players To Consider
- Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants (10% rostered)
- Bryan De La Cruz, Miami Marlins (9% rostered)
- Alek Thomas, Arizona Diamondbacks (6% rostered)
- Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies (4% rostered)
- Jesus Sanchez, Miami Marlins (2% rostered)
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