Dalton Del Don reveals the top widely available hitters worth adding to the fantasy baseball waiver list in Week 8.
Matos wasn’t in San Francisco’s immediate plans until injuries struck the Giants’ outfield, but he’s made the most of his opportunity since being recalled a week ago. He recorded 11 RBI on Friday and Saturday — the same number Ronald Acuña Jr. totaled all season. He has twice as many RBI (16) in 26 at-bats last week as George Springer has in 159 ABs this year.
Matos has yet to walk, but he has also struck out just once in 30 games, so batting average should be a strength. He was struggling in Triple-A (66 wRC+) this year and doesn’t have much power/speed upside, but will have a chance to hit in the middle of San Francisco’s lineup. Still, we should temper expectations for home runs and steals for the 22-year-old, especially hampered by Oracle Park.
Matos got off to a hot start after being called back to the majors and had his roster percentage increased in line with the big weekend. It is still available in over 60% of Yahoo leagues.
Schneider took the lead over the weekend with George Springer also in the lineup for the first time this season. His 141 wRC+ would rank in the top 25 among qualified hitters, and Schneider entered Sunday ranked in the top five in barrels per swing, right behind Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani (maybe you’ve heard of them). Schneider is a 28th-round pick who seemingly came out of nowhere, but posted a 142 wRC+ at Triple-A and a 176 wRC+ after his first call-up to the majors last season. In fact, Schneider was one of nine MLB hitters to post over 1,000 OPS in the second half. He can hit.
Schneider is eligible at 2B and OF, is in top 15% in the league in xwOBA and is leading in Toronto. He shouldn’t be available in more than 75% of leagues.
Nootbaar’s .218 batting average comes with an expected BA of .275, which is one of the biggest differences among all hitters this season. Nootbaar’s contact metrics are impressive and his top exit velocity is in the top 8% in the league. He also suffered from having the highest percentage of pitches outside the strike zone called strikes against him this year. Unusually poor officiating and a sub-0.236 BABIP are sure to regress, and the projection systems are optimistic, with Steamer predicting a 126 wRC+ for the rest of the season. Nootbaar bats second against righties, and it’s safe to ignore his deceptive batting average.
Nootbaar is available in 65% of Yahoo leagues and should be a productive fantasy outfielder in the future.
Fry would easily lead all catchers in OPS (1.005) and wRC+ (185) if he qualified, and his walk rate is at top 2% in the league. He became a fixture in Cleveland’s lineup in May, when he hit .344/.475/.656 with almost as many walks as strikeouts. Fry has moved to the middle of the Guardians’ order, behind hitters with strong OBPs, so he looks like an underrated fantasy asset.
Fry entered Sunday ranked as the 12th fantasy catcher this season with just 77 hits (Yainer Diaz was often drafted as a top-five C and provided far less value in 166 ABs), but he is available in nearly 85% of leagues despite a new full-time role in the outfield.
Tyler Freeman, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Cleveland Guardians (18%)
Another beneficiary of Steven Kwan’s injury in Cleveland, Freeman has prospered since moving to the top of the lineup. He’s quietly on pace to go 15/25 despite a .221 batting average that appears to be rising. Freeman doesn’t attack much (6:5 K:BB ratio over 52 ABs in May) and has solid exit velocity and velocity, so his low .241 BABIP seems like a fluke. The Guardians have been one of the most aggressive base-stealing teams this season, so there is potential at SB. Small sample size warning, but the generally pitcher-friendly Progressive Pitch has been extremely hitter-friendly so far in 2024, including increasing home runs by a whopping 41%.
Freeman is shining in first positioneligible at four positions and widely available in fantasy leagues.
