Top 5 Hitter Streamers: Waiver Wire Targets For Week 25

September 15, 2014

Kyle Braver analyzes the top 5 waiver wire pickups for week 25. These sleeper hitters could have an impact on your fantasy baseball team and should be owned.

I'm sad to say it, but this week will be this year's final installment of my weekly streamers article. I hope that you all have enjoyed these pieces and that I've been able to help at least a few of you make up ground in your leagues and weekly matchups.

For now though we still have one more week to play, so I'll get down to business. As always I'll be highlighting five sleepers who I think are in the right situation to make an impact for fantasy owners next week. All of these sleeper hitters are owned in less than 50% of leagues and I've selected them from a variety of positions so as to make sure that every fantasy owner finds something helpful. Take a look:

1) Steve Pearce, Baltimore Orioles 1B, OF

2014 Stats: .284 BA, 45 Runs, 16 HR, 39 RBI, 5 SB

Ownership: 44.8% (ESPN)

Schedule: Jays, Red Sox

Games Scheduled: 6

Pearce is finally getting consistent at-bats again, a trend that I don't see changing now that Chris Davis has been suspended for 25 games due to amphetamine use. He's been impressive with them, having already hit a home run and logging three RBI and runs scored over the last seven games.

Personally, I've really enjoyed what I've seen from Pearce this year. He's shown the ability to hit for power, for average, and to even get on-base at a high clip to boost his runs scored numbers. Against a Boston and Toronto opposition who rank in the bottom 10 in team ERA since the All Star break, I think he's in for a big week.

2) Jedd Gyorko, San Diego Padres, 2B

2014 Stats: .206 BA, 27 Runs, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 2 SB

Ownership: 21.2% (ESPN)

Schedule: Phillies, Giants

Games Scheduled: 7

Since rosters have expanded Jedd Gyorko is about the only Padre still getting consistent at-bats, and he's certainly made the most of them. He's hit .308 with a home run since the beginning of September, and .375 over the last seven days. There's of course risk associated with Gyorko, as one glance at his season batting line will tell you, but given a seven game home stretch against two rotations I think the upside far outweighs the risk while he's on a hot streak like this.

3) David Freese, Los Angeles Angels, 3B

2014 Stats: .259 BA, 49 Runs, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 1 SB

Ownership: 11.8% (ESPN)

Schedule: Mariners, Rangers

Games Scheduled: 7

David Freese is another hot hitter who I like a lot this next week. Like Gyorko, he'll enjoy a seven game home stretch, three games of which will come against the Rangers and their terrible 4.69 team ERA, the second worst in baseball this year.

Toss that in with the fact that Freese has hit an excellent .371 with 2 home runs since the start of September, and .360 over the last seven days, and you may see why I relish the thought of him taking on that Rangers' pitching staff.He's almost certainly available in your league, and in my opinion he's definitely worth the add right now.

4) Dexter Fowler, Houston Astros, OF

2014 Stats: .270 BA, 53 Runs, 8 HR, 32 RBI, 9 SB

Ownership: 16.2% (ESPN)

Schedule: Indians, Mariners

Games Scheduled: 7

Dexter Fowler is your steady-Eddie this week, for a team not looking to rock the boat as they cruise through their last week of the season. As I've discussed before in numerous articles, he's no game-changer on his own, but Fowler provides just enough in each category to make him a steady contributor in any given week, with his best offering coming from runs scored thanks to an excellent .374 OBP. Fowler won't help you make up ground in a final push, but he won't cause you to lose any either.

5) Wil Myers, Tampa Rays, OF

2014 Stats: .227 BA, 34 Runs, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 4 SB

Ownership: 42.1% (ESPN)

Schedule: Yankees, Sox

Games Scheduled: 6

Will Myers is my upside pick of the week. Using his power potential at home against the unimpressive Yankee and White Sox rotations, (the 14^th and 4^th worst rotations in baseball this season by team ERA) he could put up very big numbers if he gets in a groove. Accept the risk that comes with him of course, but if you need to make a final push in homeruns this week, he's the guy I'd turn to.